Choosing new flooring raises a lot of questions, and that’s exactly how it should be. We’d rather you come in informed than surprised. Below are the questions we hear most often from Lancaster County homeowners — answered the way we’d answer them in our showroom.
Flooring Products
Solid hardwood is milled from a single piece of wood and can be sanded and refinished multiple times over its lifetime. It’s the traditional choice for living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms above grade. Engineered hardwood has a real wood veneer bonded over a plywood core, which makes it more dimensionally stable in environments with humidity swings — better suited for kitchens, finished basements, and homes with radiant heat systems. If you get a quality engineered hardwood with thick wear layer, it can also be refinished. Both are real wood. The right choice depends on where the floor is going.
Yes, and for many households it’s often more practical than hardwood or tile in high-traffic areas. Quality LVP is 100% waterproof, scratch-resistant, and built to handle heavy foot traffic without showing wear. It’s a particularly strong choice for kitchens, mudrooms, basements, and family rooms. The key is buying a reputable product — thickness, wear layer, and core construction vary significantly between brands.
Carpet is warmer and softer underfoot, quieter, and generally less expensive to install. It’s well-suited for bedrooms, finished basements, and spaces where comfort is the priority. Hard surfaces like LVP, hardwood, and tile are easier to clean, more durable in high-traffic areas, and more practical for households with pets or allergies. Many Lancaster County homeowners use both — hard surfaces in main living areas and carpet in bedrooms — and that combination works very well.
Sheet vinyl is installed as a single continuous roll, creating a seamless, fully waterproof surface with no grout lines or gaps. It’s one of the most practical and budget-friendly options available for kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and utility spaces. Modern sheet vinyl designs convincingly replicate the look of wood, tile, and stone. It’s a mostly drama free floor.
We work with a number of leading manufacturers across our product categories, including Lauzon, Armstrong, LM Flooring, Eastern, and Wickham for hardwood; Shaw, Mohawk, Stanton, and others for carpet; IVC, Mannington, Tarkett, and Congoleum for sheet vinyl; and Creative Holmes for window treatments. Stop into our Ronks showroom to see the full selection in person — samples tell the story better than any list.
Installation
We handle installation. Heritage Floors is a full-service flooring company — we sell the product and install it. Our team manages everything from subfloor preparation to final cleanup, so you’re dealing with us from start to finish rather than coordinating between a retailer and a separate installer.
A single room typically takes one day. A full home depends on square footage, the number of product types involved, subfloor conditions, and material lead times. Before any work begins, we give you a clear timeline so you know what to expect. We don’t start a job we can’t finish properly.
We recommend clearing the space as much as possible before our crew arrives. Our team can assist with moving smaller items, but larger pieces — beds, dressers, sectionals, heavy cabinetry — should be moved ahead of time. We’ll let you know specifically what to prepare during your estimate and we’re able to include moving furniture in your estimate of you want us to do it.
Subfloor condition directly affects how your new flooring performs and how long it lasts. If we identify any issues during our pre-installation assessment — unevenness, moisture, soft spots, old adhesive — we’ll walk you through what needs to be addressed and include any required prep work in your estimate. We’d rather do it right than have a problem surface six months later.
Yes. We work with businesses, property managers, offices, and commercial facilities throughout Lancaster County. Visit our Commercial Flooring page for more information on what we offer and the industries we serve.
Absolutely. We have an established builder and contractor partnership program with dedicated pricing and a process designed around how contractors actually work. Visit our Builder/Contractor page to learn more, or contact us directly to get started.
Care & Maintenance
Regular dry mopping or vacuuming with a soft brush attachment is the most important habit — grit tracked in from outside is the primary cause of finish wear over time. For deeper cleaning, use a cleaner formulated specifically for hardwood floors. Avoid steam mops, excessive water, and ammonia or vinegar-based cleaners, which can dull the finish and cause long-term damage. When in doubt, less moisture is always better.
Most LVP manufacturers advise against steam mops. The heat and moisture can affect the adhesive layers and dimensional stability of the planks over time, particularly at seams. A damp mop with a mild, pH-neutral cleaner is all you need — LVP is already one of the easiest flooring surfaces to maintain.
Act fast and blot — never rub. Rubbing spreads the stain and works it deeper into the fibers. Start with cold water and a clean white cloth, blotting from the outside of the stain inward. For tougher stains, use a carpet-specific cleaner and always test it in an inconspicuous area first. Heat sets stains, so avoid hot water and keep hair dryers away from wet carpet.
Tile itself is easy — a damp mop with a mild cleaner handles routine maintenance. The more common maintenance task is grout, which can stain and discolor over time. Sealing your grout every year or two is the single most effective thing you can do to keep it looking clean. Avoid bleach-based cleaners on colored grout, as they can cause fading.
UV exposure causes uneven fading, particularly in rooms with large windows or south-facing exposure. The most effective solution is UV-blocking window treatments, which filter or block the rays before they reach the floor. Rotating rugs and rearranging furniture periodically also helps prevent uneven color changes over time. We carry window treatments in our showroom that are specifically suited to protecting hardwood and other hard surface floors.
It varies by product and how well it’s maintained. Well-cared-for solid hardwood can last 50 to 100 years and be refinished multiple times. Engineered hardwood typically has a lifespan of 25 to 30 years. Quality LVP runs 20 to 30 years in residential use. Carpet ranges from 10 to 20 years depending on fiber, pad quality, and traffic levels. Ceramic and porcelain tile, if properly installed and the grout maintained, can last the life of the home. The biggest variable in all of these is installation quality — a well-installed floor always outperforms a poorly installed one.
Care depends on the product type. Roller and solar shades can be spot-cleaned with a damp cloth and mild soap. When in doubt, check the manufacturer’s care instructions or ask our team.
Still Have Questions?
Our team is happy to talk through your project before you commit to anything. Stop into our showroom in Ronks, PA, give us a call, or send us a message and we’ll get back to you.