Dianne Smith has wanted to restore the hardwood floors in her home for years.
She finally got her wish, and Ralph’s was fortunate enough to be able to help it come true.
Dianne and her husband have been living in the same house for 42 years, and all of them have been with carpet—until now. Dianne recently convinced her husband, after many years of persuasion, to try to bring the old maple hardwood floors underneath the carpet back to life.
However, the house was built in 1927, and they weren’t even sure hardwood floors that old could be restored.
There were problems when the carpet came up. In the living room, previous owners had apparently painted the edge of the flooring, possibly to match a rug in the center of the room. The hardwood that had been painted was now damaged. There were also several holes in the floor made for wiring.
In the sunroom, Dianne admits she allowed water to soak into the hardwood as she watered plants when she was younger, not realizing how spilled water on the carpet could damage the hardwood underneath. The result was several significant black spots in the hardwood.
“It was a mess,” in Dianne’s words.
The Smiths did the right thing by coming to Ralph’s to sand and refinish those old floors. We’ve been restoring hardwood floors for more than 50 years, and we’re experts at doing it. We assured them we could make their old flooring look new again.
It gives us great satisfaction to astonish customers with the transformation possible with sanding and refinishing, and that’s the reaction we got from Dianne after we were done with her floors.
“We couldn’t believe it,” Dianne told us, after calling our showroom to compliment us. “It is way beyond what we had expected. It is just absolutely gorgeous.”
Even her husband—who had previously believed hardwood floors would be “too cold”—loves the new look, Dianne says.
The restored hardwood is the dining room, living room, and sunroom, and Dianne said it has transformed the feel of her house.
“It’s warm and comforting,” she says. “Everything just flows from it. It brings out everything.”
Guests at the Smiths’ home immediately notice the change, Dianne said, and they’re often as surprised as she was at how beautiful they look. Dianne said another typical comment she gets is that they clearly add market value to the home.
It makes our day when we hear from customers like Dianne about how much they like the look of their hardwood floors. It’s a reassuring affirmation that we’re continuing to achieve the high level of quality and craftsmanship that Ralph’s has become known for.
