This study compared the relative success of soft tissue coverage of denuded roots by two surgical procedures: Autogenous free gingival graft (FGG) and a 2‐stage coronallypositioned flap (CPF). Eight patients who had bilateral areas of gingival recession were selected. The areas of recession treated were Class I or II according to Miller's classification and caused either an esthetic problem or root sensitivity. The defects were randomly assigned to surgical procedures in each subject. In the FGG, the root surfaces were root planed, conditioned with a saturated citric acid solution, and an adjacent recipient site was prepared surgically. A thick palatal graft was then sutured to the recipient site. In the CPF, an initial autogenous free gingival graft was surgically placed in a recipient site just apical to the root recession. After 1 month of healing, the gingiva was coronally positioned to the level of the CEJ. Standardized photographs were obtained presurgically, at 2 weeks, and at 1 and 3 months. Reduction of areas of exposed root surface and distances from CEJ to gingival margin were computed. Data analysis did not demonstrate a significant difference in success between FGG and CPF at 3 months. Maximum decrease of exposed root surfaces occurred at 2 weeks postsurgically with both procedures and then some recession of each type of graft occurred. The mean distance of the exposed root surfaces decreased from 2.136 mm to 1.301 mm and from 2.187 mm to 1.400 from baseline to 3 months for the FGG and CPF respectively. The area of root exposure was reduced from 6.692 mm2 to 3.705 mm2 and from 6.949 mm2 to 3.841 mm2 for the FFG and CPF respectively. Thus, the null hypothesis was accepted in that there were no differences in root surface coverage by CPF and FGG procedures. J Periodontol 1992; 63:19–23.