Hardwood Flooring in Irondequoit, NY

Hardwood Flooring in Irondequoit usually starts with a floor that is already there. Census estimates for 2019 to 2023 put the median year built for homes in the town at 1955, and close to two out of three housing units date from 1959 or earlier. Many of those houses were finished with solid wood strip floors that have since been covered by carpet, worn gray at the doorways, or patched in spots. The first question on most Irondequoit floors is whether that original wood can be sanded and refinished, and often it can.

Why the postwar boom matters for your floor

Irondequoit was the first suburb in Monroe County to draw large numbers of people out of the City of Rochester. After World War II its population jumped from 23,376 in 1940 to 55,337 in 1960. Houses built that quickly tend to share materials, and a lot of them share narrow oak strip flooring nailed over board or plywood subfloors. That is usually good news, because solid strip flooring can often take more than one full sanding over its life, though earlier sandings may have used some of that wood up. Before we quote a full refinish we pull a floor register or check a threshold to see how much wood is left above the tongue.

What we check on a first visit

• Remaining wear layer, so we know if a full sand is safe or a screen and recoat is the better call
• Old patches where a wall, chimney or heating register was moved
• Nail pops and squeaks over the joists
• Gaps that open in winter and close in summer
• Black water stains near radiators, pet areas and exterior doors

Living between Lake Ontario and the bay

The town is bounded by Lake Ontario on the north and Irondequoit Bay on the east, which makes it a headland. Rochester-area winters average about 102 inches of snow, much of it lake-effect, and a January daily mean of 26.2°F. When the furnace runs for months, indoor air dries out and wood floors shrink; seasonal cracks between boards are normal here and often close again by June. We plan stain and finish work around that cycle, and we do not fill seasonal gaps with rigid filler that will crack out when the boards swell back.

Salt, sand and the front door

The first few feet inside a side or front entry take the most abuse in winter. Snowmelt and road salt tracked in from the driveway leave a gritty residue that dulls the finish and, if water sits in the seams, can gray the wood itself. If only the finish is worn, a screen and recoat restores protection without sanding to bare wood. If the boards are stained black or cupped, we cut out and weave in replacement strips that match the width of the original floor before refinishing the room.

Painted trim in older houses

With most of the housing stock built before 1978, painted baseboards and shoe molding can contain lead paint. The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule covers work that disturbs lead-based paint in homes built before 1978. We talk through the trim before any sanding starts, plan the work so painted surfaces are left alone wherever possible, and tell you up front if a step such as pulling shoe molding needs extra precautions.

Other work we do in Irondequoit

Refinishing is the bulk of it, but we also install new solid and engineered hardwood in rooms that never had wood, such as converted porches and finished basements where engineered planks hold up better than solid. We refinish and re-tread staircases, replace damaged boards, and lace new flooring into old where a kitchen wall comes out. Call (585) 632-6150 or

Get a Free Estimate

and we will come out, measure, check the wood and give you a written quote.