Flooring installation
LVP, laminate, engineered and solid hardwood, carpet — torn out, prepped and laid by the crew that finishes your walls. Rowhome floors are rarely flat, so we start with a straightedge, not a box of planks.
Floors we lay — and floors we bring back
We install new floors in Philadelphia homes and small commercial spaces — a room, a whole floor of a rowhome, or a freshly finished basement. We also sand, stain and finish existing hardwood floors and stairs. If your old oak is worth saving, we'll say so and price the refinish; if it isn't, we'll price a replacement.
- LVP / LVT — click-lock or glue-down luxury vinyl. Waterproof, forgiving, our most common basement and kitchen floor.
- Laminate — click-lock with underlayment, in bedrooms, living rooms and hallways.
- Engineered hardwood — floated, glued or stapled. Works over concrete where solid wood can't.
- Nail-down hardwood — solid strip and plank over a wood subfloor, with rosin paper or underlayment.
- Hardwood refinishing — existing oak floors and stairs sanded, stained and finished with a durable coat.
- Carpet — tack strip, pad and stretch-in installation for bedrooms, stairs and basements.
You can supply the flooring or we can. If you buy it, we'll tell you how much to order (10% extra for waste, more for diagonals) and check the boxes before we start. If we buy it, materials are their own line on the estimate — nothing hidden in the labor.
The floor is the last step. The prep is the job.
A floor only looks as good as what's under it. Every estimate itemizes the prep so you can see what you're paying for.
Removal & disposal
Old carpet, pad, tack strip, vinyl, laminate or tile comes up and goes out. Staples pulled, glue scraped, debris hauled the same day.
Subfloor repair & leveling
Every room gets checked with a straightedge. Squeaks screwed down, soft plywood replaced, humps sanded and dips filled with patch or self-leveler before a plank goes down.
Transitions & trim
Shoe molding or quarter round at the walls, T-moldings and reducers between rooms, thresholds at doors. Trim primed and painted or stained to match.
Stairs
Priced per step. Treads and risers in matching hardwood or LVP stair-nose, or carpet over pad. Rowhome stairs are rarely square — we scribe each tread.
Moisture testing on slabs
Basement and ground-floor slabs get a moisture check before we commit to a product. High readings mean a vapor barrier or a different floor — not a failed floor six months later.
Acclimation
Wood and laminate sit in the room, boxes open, for a few days so they settle to your house's humidity. We drop materials early and come back to lay them.
From straightedge to shoe molding
- Site visit. We measure, check the subfloor for flatness and squeaks, look at door clearances and test slabs. About 30 minutes.
- Written estimate. Itemized by room and task — removal, prep, install, stairs, trim. Signed online. 25% deposit; balance on completion.
- Materials. Yours or ours, dropped early to acclimate. We text the day before we start.
- Install. Furniture covered, plastic at doorways where we cut, HEPA vac on the saw. Swept every day.
- Walkthrough. You walk every room with us before the balance is invoiced. 1-year workmanship warranty.
Related work
Floors go in last. We often pair flooring with basement finishing, painting and tile in baths and entries. Need walls moved first? See framing & remodeling.
Whole-house or commercial jobs: book a free site visit and we'll quote it on the spot.
Flooring questions we hear most
Do you refinish existing hardwood floors?
Yes. We sand, stain and finish existing hardwood floors and stairs, and install new solid or engineered hardwood. On the site visit we'll tell you honestly whether your old oak is worth refinishing or should be replaced.
Should I buy the flooring myself?
Either way. If you supply it, we'll give you a square-footage count with waste built in and check the boxes for damage and matching lot numbers. If we supply it, materials are their own line on the estimate.
My rowhome floors slope. Can you still install LVP?
Usually, yes. Slope alone is fine; dips and humps over a short span are what break click-lock joints. We sand, fill or self-level as needed. If the subfloor is too far gone, we'll price new plywood underlayment instead of hoping the planks hide it.
How long does a typical job take?
A single room is usually a day plus prep. A full floor of a rowhome runs two to four days, longer with stairs or heavy subfloor repair. Wood needs a few days to acclimate first, so plan for that.
Price it by the square foot, then let's look at the floor.
Get a ballpark now, or book a free visit — we'll bring the straightedge.