Flooring Installation in Hickory, NC
Hickory is home base for us. From 1920s bungalows in Kenworth and older houses around Oakwood to offices near Union Square and homes up toward Lake Hickory, we install hardwood, LVP, carpet and commercial floors across the city we live and work in, starting with a careful look at the subfloor.
Free Flooring Estimate
in Hickory
- Measured on site, written quote, no pressure
- 15 years of experience · 100s of projects completed
- Hardwood, LVP, carpet & commercial flooring
Hickory, Our Home City from Union Square to the Shoreline
Hickory started out as Hickory Tavern, set up as a town in 1870 and renamed the Town of Hickory in 1873 before becoming a city in 1889. It's mostly in Catawba County, though the city limits also reach into Burke and Caldwell. The railroad and nearby timber turned it into a manufacturing center, first for furniture and hosiery and later for fiber-optic cable from companies like Corning and CommScope. The Hickory Furniture Mart helped earn the city its name as the Furniture Capital of the World, so wood quality and workmanship get a close look in this town.
That long history left a deep stock of older homes. Hickory has four National Register historic districts and roughly 530 listed properties. In Kenworth, most houses are bungalows built between about 1920 and 1926; Oakwood, just north of downtown, more than doubled in area with a 2019 boundary expansion; and Claremont and Southwest Downtown round out the list. Homes of that era often have original wood floors and framing that has settled over a century, so we always look at the structure before planning a new floor. Downtown, the renovated Union Square and the City Walk trail connect older commercial buildings to Lenoir-Rhyne University, which began in 1891 as Highland Academy, and those older storefronts bring their own subfloor and slab surprises.
Beyond the historic core, the city is stitched together by US 70, US 321 and NC 127, the road that climbs past Lenoir-Rhyne University and through Viewmont before crossing Lake Hickory into Alexander County. Homes near the lake face more humidity, while older houses farther in are often good candidates to trade tired carpet for a hard surface. Wherever we work in Catawba County, we match the product to the house and the room rather than to a sales sheet.
Hickory is home base for The Foothills Flooring Company, so your project is never more than a short drive from us. See the home page for recent work across Catawba County and beyond. Hickory is primarily in Catawba County, and its city limits also extend into Burke and Caldwell counties.
Hickory Flooring Installation for Homes and Businesses
Hardwood from Kenworth to the Shoreline
Kenworth was built out almost entirely between about 1920 and 1926, and bungalows from that burst of building were typically finished with wood floors that later owners often carpeted or patched. When we add new hardwood to a house like that, we match board width where we can, run boards the same direction and check that the joists haven't sagged enough to throw the transition out of plane. Up in Viewmont or out toward Lake Hickory, the call is more about moisture. Solid oak works well over a dry plywood deck, while engineered planks are our choice over slabs, in basements and in sunrooms that catch lake air. Every board acclimates in your house first.
LVP and LVT for Busy Hickory Households
From the older streets around Lenoir-Rhyne to the subdivisions off US 70, luxury vinyl plank and tile have become the practical answer for kitchens, mudrooms and baths. The material doesn't care about spilled drinks, wet paws or a running dishwasher hose. It does care about flatness. Oakwood and the other neighborhoods north of downtown have homes that have had the better part of a century to settle, and rigid plank telegraphs every hollow. We straightedge each room, fill or grind as needed and swap out any soft sheathing. If you own a rental near Lenoir-Rhyne, LVP also handles move-outs far better than carpet ever will.
Carpet Where Comfort Counts
Bedrooms, stairways and upstairs bonus rooms are still carpet territory in plenty of Hickory homes, and it's hard to beat on a cold floor in January. We help you choose fiber and pile for the room, set it over a pad that suits the traffic and power-stretch broadloom so it doesn't wrinkle as the seasons change. Basement media rooms and playrooms are good candidates for carpet tile, which lets you replace a stained square without redoing the whole room. Pulling old carpet in a 1920s house sometimes reveals sound original wood, and we'll show you before anything new goes down.
Commercial Floors in the Region's Hub
Hickory anchors the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro, so its commercial floors carry real traffic: offices around Union Square and the SALT Block, medical and dental practices, churches, schools and retail along US 70 and Center Street. We install commercial carpet tile, commercial LVP and resilient sheet vinyl matched to how each space is used and cleaned. Older buildings downtown often have slabs that need grinding, patching or moisture mitigation, and we budget for that before the first box is opened. Since we're based in Hickory, it's easy to phase work by area or schedule it in the evening and on weekends to keep you open.
Hickory Homeowners: What to Know Before Replacing Your Floors
Check for Wood Before You Buy
Hickory's roughly 530 National Register properties include a lot of houses from the 1900s through the 1920s, the era when wood floors were standard. Many have since been covered with carpet or sheet vinyl. Before you pay for a whole new floor, lift a corner in a closet or let us look during the estimate. Sound original boards may change which rooms need new flooring and which don't.
Settled Framing Needs Attention
Floors in a house that's stood since Hickory's early annexations, when West Hickory and Highland joined the city in 1931, often slope or bounce between joists. Laying engineered hardwood or vinyl plank directly over that invites squeaks and split seams. We measure flatness across each room, add blocking or sistering where the structure needs it and level the deck before the new floor goes in.
Near the Lake, Manage Moisture
Hickory's north side reaches Lake Hickory, where US 321 and NC 127 cross the water, and the air there stays damper than downtown. Solid boards near the shoreline can cup in summer and gap in winter. We take moisture readings in the subfloor and any slab, acclimate material on site and lean toward engineered hardwood or LVP in lower levels and rooms facing the water.
Free Flooring Estimates in Hickory
Whether you're in a Kenworth bungalow near downtown, along the NC 127 corridor through Viewmont toward Lake Hickory, or in a newer neighborhood off US 70 on the west side, we'll come out for a free on-site measurement and give you a written estimate.
Prefer to talk first? Call (828) 471-7706, read about our residential flooring and commercial flooring work, or reach us through the contact page.
Flooring Questions from Hickory
Who is the best flooring company in Hickory, NC?
The Foothills Flooring Company is based right here in Hickory. We bring 15 years of experience and hundreds of completed residential and commercial projects. We serve Hickory and all of Catawba County, plus nearby Burke, Caldwell and Alexander counties, with free on-site estimates. Call (828) 471-7706. We install hardwood, LVP and LVT, carpet and commercial flooring. Because Hickory is our home city, we're never far away, whether you're in Kenworth, Viewmont or out by Lake Hickory.
Do you work on older homes in Kenworth, Oakwood and Hickory's other historic districts?
Yes, regularly. Hickory has four National Register historic districts, including Kenworth's 1920s bungalows and Oakwood just north of downtown. Houses there often have original wood floors, settled framing and rooms that were updated at different times. We check the structure and subfloor first, then plan new hardwood or LVP so it suits the house and sits flat against older floors.
Is LVP a good choice for a rental near Lenoir-Rhyne?
For most rentals, it's hard to beat. LVP is waterproof, shrugs off pet claws and furniture scuffs, and cleans up fast between tenants. Houses near the university include some older homes, so we pay close attention to subfloor prep. Once the base is flat and solid, the planks stay tight through years of move-ins and move-outs.
Can you install new flooring in a downtown Hickory office or shop?
We can. Offices, shops, practices and churches near Union Square and along Center Street and US 70 can choose commercial carpet tile, commercial LVP or sheet vinyl. Older downtown buildings often need slab prep, which we plan from the first visit. Because we're local, phasing the job or working after hours and on weekends is simple to arrange.
What's the best floor for a house near Lake Hickory?
Engineered hardwood and LVP are the safest bets near the water because they tolerate humidity swings better than solid wood. Solid hardwood can still work on an upper floor over a dry plywood deck if it's acclimated and installed with expansion gaps. We test moisture in the subfloor and any slab before recommending a product for your house.
Do you also serve the parts of Hickory in Burke and Caldwell counties?
Yes. Hickory is mostly in Catawba County, but its city limits extend into Burke and Caldwell counties, and we serve all of them. Wherever your address falls, call (828) 471-7706 and we'll set a time to measure, check the subfloor and give you a written estimate. There's no charge and no pressure to commit.
How much does new flooring cost in Hickory, NC?
Across the Hickory area and Catawba County, typical installed prices as of fall 2026 are $4.50 to $7.00 per square foot for most LVP jobs, $8 to $11 for engineered hardwood, $10 to $14 for solid site-finished hardwood and $3.50 to $5.50 for carpet, material plus labor. Tear-out, leveling and stairs are listed separately, and your free written estimate gives the exact number for your Hickory project. See the full table on our flooring prices page.