Kensington, Brooklyn
Flooring for Kensington apartments and houses
Modern Wood Flooring is a showroom at 446 Avenue P, near the south end of Ocean Parkway, open since 2002. Kensington is mostly prewar and postwar apartment buildings, many of them co-ops, plus brick row houses and detached Victorians. Engineered wood or vinyl plank suits most apartments, and solid hardwood suits the houses.
Our showroom at 446 Avenue P is about 2 miles from Kensington. Get directions or call (718) 252-6177 and we’ll pull samples before you arrive.
Homes and buildings in Kensington
Ocean Parkway runs through the middle of Kensington, and its frontage, along with Coney Island Avenue, is dominated by prewar brick apartment buildings, many of them co-ops. Six-story elevator buildings became common from the late 1920s through 1941. Larger postwar buildings followed on Ocean Parkway until the mid-1960s, and new apartment houses have gone up there since the 1990s. These buildings sit on concrete, and most have steam heat, which makes winters dry indoors.
Off the main roads, the side streets hold brick row houses and detached one-family Victorians. Church Avenue, Ditmas Avenue and McDonald Avenue carry most of the shopping. Within a few blocks you can go from a concrete-slab co-op with steam heat to a wood-framed house on joists, and the right floor changes with it.
The row houses and Victorians sit on wood joists with board or plywood subfloors, and many have been updated room by room over the decades, so you may find several floor types in one house. Apartment buildings, by contrast, tend to have the same slab and similar layouts on every floor.
What to plan for
- Prewar and postwar buildings
- Prewar Kensington buildings often have original oak parquet or strip floors over the concrete, while postwar units may have parquet, resilient tile or carpet over the slab. Older adhesives and floor tiles can need special handling during removal, so have your contractor check before tearing anything up. Either way, plan for a flat, dry slab before the new floor goes down.
- Board approval and sound ratings
- Many Ocean Parkway co-ops require an alteration agreement and board approval for new floors, and many specify a sound-control underlayment or minimum rating. Leases in rental buildings often require rugs over much of the floor. Get the written rules first so you only shortlist products that qualify. If you rent, ask your landlord before changing floors, since many leases require written consent.
- Settled floors in Victorians
- Detached Victorians have wood joists and often original oak, but also a century of settling. Floors may slope toward stairs or bearing walls. Nail-down solid or engineered hardwood can follow gentle variation better than a floating floor, which needs a flatter base. Have your installer check flatness against the product's tolerance. Loose or squeaky subfloor boards are best screwed down before the new floor goes in.
Floors that suit Kensington
- Engineered woodWorks in both prewar and postwar Ocean Parkway apartments. It can be glued to the slab or floated on an approved underlayment, and it holds up through steam-heated winters better than solid wood.Browse engineered wood
- Vinyl flooringA good fit for kitchens, bathrooms and rental units. Vinyl plank is water-resistant or waterproof depending on the product, and many are compatible with the underlayments co-ops require. It also shrugs off steam-heat dryness.Browse vinyl flooring
- Solid hardwoodSuits Kensington's row houses and detached Victorians, where wood subfloors take a nail-down floor. It can be matched to original oak and refinished many times over the life of the house.Browse solid hardwood
Examples from the current catalog. We carry more than we show online.
Guides for Kensington projects
Common questions
Do you serve Kensington?
Yes. Our showroom is at 446 Avenue P near Ocean Parkway, and we serve Kensington and all of Brooklyn. Samples can be pulled the same day.
What is the best floor for an Ocean Parkway co-op?
Usually engineered wood or vinyl plank over the underlayment your board requires. Start with the alteration agreement before choosing a product.
Can I lay new flooring over old parquet?
Sometimes, if the parquet is flat and well bonded and the extra height works at doors. The new product's installation instructions spell out what it can go over.
Do you work with my contractor?
Yes. We work with your contractor, or we can refer an installer we have worked with for more than five years. Call (718) 252-6177 for a quote within one business day.