Tile Installation in Hampton, VA

Hampton traces its origins to 1610, when colonists established the church now known as St. John's Episcopal Church, and the city claims to be the oldest continuously occupied English settlement in the United States. The 2020 census counted 137,148 residents. The modern city took shape on July 1, 1952, when the city of Hampton, the town of Phoebus and Elizabeth City County merged into a single independent city.

It's worth being clear about geography: Hampton isn't next door to Norfolk. The usual route from our showroom is I-64 through the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, a 3.5-mile crossing of bridges, trestles, man-made islands and tunnels that first opened in 1957. Hampton is part of our service area, and we schedule estimates there with that drive in mind.

The military and aerospace presence is a large part of the city. Langley Air Force Base was the nation's first military installation dedicated solely to air power, NASA Langley Research Center is here, and Fort Monroe, the largest stone fort ever built in the United States, was decommissioned in 2011 and named a National Monument that November. Like the rest of Hampton Roads, a lot of households here run on military timelines, and floors often need to be done around a move-in or a turnover date.

The neighborhoods vary. Phoebus, named in 1900 after businessman Harrison Phoebus, grew up near Fort Monroe as a railroad town, merged with Hampton in 1952 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Wythe includes the Olde Wythe Historic District. Buckroe Beach and Fox Hill are among its other neighborhoods. The city has extensive Chesapeake Bay shoreline, and more than 60 percent of its total area is water.

For flooring, that much water means humidity and salt air for most of the year, and sand coming in on shoes. Luxury vinyl plank with a waterproof core is our first recommendation for kitchens, baths and main living areas, because it won't swell and its wear layer handles grit. Porcelain tile is a strong choice for entries and bathrooms. For bedrooms, carpet over a dense pad is still the most comfortable option, and we include an upgrade to an 8-lb pad at no extra charge. In older homes, especially in historic neighborhoods, we check subfloors and floor height carefully during the in-home estimate. Every job gets one upfront price covering furniture moving, tear-out, installation and disposal.