F&F Surface Group · Flooring Guide
Flooring for Prince George's County Homes: Hyattsville Bungalows to Bowie Levitts and Newer Builds
Updated November 9, 2026 · 8 min read
Prince George's County has almost every kind of house the region has built in the last hundred years: craftsman bungalows in Hyattsville, post-war Cape Cods in College Park, 1960s Levitt houses in Bowie, and newer single-family homes and townhouses in places like Bowie, Laurel and the communities along the Beltway. Each era came with its own floors and its own problems. The best way to choose new flooring is to start with when the house was built.
Early 1900s to 1940s: Hyattsville, Riverdale Park, Mount Rainier and older College Park
The streetcar suburbs just over the DC line, including the Hyattsville Arts District, University Hills, Riverdale Park, Mount Rainier and Old Town and Calvert Hills in College Park, are full of bungalows, foursquares and colonials with original oak and heart pine floors.
- Refinish before you replace. Old-growth wood is dense and stable, and much of it has been under carpet for decades. A careful refinish brings it back for a fraction of the cost of new flooring. Our refinish or replace guide explains how to tell if there is enough wood left to sand.
- Expect patches. Removed radiators, old floor registers, moved walls and earlier repairs show up once the finish comes off. Matching boards can be woven in so the patch disappears. See matching new hardwood to existing floors.
- Uneven floors are normal. A century of settling means floors that slope or dip. That rarely stops a refinish, but it matters if you are installing something new over them.
Our guide to refinishing floors in older homes covers thin boards, old repairs and what to expect in houses of this age.
1940s to 1960s: post-war Cape Cods, ramblers and split-levels inside the Beltway
After the war, the county filled in with Cape Cods, ramblers and split-levels. Most were built with 2¼-inch oak strip floors, and most of those floors were carpeted in the 1970s and 80s. If you live in one of these houses, there is a good chance a hardwood floor is waiting under the carpet. Our guide to hardwood under carpet walks through what to look for and what restoring it costs compared with a new floor.
Split-levels and ramblers often have a lower level or family room on a concrete slab. Solid hardwood does not belong there. Waterproof luxury vinyl, tile or carpet over a moisture-resistant cushion are the usual choices. See our basement flooring guide.
1960s and 70s: Levitt Bowie and Belair
Bowie's Belair neighborhoods, built by Levitt and Sons starting in the early 1960s, are one of the most recognizable housing stocks in Maryland: Cape Cods, ranches, colonials and split-levels on curving streets. Many still have their original oak strip floors upstairs and in the living areas, sometimes under carpet, sometimes under several layers of finish.
- Refinishing is often the best value. Sanding to bare wood also lets you move away from the orange tone of older finishes; our stain color guide shows the options.
- Extending the wood. Many owners open up kitchens or replace carpet in a family room and want one floor running through. New oak can be laced into the old and finished together.
- Lower levels and slabs. Waterproof luxury vinyl or tile in lower family rooms, laundry rooms and any slab-on-grade areas.
- Stairs. Carpeted stairs in these houses are often oak underneath. See our guide to carpet and runners on stairs for the options.
1980s to today: Fairwood, Woodmore, Laurel and newer communities
Newer subdivisions and townhouse communities, including Fairwood and Woodmore around Bowie, the newer parts of Laurel, and developments across central and southern Prince George's, usually came with builder-grade carpet, sheet vinyl or basic laminate, and sometimes hardwood only in the foyer. The common projects are:
- Luxury vinyl plank across the main level. Waterproof, durable with kids and dogs, and quick to install. Our hardwood vs. LVP comparison helps if you are weighing the two.
- Engineered or solid hardwood for owners staying long term. See engineered vs. solid hardwood.
- New carpet upstairs. Many families keep carpet in bedrooms and replace builder-grade carpet with a denser, better-cushioned one. Our carpet buying guide covers what to look for, and carpet installation in Laurel is one of our most common jobs in that area.
- Tile in bathrooms and entries. See our guide to the tile installation process.
In townhouses, upper floors carry sound to the level below, so the underlayment matters with any hard floor. Some communities and condo associations also have flooring rules, so check before ordering.
Rentals around the University of Maryland
College Park and the neighborhoods around the university have a large share of rental homes, many turned over every year. For landlords, the right floor is the one that survives tenants and is fast to repair between leases. Waterproof luxury vinyl plank is the default; existing hardwood is worth keeping and maintaining with a screen and recoat between tenants. Our rental flooring guide goes into detail, and vinyl flooring in College Park covers the local options.
Water, humidity and your floors
Parts of the county sit low along the branches of the Anacostia and other streams, and many older homes have basements that take on water in heavy storms. Before putting any floor in a lower level, check for past water and fix grading, gutters or the sump first. Waterproof flooring protects the floor, not the room.
Upstairs, humid summers and dry, heated winters make wood swell and shrink each year. Small seasonal gaps are normal. Keeping indoor humidity roughly between 35 and 55 percent protects hardwood. Our guide to gaps and cupping explains what is normal and what is not.
Planning the whole house
If several rooms are changing, plan them together. Different floors have different thicknesses, so transitions at doorways and the top of the stairs need to be thought through, and one continuous hard floor across the main level makes most houses feel larger. If you are preparing to sell, our guide to floors before selling covers what buyers notice. For hardwood installs in Bowie specifically, see hardwood flooring in Bowie.
Frequently asked questions
Do older Hyattsville and College Park homes have hardwood under the carpet?
Very often. Many homes built from the 1910s through the 1960s in Hyattsville, University Hills, Calvert Hills, Berwyn and nearby neighborhoods were built with oak or pine floors that were later covered with carpet. Lift a corner in a closet before pricing a new floor. If there is solid hardwood with enough wood left to sand, refinishing usually costs less than replacing it.
What is the best flooring for a Bowie Levitt house?
Many Levitt-era Bowie homes have original oak strip floors on the main and bedroom levels, which can usually be refinished. Where a house sits on a concrete slab or has a lower level partly below grade, waterproof luxury vinyl plank or tile is the safer choice there. Kitchens and baths in these homes have usually been redone, and luxury vinyl or tile are common upgrades.
What flooring works best for a rental near the University of Maryland?
Waterproof luxury vinyl plank is the most common choice for student and other rentals around College Park, because it handles spills, heavy traffic and quick turnovers. Durable carpet in bedrooms is a lower-cost option. If the unit already has hardwood, a screen and recoat between tenants is usually cheaper than covering it.
Do you work throughout Prince George's County?
Yes. We work regularly in Hyattsville, College Park, Bowie and Laurel and in surrounding communities, along with DC, Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties and Northern Virginia. Every project starts with a free in-home measure and a written estimate.
Planning floors in Prince George's County? Request a free estimate. We will look at what you already have, tell you honestly whether it is worth refinishing, and give you a written price for every room.
