Flooring Installation in Baltimore

What flooring work does Solomon do?

We install luxury vinyl plank, refinish hardwood floors and set tile, and we handle the prep underneath each one. That means removing the old floor, repairing or replacing subfloor, laying underlayment, and finishing with transitions and baseboard. We take on flooring by itself, from one bedroom to a whole house, and as part of larger remodels.

Recent jobs include gray and brown wood-look LVP through living rooms, hallways and entry halls, glossy refinished oak in rooms with French doors, and patterned tile in a basement laundry room. One client had new flooring put in throughout the first floor, along with new kitchen cabinets and fresh paint in every room.

Is luxury vinyl plank a good choice for a Baltimore rowhouse?

For most rowhouses, yes. LVP is durable, handles spills and humidity well, and comes in wood looks that suit older homes. It’s also forgiving in long, narrow layouts, because a single plank direction can run from the front door to the kitchen and make the first floor feel open.

The catch is that LVP shows what’s under it. Rowhouse floors often slope, dip near old radiators or have patched sections from past plumbing work. A thin plank laid over those problems will flex, click apart at the seams or feel hollow. That’s why we treat the subfloor as part of the job, not an afterthought.

What happens to the subfloor before new flooring goes in?

We take up the old flooring, walk the whole subfloor and fix what we find before installing anything. Soft spots get cut out and replaced, loose boards get fastened down, and high or low areas get leveled. Where the old subfloor is too far gone, we install new plywood across the room.

Once the subfloor is solid and flat, we lay underlayment suited to the floor and the room. In one living room we laid LVP over new plywood subfloor. In a hallway on another job, the planks went down over underlayment at one end while the old subfloor was still exposed at the other. It’s slower than laying planks over whatever is there, but it’s how you get a floor that stays quiet and tight.

Can old hardwood floors be refinished instead of replaced?

In many older Baltimore homes, the original oak floors are still under carpet or a worn finish, and they can be refinished. We sand the floor down to bare wood, fill gaps and nail holes where needed, and apply new finish coats. The result is a smooth, even surface that looks like a new floor while keeping the original wood.

Refinishing isn’t the answer for every floor. Boards that have been sanded many times, have deep water damage or are loose across a large area may need to be patched in or replaced. We look at the floor in person and give you a straight answer on which route fits.

Where does tile make more sense than LVP?

Tile is the better floor wherever water sits, not just splashes. Full bathrooms, laundry rooms and mudrooms are the usual places. We’ve set wood-look plank tile and slate-look stone in bathrooms and black-and-white patterned tile in a basement laundry room.

Tile needs a stiff, flat base to avoid cracked tiles and grout. We prepare the floor first and plan the layout so cuts land at walls and doorways, not in the middle of the room. If tile is part of a larger bathroom project, our bathroom remodeling page covers the full process.

What affects the cost of new flooring?

Floor area and the condition of the subfloor set most of what a flooring job costs. A single bedroom over a sound subfloor is a quick install; a whole rowhouse first floor that slopes and has soft spots needs repair and leveling first. The other main drivers:

• Material. LVP, tile and hardwood refinishing each take different labor and materials.
• Tear-out. Carpet comes up quickly; glued-down vinyl and old tile take longer to remove.
• Subfloor work. Patching soft spots, leveling dips, or new plywood across a room.
• Layout. Many rooms, doorways and transitions mean more cuts and trim than one open space.
• Stairs. Treads and risers are slow, piece-by-piece work.
• Baseboard and trim. Whether new baseboard is part of the job.

We give a written price after we’ve measured and checked the subfloor.

Do you install flooring as part of a larger remodel?

Yes. In a whole-home or rowhouse renovation, new flooring usually goes down after drywall and paint and before trim, so everything meets cleanly. In kitchen remodels, we often lay LVP first and set the cabinets on top of it. In basement finishing projects, LVP is a common choice because it handles below-grade humidity better than wood.

One living room is a typical case. It started with damaged walls and clutter, and it finished with wood-look LVP, gray walls and recessed lighting. That living room refresh has its own project page.