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Learn how to choose flooring for your home with the experts at Footprints Floors in Portland / Portsmouth.

Flooring Installation


How to Choose Flooring for Your Home in Portland / Portsmouth

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How to Choose Flooring

Tips From Top Industry Professionals


Every aspect of a home plays an important role in your comfort. You want your home to reflect your personal style, as well as meet the needs of your daily routine. Choosing the right flooring is a huge part of that.

So, how does one choose the right flooring? Should floors be lighter or darker than the walls? Should every room have the same flooring? How often do you want to clean it? Read about the different types of flooring and find the answers to these questions below.

Once you know how to choose flooring for your home, Footprints Floors is here to provide professional installation. Contact Footprints Floors today for a free estimate!

Types of Home Flooring

There are many different kinds of flooring to reflect every kind of style. Choosing flooring for your home - or even a particular room - depends on a number of lifestyle and environmental factors. Here is a brief overview of five different kinds of flooring:

Solid Hardwood


Hardwood is a classic for a reason. Adding hardwood flooring to your home can add to your home value, potentially increasing the resale price. It’s hypoallergenic and easy to clean. If you want to change the color at any point, hardwood can be sanded and refinished - something Footprints Floors can take care of for you.

Hardwood floors come in a variety of colors and finishes for every style, and offer different levels of durability depending on where they’re located in the home (and whether or not you have, say, toddlers or pets running around). Hardwood floors can be glued directly to concrete and have some insulation properties that may help lower energy bills over time.

Laminate


This material is budget-friendly, easy to clean, stain and scratch-resistant, and super durable. It can be installed over most existing floors if you want to change up the look of your home without having to rip out old flooring. This material is a great option for sunny rooms because it resists fading from UV light.

Engineered Hardwood


If you live in a place with high humidity or greatly varying temperatures throughout the year but love the look of solid hardwood, consider engineered hardwood instead. Engineered hardwood expands and contracts less than solid hardwood, meaning it can even be used in a basement and with radiant heat. It’s available in a variety of colors and finishes, and it costs less than traditional solid hardwood.

Ceramic, Porcelain and Stone Tile


Tile is waterproof so it's the favorite for use in kitchens, bathrooms and basements. Tile is low maintenance and can increase your home’s value. From the material to the look, tile provides tons of options for style, color and textures - even tile that looks like wood if you like the look of hardwood but want something different. It can even be installed outdoors on a patio, or in direct sunlight, and it’s easy to repair.

Luxury Vinyl Plank or Tile


Vinyl is making a comeback. It comes in a variety of colors, patterns and textures; it’s durable, attractive and affordable. Vinyl is a great option for homes with lots of pets or kids because of its durability, and it’s also a quieter option than ceramic or hardwood floors (no click-click-click of heels or dog toenails). Vinyl can be installed over most floors, so if you want a change you don’t need to remove existing flooring. All vinyl is water-resistant and some of it is even waterproof, making it a great option for bathrooms and kitchens. It’s easy to clean and stain resistant.

If you’re someone who loves to cook big meals, vinyl is more shock-absorbent than other flooring, making it good for standing for long periods (or accidentally dropping dishes. It happens).

The Right Flooring For You


When you’re wondering what flooring to choose, there’s always the big question: Should you use the same flooring throughout your home? The answer? You can if you want to. However, some rooms require different flooring based on moisture content. For example, even if you love the look of hardwood, it’s probably not the best choice for your bathroom.

You should keep the look of your flooring consistent in one continuous space, but feel free to change it up at naturally existing barriers like walls or doors. If you feel strongly about having the same look throughout your home with your floors, picking something like laminate or vinyl that works in every room is a great option.

As for colors, darker floors next to lighter walls can help make a room feel more spacious. However, if you have low ceilings, a floor that is lighter than the walls can create an illusion of height. In the end, it’s up to your personal preference, and what you think will look best with already existing decor.

Now that you know more about different kinds of flooring, it's also time to consider your lifestyle. How often do you need to (or want to) clean? Do you have young children or pets that make messes?

Footprints Floors is the Top Flooring Company in Portland / Portsmouth

If you are searching for floor installers in Portland / Portsmouth, you have come to the right place. Footprints Floors Maine has some of the highest ratings, thanks to our quality craftsmanship and incredible customer service.

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Footprints Floors has experts that can help you choose flooring for your home in Portland / Portsmouth.

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Your Professional Floor Installer in Portland / Portsmouth


Whichever kind of flooring you choose, Footprints Floors is here to provide you with professional-grade installation. Footprints Floors only hires qualified, licensed contractors so you can feel safe about having us in your home. Footprints Floors is also able to offer incredibly competitive prices.

Contact Footprints Floors today for your free estimate on floor installation!

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What Our Customers Say

the quality of work went above and beyond for what i needed. as did the communication and overall experience of working with Footprints!
Wesley Talley 12/2/24 — google
Excellent service and communication from start to finish. Ralph and his crew refinished the hardwood floors in our entire house and we were impressed with the end result. Highly recommended.
Daniel Sabin 12/2/24 — google
Great experience. Had my floors refinished. Ralph and his team were professional and timely. Very happy with the results!
Jennifer Sandberg 11/14/24 — google
Ralph was very flexible in scheduling and responsive to pour needs. The crew was polite, friendly and professional. They did a beautiful job on our backsplash.
Teresa Paul 11/10/24 — google
If you are looking for quality work and an honest assessment of your needs contact Footprints. Ralph is a pleasure to deal with and customer satisfaction is his primary goal. I was notified of any updates in a timely manner allowing for me to plan accordingly. The team at Footprints is solid and it shows through their workmanship and completion of your needs.
Edward Balkam 11/8/24 — google
Ralph and team were great throughout. They worked fast and were complete pros. Answered all questions and stuck to timelines. We are very happy with new floor and highly recommend Footprints.
Tom Rota 11/8/24 — google
It was great working with footprints! Very helpful and always willing to listen and help make my vision a reality. Highly recommend!
Jessica Webb 11/5/24 — google
Very professional. Ralph did a great job going over the scope and making sure everything was done right. The floors look great.
Michael Mesick 11/4/24 — google
Floors turned out better than expected!
Taylor Goble 11/4/24 — google
Footprints Floors - exceptional service and experience from start to finish. We met Ralph when he pulled into our driveway to personally evaluate and estimate the job. We instantly felt comfortable with Ralph who was easygoing, polite, and professional. Ralph spent significant time with us that afternoon and then provided us with a detailed estimate the next day. When the crew arrived to do the work they too were polite, professional, and did a fantastic job. The crew left our home in perfect condition and when complete they walked us through what they’d done and how we could best protect our floors moving forward. Ralph was in contact with us throughout the entire process and made sure we were satisfied with the quality of the work. We are grateful to Ralph and his crew for making the process easy, affordable, and most of all friendly. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Footprints Floors :)
Hadley Austin 11/3/24 — google
Our floors look beautiful! Ralph and his team were highly responsive and efficient — and they left no trace beyond our gleaming floors. Thank you, Footprints Floors!
Melissa Cilley 11/2/24 — google
Ralph and his crew are great! My LVF flooring came out flawless! Ralph also helped me out with picking up some extra materials and got rid of all unwanted leftover materials. Before leaving, Ralph went over everything with me to be sure I was satisfied.
Joan Silva 11/1/24 — google
Ralph at Footprint Floors was honest and reliable. His guys did a beautiful job!
Kim Andrews 11/1/24 — google
For our demo and flooring install we wanted someone we could trust to do a quality job because they care and are attentive to detail, and that's exactly what we got with Ralph and his team. From the first interactions scheduling an estimate with Jessica, to working directly with Ralph and Darrell and Eisael on his team, the project went smoothly. Ralph and his team went above and beyond when the work we had planned for the stairs pivoted into a larger job. He always kept us up-to-date on progress and what to expect. We are very happy with the results!
Crystal Massuda 09/10/24 — google
We were very pleased with Footprints quality of work and care for our home. Our kitchen hardwood had deep dark scratches thanks to our pup who sees squirrels in the yard . We never thought they would be gone and they are! The rest of the floor looks beautiful and as promised , little dust from the job. We will certainly use again for other hardwood refinishing needs. Highly recommend Marilyn , Scarborough , ME
marilyn pierce 08/15/24 — google
Ralph and his team did a great job on our challenging project. It all looks great. Communication was first rate on timing and all aspects of the work. The 1st floor involved demo of ancient flooring and installation of new red oak with great attention to detail to preserve existing architectural flooring around the hearth. The 3rd floor involved rehab of existing flooring. A++ The work work crews were super polite and hard working.
Rob Ruesch 06/5/24 — google
Would recommend Footprints Floors Maine based on our experience. We worked with Ralph mainly over phone and email as we were moving from out of state, Ralph was very easy to communicate with and responsive. Footprint Floors Maine was timely on the estimate appointment, delivery, and projection completion. We had a few existing hard wood floors, which they match well. The final cost was very close to estimate proposal. Ralph kept us updated with photos and updates throughout the project, completion and stopped by after we moved in to follow up.
Cody Volpe 06/4/24 — google
Footprints installed flooring and baseboards in 3 rooms at my home .The floors look very good .The job was done quickly and the cleaned up when they finished up .I plan on hiring them to do my other 3 rooms
Dennis 06/3/24 — google
Ralph and his team were amazing to work with! The were timely, reasonable priced, and trustworthy! Highly recommend them!
Lisa Hart 05/30/24 — google
I had a great experience with Footprints Floors from start to finish. Ralph answered my initial enquiry very promptly and the process went very smoothly from there. The product is beautiful and the installation is very well done. We love our new floor!
Cynthia Smith 05/29/24 — google

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