Older Harrisburg homes and their original floors
A lot of Harrisburg's houses went up before World War II: brick rowhomes and twins in Midtown, Uptown, Allison Hill, Shipoke and the streets around them. Many still have their original hardwood. Sometimes it's hidden under carpet, sometimes it's worn down to bare wood in the walkways, and sometimes it's dark from decades of old finish.
A floor that old has usually been sanded before, maybe more than once. How much wood is left decides what makes sense. A floor with enough thickness can take a full sanding and refinishing. A floor that's sound but dull may only need a clean and recoat, which freshens the finish without sanding into the wood.
We work with both water-based and oil-based finishes and pick one for your style, how you use the room, and the character of the house. In an older city home, that can mean anything from a warm amber look that fits the trim to a lighter, more modern stain.
Patches, repairs and matching old to new
Old houses get changed over the years. Walls come out, kitchens get opened up, a radiator gets removed and leaves a gap, or a pet ruins one corner of a room. That's where hardwood floor repair comes in.
We take pride in blending old with new. When we repair a section or extend an existing floor into a new space, we match the color and finish so the transition looks natural and doesn't read as a patch.
Rowhome staircases
City rowhomes tend to have narrow, steep stairs that get used every day. The treads wear fastest in the middle, and the finish often goes long before the rest of the house shows it.
Staircase refinishing is one of our services. It's also a good time to tie the stairs in with the floors around them so the color carries from one level to the next.
Floors near the river
Shipoke and other low spots along the Susquehanna have taken on water before, in Agnes in 1972 and again in Tropical Storm Lee in 2011. Floors that have been wet can cup, buckle or lose sections.
Depending on what's left, a damaged floor might need a repair, new hardwood installed, or a sanding and refinish once the wood has settled. We do all three, and we also install LVP flooring if that's what you want for a particular space.
Getting to Harrisburg and working in your home
We're about an hour from Harrisburg in McAlisterville, down US 22/322 along the river. That's well inside the roughly 60 miles we cover, and Harrisburg is one of our main cities. We also work across the river and nearby in Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, Carlisle and Hershey.
We use a professional vacuum system that captures up to 99% of the dust, so your home stays clean and livable while we work. We move the appliances and furniture, and take up toilets and trim when needed, so you don't have to lift a finger.
Questions from Harrisburg
Can the original hardwood in my old Harrisburg rowhome be refinished?
Often, yes. It depends on how much wood is left after earlier sandings and what shape the boards are in. If there's enough thickness, a full sanding and refinishing can bring it back. If the floor is sound but the finish is just tired, a clean and recoat may be enough.
Do you travel to Harrisburg from McAlisterville?
Yes. Harrisburg is about an hour from our base and one of our main cities. We cover roughly 60 miles around McAlisterville, which also takes in Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, Carlisle and Hershey.
How messy is sanding a floor?
We use a professional vacuum system that captures up to 99% of the dust, so your home stays clean and livable while we work. We also move the appliances and furniture, and take up toilets and trim when needed.
Can you patch my floor where a wall or radiator used to be and make it match?
Yes. When we repair a section or extend an existing floor, we match the color and finish so the transition looks natural.
Should I use a water-based or oil-based finish?
We work with both. We choose based on your style, how you use the room, and the character of your home, which matters in an older Harrisburg house where you may want the floor to suit the original trim.
