Flooring
What each flooring service involves, which floors suit which rooms, and what to expect from a certified company.
Floors take the most wear of any surface in a home, and after a water loss they are usually the first thing replaced. The pages below describe each flooring service: what the material is, where it works, how it is installed, and what has to be true of the subfloor underneath before it goes down.
A certified company checks the subfloor for moisture and level before any finish floor is installed. Skipping that check is the most common reason a new floor fails.
27 services
Hardwood floor installation
Solid wood planks, acclimated, nailed down in straight rows and finished to last decades.
Hardwood floor refinishing
Sanding worn floors to bare wood and sealing them so they look new again.
Hardwood floor repair
Replacing damaged boards and blending them in so the repair disappears.
Engineered wood flooring
A real wood surface on a stable core, usable over concrete and in basements.
Laminate flooring
Wood-look planks that click together and float over an underlayment.
Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring
Waterproof wood-look planks for the rooms where water happens.
Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring
Stone and tile looks in waterproof vinyl, warmer underfoot than ceramic.
Sheet vinyl flooring
One piece of waterproof flooring, fitted to the room with few or no seams.
Linoleum flooring
A natural, durable floor made from linseed oil, cork and jute, in colors that go all the way through.
Ceramic tile flooring
Glazed tile set in mortar on a rigid base, grouted and sealed.
Porcelain tile flooring
Dense, hard tile for heavy use, including large slabs with thin joints.
Natural stone flooring
Real stone, sorted and set by hand, sealed to protect it.
Marble flooring
Veined stone laid out tile by tile, set in white mortar and sealed.
Travertine flooring
Warm, pitted limestone laid in patterns, sealed to keep it clean.
Slate flooring
Layered, textured stone that hides dirt and shrugs off boots.
Carpet installation
New carpet and padding, seamed and power-stretched over tack strip.
Carpet repair
Patching, re-seaming and re-securing carpet so the room does not need replacing.
Carpet stretching
Pulling rippled carpet tight again with a power stretcher.
Bamboo flooring
A hard, fast-renewing plank floor, installed like hardwood.
Cork flooring
A warm, quiet, cushioned floor from the bark of the cork oak.
Concrete floor polishing
Grinding and polishing the slab itself into a finished, sealed floor.
Concrete floor staining
Color that reacts with or soaks into the slab, sealed to a satin finish.
Epoxy flooring
A seamless, chemical-resistant coating over properly ground concrete.
Rubber flooring
Resilient tiles or rolls that absorb impact and noise, for gyms and play spaces.
Subfloor repair
Replacing rotted or soft subfloor and fixing the joists under it.
Floor leveling
Making a floor flat enough for the finish floor that is going on it.
Stair tread installation
Solid wood treads and painted risers, fitted step by step.
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