Hardwood installation in Camas, WA

Camas was incorporated on 18 June 1906 and takes its name from the camas lily. The paper mill established in 1883 with the backing of Henry Pittock has run for more than 140 years, and for most of that time it defined the town. Today the employer list includes Fisher Investments, the Camas School District and WaferTech, and the 2020 census counted 26,065 residents.

For flooring, the more useful history is what happened on Prune Hill. The hill is an extinct volcanic vent that was planted in prune orchards from the 1880s. In 1971 two new water reservoirs and sewer improvements opened it to housing, and it has been one of the most sought-after addresses in Camas since. Parker Estates began in the mid-1990s on the lower northwestern slope. Holly Hills went up in the late 1990s, with homes of 2,000 to 4,000 square feet, many with hardwood floors. Deer Creek followed from the late 1990s into the early 2000s, on lots of half an acre and more.

That puts a large share of Camas's housing in a particular place: about 20 to 30 years old, well built, and wearing its original floors. The questions we hear in homes of that age are consistent.

1. Is the hardwood worth refinishing?

   Frequently it is. A floor installed in the late 1990s may simply need a sand and a new finish, possibly with a change of colour to move away from the honey tones of the period. We will check board thickness, earlier sanding and any water marks before recommending it.

2. Should the carpet go?

   Original carpet at this age has usually lost its cushion and its pile. Replacing it is a chance to step up in quality rather than repeat the builder's choice, and to consider natural options such as wool where the room suits it.

3. How should the floors connect?

   Many 1990s plans change material at every doorway. Carrying one floor through the main living space, and treating stairs and transitions as part of the design rather than an afterthought, often changes how the whole house feels.

Camas also has a newer layer. Belz Place on Prune Hill was built between 2017 and 2019; Deerhaven, on the north shore of Lacamas Lake, has contemporary homes with soaring 20-foot ceilings; the Parklands at Camas Meadows were custom golf-course homes built for the 2018 Clark County Parade of Homes. In volumes like those, hard surfaces can make a room loud. Large area rugs, sized properly to the furniture, are often the most effective way to bring warmth and quieter acoustics into a tall, open room without giving up the floor underneath.

We approach Camas projects as whole-house plans: what to keep, what to replace, and how it all reads together once it is done.