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Flooring Installation FAQs


Flooring Contractor FAQs in Tampa

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There’s no better way to freshen up your space and add value to your home. But before you update your flooring, there are many choices to make. We’ve rounded up some flooring contractor FAQs in Tampa to help you with your decision-making process. If you want more information, check out our web pages dedicated to different kinds of flooring.

No matter the flooring you choose, you can trust the qualified contractors hired by Footprints Floors to do the job right.

FAQs

The first thing to figure out when updating your flooring is what flooring is right for the space. For a bathroom or kitchen where there will be lots of moisture and potentially water on the floor, something like tile or vinyl flooring is ideal because it’s durable and water-resistant. Hardwood flooring is a classic choice for other areas of your home, but you still need to choose between solid or engineered hardwood. Consider the upkeep of different flooring and the wear — do you have young kids or pets? Does the room receive much sun? Answer these questions first to help you decide the kind of flooring that will suit your needs.

It depends! Laminate and vinyl flooring can be installed directly over existing flooring, and solid hardwood can be glued directly onto concrete. Consider factors like the age and condition of your existing flooring and whether it will serve as a sturdy base for new flooring.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not difficult to care for wood flooring. You can simply vacuum hardwood floors to remove grit and debris and use a damp cloth or mop to wipe away dust. To reduce potential scratches, ensure footwear (i.e., heels) has proper plastic caps to prevent scratches, or ask guests to remove their shoes. As a bonus, you can switch up the look of your hardwood floors at any time through staining or refinishing.

You probably bumped into three terms when looking up hardwood flooring online: "painting," "staining," and "refinishing." "Painting" is obvious, but what about the others? A wood stain, usually applied by hand, is used to darken the color of the wood. The "finishing" process involves applying varnish and a coating of sealant, which adds gloss and protects the wood. "Refinishing" is the process of redoing your current flooring finish, revitalizing, and rejuvenating it.

Refinishing or restoring existing wood floors can save you tons of money! If you have old wood flooring that doesn’t look great, it can be tempting to rip it out and start over. But wood flooring is resilient and made to last. Most damage can be repaired, and refinishing or restoring can make wood floors look new. If you’re unsure whether your wood flooring can be saved, the experts at Footprints Floors can assess it.

This is another “it depends” situation. Solid hardwood flooring is more expensive than engineered hardwood. However, solid hardwood can be sanded and refinished more than engineered hardwood, so it may last longer. Engineered hardwood is more affordable and is more resistant to moisture and humidity. If you live in a place with high humidity or greatly varying temperatures, engineered hardwood flooring may be the right choice. Both look beautiful and are easy to take care of.

Laminate flooring is a budget-friendly type of layered flooring that can be made to look like pretty much anything. It’s typically made up of wood fibers compressed into a board or a plywood board. The board is then covered in an “image” layer — basically, a photo of whatever you want the flooring to look like (stone, wood, etc), and a “wear” layer, or protective layer. Some laminate may also have a backing layer made of cork or felt. Laminate is an affordable way to get the look of more expensive wood or stone flooring. It’s pretty durable, making it a great choice for homes with pets or kids, and it’s easy to clean. However, prolonged exposure to water can cause the wood part of the laminate to warp, making it unsuitable for rooms like bathrooms.

Laminate’s wood component makes it susceptible to water damage. Vinyl is an entirely synthetic material, which means it’s waterproof. As long as laminate is installed correctly, it’s fairly water-resistant, but still probably not a suitable choice for bathrooms or mudrooms where water might linger. Vinyl is extremely durable and comes in various of colors, textures, and styles. Both laminate and vinyl are great choices for homes with high traffic from kids and pets, and they’re easy to take care of — but whereas vinyl can go in any room in your home, remember to keep laminate out of the bathroom.

There is a much wider variety of colors, textures, and designs in tile flooring than in hardwood. Tile floors have a lifespan of over a century. Whether you're looking for a traditional or modern look, there is a tile pattern to suit you. Regarding durability, aesthetics, maintenance, and cost, tile is an excellent choice. It's also considered one of the most eco-friendly options for flooring in your home.

Ceramic tiles are made up of clay or other minerals that have been tightly compressed and heated in an oven. They can be glazed or unglazed and come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Porcelain tiles are ceramic tiles that have been heated at an even greater temperature, making them more durable and less porous. Porcelain tiles are better suited for rooms with high moisture content like bathrooms, but their durability makes them an excellent choice for any room. However, ceramic tile is more affordable and still offers great durability.

We hope these flooring contractor FAQs in Tampa have been helpful to you as your start your flooring journey. Contact Footprints Floors for a free estimate when you've found flooring you love. You can feel confident in a job well done with our licensed and certified contractors.

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Footprints Floors provides flooring installation services in Tampa for both old and new homes. We handle the demolition and removal of the old flooring, as well as the necessary prep work for new flooring. We will even remove baseboards and reinstall them after completing the flooring installation.

Covering everything from design and installation to clean up, our team helps increase the value of your property with brand new hardwood floors. Contact us today to request a free estimate!

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What Our Customers Say

Gene and the crew are responsive immediately, helpful, and focus on actually doing good installs, not cheap fly by night work. Highly recommend.
Francisco Menendez 09/16/23 — google
Outstanding Tile Installation We had the pleasure of working with Gene and Diego at Footprints Floors for a shower tile installation, and we are thrilled with the results. The experience was exceptional, and the craftsmanship speaks for itself. Gene took the time to discuss the design, materials, timeline and communicated with us throughout the whole project. Diego demonstrated a remarkable attention to detail. Every tile was placed with precision, ensuring perfect alignment and symmetry. We are beyond happy with the final result. Thank you Gene and Diego!
Angie Park 08/30/23 — google
Gene Hawk and Footprints Floors do an amazing job. They installed a new kitchen backsplash at our home, and it turned out great. Gene’s team is professional and courteous, and they pay great attention to the details. Thank you!
Ross Spano 08/29/23 — google
Very good company
Fernando matias da silva 08/28/23 — google
Gene with Footprints Floors was awesome!!! So was everyone on his team. They did my bathroom tile (shower & floors), entry floor, kitchen backsplash, and LVP throughout. No piece is awkward. Quality is excellent. His prices are fair. He does what he says he is going to do. He keeps you in the loop and gives you all info - there are no secrets. Originally, the plan was to refinish my hardwood floors. However, they were too thin and would tear up. He gave me the pros and cons of doing it, but i decided to switch to LVP. He helped me secure high quality LVP very quickly and made it happen! It looks amazing. The transitions are flawless. The stairs look incredible, they replaced the risers as well. Most importantly - they were friendly, honest, on time, and clean. Would use again in the future.
Savannah Lloyd 08/6/23 — google
This was a great experience and business choice. Bruno the installer made a difficult hexagonal tile in two bedrooms look absolutely beautiful. Highly recommend to everyone.
William McGee 06/17/23 — google
The team removed our existing wood floors, prepared the slab, and laid porcelain tile. Everyone was on time, courteous, professional, performed quality workmanship and services were reasonably priced. Gene was always responsive and fair with us. We would also like to recognize and thank Diego, Bruno and the rest of the crew! We would hire this company again.
Terri Gainsburg 06/12/23 — google
Gene and his crew did four rooms of marble floors for us and they are beautiful we could not be happier .They did great work .
Tom Schandel 06/9/23 — google
Gene was exceptional to work with and very responsive throughout the process. We met with two floor companies and ultimately went with Footprint Floors because of their customer service. Victor was on site for installation and he and his team were great!! Our floors look fantastic and we highly recommend them!
THAT Caitlin Stark 06/7/23 — google
After months of shopping around for the right flooring for us and becoming very frustrated. We contacted Gene at Footprint Floors and he was absolutely the best to work with. He provided several different options and helped guide us through the pros and cons of each product line. Also he opinion on flooring design was extremely valuable and lead to us using them exclusively to remove and install new flooring throughout the entire home. We wish more companies were like the Florid Foot Print team. True professionals and very flexible to meet timelines and work with the other trades schedule who were on site. Great Job Gene, thank you for exceeding our expectations
Dave Warta 05/26/23 — google
Gene Hawk and his team are the most professional contractors we have ever worked with. They were so helpful with our flooring vendor selection and the installation was coordinated perfectly. The entire process was managed with great attention to detail and their communication is beyond our expectations. You will not find a more professional and skilled team to help with your project. We will only work with Gene and Footprints Flooring from now on!
Kelly Hammonds 05/23/23 — google
I had lost confidence in updating my condo after a disastrous experience with interior and outdoor door replacement. When I learned that Gene had opened this business I at least knew I had someone I could trust and that I knew the standards he expected. I’ve referred several friends to him AND he’s helped me identify good painters and carpenters. Prices are fair and his team has been professional and competent. Lots to still do but at least I’ve made the first steps thanks to him.
N Rawlings 05/20/23 — google
Let me start by saying, Gene and Diego rescued me from a botched bathroom remodel job. I was a nervous wreck, I was out of thousands of dollars in material costs, the bathroom was inoperable, and it was a nightmare to look at. Nothing was going right until I met these guys. Diego came in knocked everything out, gave me a beautifully tiled bathroom, and he was an absolute pleasure to work with. They both were extremely pleasant and responsive and working with the duo was a breeze. Everything was done beautifully and I am extremely pleased. Diego is a magician and Gene has the patience of Job. They removed the old work, executed the new tile installation on the walls and floors, reinstalled the shower wall, and my plumber handled all the remaining installations. Everything was completed in about a week as promised. I will be contacting them in the future for any tile installation projects that I have. Thank you Diego!
Nashona Varlack 05/19/23 — google
Gene Hawk was instructive, suggestive, courteous, quite pleasant and made our processing flow efficiently. Also, the laborers who did this work were impressively skilled, attentive to detail and dedicated to giving a beautiful work product. Thank you so much, Footprints!
Carrie Williams 04/19/23 — google
Great crew, fantastic and highly recommended. Very professional and takes care of your belongings as they move and replace them
Brian Crossley 04/18/23 — google
From the first time I met with the owner, Gene Hawk until the time Matt Rhoden finished the job, I was constantly asked about the service. Folks, Footprints Central Florida is all you need in a flooring company. Extremely professional from start to finish. 5 Star for sure.
Bill Carew 03/27/23 — google
I have used them twice. The first time was at my restaurant and the second was at my new home. They did an amazing job!! The work was done quickly and efficiently. I will definitely use them again and highly recommend them!
Victoria Feliciano 03/23/23 — google
I would highly recommend this company to anyone who needs flooring done. The team was on time, extremely professional and very pleasant to work with.
Styles By Kiff (Styles By Kiff) 03/22/23 — google
Gene and team did a fantastic job on my laminate flooring installation! I would highly recommend Footprints floors to anyone looking for an exceptional experience all the way from estimate to installation. Our family could not be happier with the outcome and will reach out to Gene when we are ready to install flooring in our other room. Reasonable costs and excellent service. We are very satisfied with our experience.
Terry Thompson 03/13/23 — google
Gene was great!! I purchased a place in Tampa and he was able to match the flooring in the bedrooms that had carpet to the living area and kitchen. Considering I lived an hour away he made it all very easy for me. The floors look wonderful, Thank you 😊
Cindy Johnson 02/16/23 — google

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Customer Satisfaction


Footprints Floors is a one-of-a-kind residential flooring installation and restoration business. We offer high quality flooring installations and, with over a decade of dedication, we have quickly become the largest flooring contractor by striving to bring a higher level of customer service and sophistication to an industry where it was severely lacking. Our family-owned business is focused on customer satisfaction and quality results, all while passing savings on to you and yours through our low overhead model.

Footprints Floors is a one-of-a-kind residential flooring installation and restoration business. We offer high quality flooring installations and, with over a decade of dedication, we have quickly become the largest flooring contractor by striving to bring a higher level of customer service and sophistication to an industry where it was severely lacking. Our family-owned business is focused on customer satisfaction and quality results, all while passing savings on to you and yours through our low overhead model.

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