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Flooring Installation FAQs


Flooring Contractor FAQs in Waukesha / New Berlin

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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 Waukesha / New Berlin 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 Waukesha / New Berlin 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.

Hardwood floor installation in Waukesha / New Berlin.

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Footprints Floors provides flooring installation services in Waukesha / New Berlin 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

Very professional, very affordable. I had some wrecked flooring needing to be replaced at home, they did a great job with the tear down and with the install.
Jake Budzinsky 04/29/25 — google
Footprints Floors was a phenomenal experience. Rebecca was so easy to work with and the quality her team’s output was top notch. At the start of the process, we had somewhat of a complex project with new floor installs and refinishing across three levels. Rebecca worked to build a competitive quote that had the right level of detail we could understand and trust. She worked with us on all of the design and material aspects and made sure we were getting exactly what we wanted based on our goals and budget for flooring. Her teams were great during the install, they were very respectful, efficient and brought anything to my attention in advance (even the small things). I strongly recommend Footprints floors for both refinish and new flooring install!
Chris Higgins 04/15/25 — google
The crew did a great job. We are satisfied with the finished product. Rebecca was very attentive from start to finish. I'm considering some bath updates; I will call Rebecca at Footprints for an estimate.
Ken Strother 04/14/25 — google
Our refinished maple wood floors look beautiful! Rebecca and her crew were fabulous throughout the whole process!
Kaitlyn Lamb 03/21/25 — google
Rebecca and team were great! Very accommodating to my schedule and needs. Rebecca especially was terrific to work with and would come with my high recommendation!!
John Mau 03/14/25 — google
Becca and her team did an awesome job on my remodel. We took out the carpet and extended the wood floors into the living room and hallway. The wood looks great, and you can’t even tell it was only in one room! I was nervous about picking a color and they made that easy as well. I wouldn’t go anywhere else when looking for a flooring company!
Lexi Ostrand 02/28/25 — google
My aunt and uncle recently had their hardwood floors refinished, and they couldn’t be more thrilled with the results! Rebecca and her team did an absolutely amazing job. From start to finish, the process was smooth and efficient. They were professional, detail-oriented, and took great care in ensuring everything was done to perfection. The best part, however, is the stain color. It turned out exactly how they had envisioned—rich, warm, and just the right tone. It completely transformed the look of their home, giving the floors a fresh, updated appearance while still maintaining their timeless charm. They are so happy with the final outcome and would highly recommend this service to anyone looking to breathe new life into their hardwood floors. They truly exceeded my expectations!
Carrie Nichols 02/28/25 — google
Rebecca was helpful and knowledgeable, the whole process was simple from quote to finished product.
James Newkirk 02/28/25 — google
Becca and her crew are fantastic to work with. They made the flooring installation process super smooth.
Jerad Steinfeld 02/26/25 — google
Footprints Floors added a backsplash to our kitchen. It turned out amazing! The process was easy because they helped us through the steps. It was hard to decide what exact style would look nice so they gave us helpful suggestions. We are so happy with the outcome. The workmanship was excellent and no dust was left behind at the end. My family will definitely hire Footprint Floors again to do our next project.
tracy farrell 02/23/25 — google
Being new to the area, I was flying blind when looking for a flooring contractor. From our first meeting to get measurements until clean up after the install, I was very happy. I've always said, long after the price is forgotten, the quality will be remembered. Trust me, with Footprints Floors, you'll get a professional job done at a fair price!
K Blackwell 01/29/25 — google
We recently had a water leak below our kitchen sink which damaged our flooring. We went to Angie's list and picked 3 contractors for quotes. I picked Footprints Floors Waukesha. Rebecca Harvey worked up a quote for removal of old flooring approx 900 square feet and installation of new flooring. Footprints concept let's owner pick a product and Rebecca worked up a material list and sent to our vendor. She said they could start 1/27/25, would be at our home at 8:00am. Rebecca and her crew arrived at 8:00, she walked the foreman thru the details and said she would return during the day checking on progress and any needs the crew might have. The crew as excellent and very professional and a pleasure to work with. The removal was done by mid day and installation was begun. By 5:00pm, install was 80% complete. Rebecca and crew returned Tuesday at 8:00 by by mid morning install of floor complete. Began reinstalling baseboards, quarter round and transition pieces. The craftsmanship of the crew was excellent. They finished all caulking and cleanup by noon. I would give Rebecca and here crew a 5 star rating. Rebecca was a pleasure to work with.
PETER Schwantes 01/29/25 — google
Our project was new tile in several rooms. Rebecca was clearly committed to the success of this project from start to finish. She was very prompt to reply to any questions, had her team on site when she said they would be there, and had no surprises on price or timing. She was clearly very personally engaged and cared about our satisfaction. I liked that she also allowed us to manage the job and save some money by doing some of the work ourselves - some contractors did not allow this. Overall, we were very satisfied with Rebecca and the outcome of this job and would recommend her to others.
Glenn 11/26/24 — google
We had a large kitchen remodel we were doing and when we ripped out the cabinets we realized it was some floorboards that were missing as well as a very large hole in the floor. Footprints flooring did an excellent job of lacing in the new wood and repairing the damaged floors. I would highly recommend them. Professional, courteous and very easy to work with.
Lori Glaessgen 10/25/24 — google
Did a great job refinishing the hardwood floors; they look fantastic!
Kathy Strebe 09/18/24 — google
Rebecca and her team did a great job on my three bedroom floors. They came when they said they would and I am very pleased. Dan is a true craftsman and I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again. Picture of one of the bedrooms before and after.
Bob Blythe 09/3/24 — google
Floor turned out awesome would recommend
Dan Fitzpatrick 08/30/24 — google
I’ve just this last weekend had Footprints Floors refinish two bedrooms the hall and the main living room. Dan worked for four days, including Saturday and Sunday till late to get them cut and finished. They look absolutely beautiful. Thank you Rebecca and Dan for my fantastic floors!
Donna Beal 08/5/24 — google
Professional, on time, job completed in 1 day.
Kristi Sankey 08/2/24 — google
Our experience with Rebecca and Footprints Floors was top notch! They did a terrific job of sanding and sealing our 120 year old maple hardwood floors and gave them new life. We are very pleased we chose them to do the work.
Bill Buss 07/25/24 — 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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