Flooring for Montgomery County Homes: From Chevy Chase Bungalows to Clarksburg Townhouses

F&F Surface Group is based in Potomac, so Montgomery County is home turf. It is also one of the most varied places in the region to choose a floor. A 1920s house in Chevy Chase, a 1960s split-level in Wheaton, a 1990s colonial in Olney and a new townhouse in Clarksburg all need different things. The best way to choose is to start with the age of the house, because that tells you what is already under your feet and what the floor has to put up with.

Early 1900s to 1940s: Chevy Chase, Kensington, Takoma Park and older Bethesda and Silver Spring

The oldest neighborhoods closest to DC, like Chevy Chase Village, Old Town Kensington, Takoma Park, Woodside and the original streets of Bethesda, are full of homes with original oak and pine floors. These floors are often worth saving.

• Refinish before you replace. Old-growth oak is dense and stable, and a careful refinish can bring it back. Our refinish or replace guide explains how to tell if there is enough wood left to sand.
• Expect repairs. Old radiator locations, removed walls and decades of patches all show up once the finish comes off. New boards can be woven in so the repair disappears. See matching new hardwood to existing floors.
• Additions. Many of these houses have a newer kitchen or family room addition. Matching species, width and thickness, then sanding and finishing old and new together, is what makes it look like one floor.

Our guide to refinishing floors in old rowhouses covers the same issues: thin boards, uneven floors and old repairs.

1940s to 1960s: Wheaton, Rockville, Silver Spring and post-war Bethesda

Montgomery County grew fast after the war. Neighborhoods like Wheaton, Twinbrook, Northwood, Four Corners and much of Rockville and Bethesda are lined with Cape Cods, ranches and split-levels, and most of them were built with 2¼-inch red or white oak strip floors. Many were covered with wall-to-wall carpet in the 1970s and 80s.

If that describes your house, pull up a corner of carpet in a closet before you price anything new. Our guide to hardwood under carpet covers what to look for and what restoring it involves. Split-levels add a wrinkle: the lower level is often on a slab partly below grade, which calls for a waterproof floor rather than wood. Our basement flooring guide covers that.

1970s to 1990s: Potomac, Olney, North Potomac and Montgomery Village

Larger colonials and contemporaries from this era fill Potomac, Olney, North Potomac, Darnestown and Montgomery Village. They usually have hardwood in the foyer and maybe the dining room, carpet everywhere else, and kitchens that have been redone at least once. The common projects here are:

• Extending hardwood through the main level, replacing carpet in the living and family rooms so one floor runs from the front door to the kitchen.
• Refinishing and changing color. Many of these floors have the honey-orange tone of 1990s oil-based finishes. Sanding to bare wood allows a new stain color. Our stain color guide shows the options.
• Stairs. Replacing carpeted stairs with hardwood treads, or refinishing existing ones. See our hardwood stairs guide.

In Potomac especially, we also see wide plank floors, herringbone and custom stain work. Our guides to wide plank hardwood and herringbone and chevron floors cover those.

Newer communities: Germantown, Clarksburg, Kentlands and King Farm

Germantown, Clarksburg, the Kentlands and Lakelands in Gaithersburg, and King Farm and Fallsgrove in Rockville have a lot of newer single-family homes and townhouses. Many still have builder-grade carpet and vinyl. The most popular upgrade is luxury vinyl plank across the main level, because it is waterproof, stands up to kids and dogs, and goes in quickly. Families staying long term often choose engineered hardwood instead. Our hardwood vs. LVP comparison helps if you are weighing the two.

Townhouses come with their own concerns. Floors on upper levels carry sound to the level below, so a good underlayment matters, and many communities have HOA rules for exterior work but not flooring. It is still worth checking.

Condos: Bethesda, North Bethesda and Silver Spring

Downtown Bethesda, Pike & Rose, Grosvenor and downtown Silver Spring have many condo buildings. Before choosing a floor, read your building's flooring rules. Most require association approval for hard floors and a minimum sound rating for the underlayment, and many set work hours and require elevator reservations. Our guide to flooring for condos and apartments explains sound ratings and approvals.

Montgomery County weather and your floors

Humid summers and dry, heated winters make wood floors swell and shrink every year. Small gaps in January that close by June are normal. Larger gaps, cupping or crowning usually point to a humidity problem. Keeping indoor relative humidity roughly between 35 and 55 percent, with a humidifier in winter if needed, protects hardwood. Our guide to gaps and cupping explains what is normal, and the best time of year for flooring covers how the seasons affect scheduling.

Other rooms

• Kitchens. Hardwood is common and works well with a good finish and sensible habits. Our hardwood in kitchens guide explains how.
• Bathrooms. Tile or luxury vinyl. See our bathroom flooring guide.
• Bedrooms. Carpet, hardwood or a mix. Our carpet vs. hardwood in bedrooms guide walks through it.

Planning the whole house

When several rooms change at once, plan the floors together. Different materials have different thicknesses, so doorways need the right transitions, and keeping one hard floor running through the main level makes the house feel larger. If you are getting the house ready to sell, our guide to floors before selling covers what buyers in this market notice.

Frequently asked questions

Planning floors in Montgomery County? Request a free estimate. We are based in Potomac and work across the county every week. We will look at what you have now, tell you honestly whether it is worth refinishing, and give you a written price for every room.