- Flooring installation across Middlesex, Somerset, Union, Mercer and Hunterdon Counties
- Family-run since 2004 - free written estimates
Answers
Straight answers to the questions we get asked most.
These are the questions that come up on nearly every estimate we do, answered the way we would answer them standing in your living room. If yours is not here, call and ask.
Installed prices across our whole service area are: carpet $3 to $8, laminate $4 to $8, luxury vinyl plank and tile $5 to $11, solid hardwood $8 to $15, engineered hardwood $10 to $18, and ceramic or porcelain tile $10 to $25 per square foot. Those figures cover material and professional installation. Subfloor levelling, if a room needs it, is quoted separately once we can see what we are working with.
Replacing a floor covering usually falls under ordinary maintenance in New Jersey, which does not require a permit. That changes once the work touches plumbing, electrical or structure, which it often does in a bathroom or kitchen. Requirements also vary between municipalities. We confirm with your local construction office before every job rather than assuming, and we would rather raise it early than have you discover it later.
Home improvement contractors in New Jersey are required to register with the Division of Consumer Affairs and to display their registration number on advertising and contracts. You can look up any contractor through the Division of Consumer Affairs website. New Jersey also requires a written contract for home improvement work above $500, and gives you three business days to cancel after signing. Ask any contractor for their registration number, including us.
Most single rooms are completed in one day. Whole-floor projects typically run one to three days depending on material and how much subfloor preparation is needed. Tile takes longer, usually two to three days, because the mortar has to cure before grouting. Site-finished hardwood runs three to five days, longer if you are staining.
Yes, furniture moving is included, as is removing and disposing of your old flooring. We ask you to clear small items, breakables and anything valuable beforehand, and to empty wardrobes and dressers if they need to move.
Luxury vinyl plank and tile, engineered hardwood over an appropriate vapour barrier, ceramic and porcelain tile, and carpet rated for below-grade use. Solid hardwood cannot go below grade, because a concrete slab passes moisture vapour continuously and the wood will cup or gap. We test slab moisture before recommending anything.
LVP is fully waterproof; laminate is not. Laminate has a harder surface and generally resists scratching slightly better, but its fibreboard core swells permanently if water sits at a seam. So laminate suits bedrooms, living rooms and hallways, and LVP suits kitchens, bathrooms, laundries and basements. If one floor has to run through all of it, choose LVP.
Yes. The surface you walk on is real hardwood from the same species as a solid floor. The difference is underneath, where cross-laminated layers replace solid timber to control seasonal movement. It is not laminate, which has no wood at all, only a printed image under a wear layer.
If the wear layer is 3mm or thicker, usually yes, typically one to four times depending on thickness. Under about 2mm it cannot be sanded at all. Wear layer thickness is the single most important spec on an engineered floor and the one most often left out of a sales conversation. Ask for it.
A standard three-quarter-inch solid floor usually allows four to six full sandings across its life. At a refinish every seven to ten years, that is a floor measured in generations. We measure the wood remaining above the tongue at a vent or doorway before committing rather than guessing from the surface.
Refinish when the boards are sound, there is enough wood left to sand, and the damage is surface level. Replace when boards are cupped beyond flattening, water has gone through to the subfloor, or nail heads are showing. Refinishing runs $3 to $8 per square foot against $8 to $15 for new, so it is worth checking properly before deciding.
It is one of the better-returning interior projects. The National Association of Realtors Remodeling Impact Report puts hardwood refinishing at roughly 147% cost recovery at resale. If you are preparing a house for market and the floors look tired, it is usually the highest-return interior spend available.
Socks on the floor after about 24 hours, furniture back after three to four days, and area rugs only after two to three weeks. Curing is slower than drying, and putting rugs down early traps solvent. It is the commonest way a brand new finish gets ruined.
The plank is, yes. Rigid-core LVP is impervious to water on its surface and through its thickness, so spills, pet accidents and mopping are not a problem. Worth being precise though: waterproof describes the plank, not the room. Standing water that reaches the subfloor at the perimeter can still cause problems.
A 6 to 12 mil wear layer suits bedrooms and low-traffic rooms. A 20 mil commercial-grade wear layer is what we recommend for kitchens, hallways, entries, and any home with dogs or children. Wear layer decides how long a vinyl floor lasts far more than brand or price does.
In most of central New Jersey this is mineral deposit from hard water rather than dirt, which is why scrubbing harder does not fix it. Your water utility publishes an annual water quality report that tells you what is actually in your supply. The solution is the right cleaner and less water, not more effort.
No, on any floor we install. Steam forces moisture into seams, which is exactly where laminate, engineered wood and even vinyl are most vulnerable. A barely damp microfibre mop and a cleaner made for your floor type is what manufacturers specify, and using anything else can void a warranty.
Porcelain is fired hotter and denser, with a water absorption rate of 0.5% or less, which makes it suitable for wet areas and anywhere that sees freeze-thaw. Ceramic is softer and easier to cut, and fine for a low-traffic interior floor. For a bathroom or kitchen floor in New Jersey, porcelain is worth the small premium.
It depends entirely on the tile. Slip resistance is measured as DCOF, and the benchmark under ANSI A137.1 for level interior floors expected to get wet is a minimum of 0.42. A polished tile that grips fine when dry can fall well below that wet. Ask for the figure before choosing, particularly for bathrooms and entries.
Cracking along a wall or where the floor meets a tub almost always means a movement joint was left out and rigid grout was used where flexible sealant belonged. Floors and walls move at different rates; the joint between them has to allow it. It is a repair rather than a redo in most cases.
Luxury vinyl plank with a 20-mil wear layer, comfortably. It is waterproof for accidents and extremely difficult to scratch through. If you want wood, a matte or wire-brushed finish hides marks far better than gloss, and oak hides them better than maple. Harder species help less than people expect.
Often, yes. Luxury vinyl, laminate and engineered wood can all go over existing tile, vinyl or well-bonded wood provided the surface is stable, clean and flat within tolerance. Deep grout lines need filling first or they telegraph through. We check this at the estimate rather than guessing.
Every installation carries a one-year workmanship warranty covering the quality of our work. Materials carry their own manufacturer warranties, which vary considerably by product line. We will show you the specific warranty for whatever you choose rather than describing it in general terms.
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