What the substrate allows, what it costs, and the standard the finished floor is judged against — solid and engineered, including condominium slabs.
Solid and engineered hardwood laid by salaried craftsmen — straight-lay, herringbone, chevron and custom patterns.
A senior estimator measures, then writes one price. It does not move afterwards.
A standard 1,000–1,500 sq ft installation takes 5 to 7 working days: moisture testing and acclimation, installation, then sanding, staining and finishing. The constraint at the end is cure time, not dust.View full size — A project timeline for a typical main-floor installation running left to right through moisture testing, acclimation, installation, sanding, staining and finishing, with the point at which the floor can be walked on marked near the end.
Acclimation is the period during which flooring material equalises to the conditions of the room it will be installed in — a minimum of 72 hours, in the actual conditioned space, not in a garage or a hallway.View full size — Bundles of hardwood boards cross-stacked in a finished, conditioned room with air moving between every layer, and a hygrometer showing the room's condition beside them.
Before you book
A service page that only says yes is not much use. These are the situations where this is not the right call, and what is.
Published price
The standard
These are the Well-Installed Framework pillars this service is scored against. The framework is published, versioned and free to cite — use it on our quote, and on everyone else’s.
Wood exchanges moisture with the air continuously and moves as it does. This pillar establishes that the movement was measured and planned for before anything was fastened down.
Installation method is determined by what the floor is going onto, not by preference, habit or price. This pillar establishes that the substrate decided the method.
The correct product is the one that will still look and perform correctly in twenty years. This pillar establishes that the house specified the floor, not the budget.
The method
Nothing on this page asserts a technique that is not set out in full in a published paper. These are the sections that establish it.
Before you decide
Each answer is the recommendation of a published decision guide, not a paragraph written for this page. Follow the link for the criteria behind it.
Vocabulary
The open questions behind this service
Should I install solid or engineered hardwood in my Toronto home? · Which hardwood installation method is correct for my subfloor? · How much does hardwood flooring cost in Toronto and the GTA? · Is white oak the right hardwood for a Toronto home? · Should I install herringbone, chevron or parquet in my Toronto home or condo?
Each is published in full with the reasoning rather than a recommendation, free to apply to any contractor’s quote — see also all decision guides and the standard they are judged against.
Finished work
Each one is a published case study. The reading shown is the one the job turned on.
Midtown TorontoToronto
Three levels, three different substrates, one continuous floor — the ground-floor slab sealed and re-measured before a single board was laid.
G-Floor MVTR (Post-Epoxy Sealer)4.8lbs/1000 sqft/24h
Read what was measuredForest HillToronto
Wide-plank walnut sorted board by board for colour, with the rejected stock counted and published rather than absorbed quietly.
Walnut Stock Yield97%
Read what was measuredYorkvilleToronto
Hardwood below grade on a slab reading double the safe threshold — mitigated, re-measured, and only then installed.
Initial Subfloor MVTR9.8lbs/1000 sqft/24h
Read what was measuredDistillery DistrictToronto
White oak over a historic concrete slab, with the tannin risk handled in the finish schedule rather than discovered afterwards.
Subfloor MVTR (before barrier)7.2lbs/1000 sqft/24h
Read what was measuredEvery one of these is a published case study with its readings, its protocol and its failures in it — all of them are here.
Proof, with the numbers
Published in full, with the readings taken before anything started. Not every job below is this exact service — they are the ones where this service decided the outcome.
Over a concrete slab, where the moisture test decided the assembly before a species was chosen.
Below grade at a critical moisture reading, and the mitigation that made the floor possible.
Stairs and a main floor over radiant heat, finished to one colour across two assemblies.
Every case study publishes what was measured, not only what was achieved — all of them are here, and each one names the substrate, the species, the readings and the protocol it followed.
Coverage
Downtown Toronto · North York · Etobicoke · Scarborough · East York · York · Vaughan · Markham · Richmond Hill · Mississauga · Oakville · Brampton · Aurora · Newmarket · Pickering · Ajax · Whitby · Oshawa · Clarington · Kawartha Lakes · Halton Hills · Caledon · Innisfil · Guelph · Cambridge · Kitchener · Port Colborne · Milton · Burlington · Hamilton · Grimsby · St. Catharines · Niagara-on-the-Lake · Niagara Falls · Barrie · King · Lincoln · Welland · Thorold · Fort Erie · Buffalo · Amherst · Clarence · Cheektowaga · Lancaster · West Seneca · Tonawanda · Grand Island · Orchard Park · Hamburg · East Aurora · Niagara Falls, NY · Lewiston · Wheatfield · North Tonawanda · Lockport · Rochester, NY · Brighton · Pittsford · Fairport · Victor · Webster · Irondequoit · Greece · Rosedale · Forest Hill · Yorkville · Leaside · The Annex · High Park · Riverdale · Leslieville · The Beaches · Lawrence Park · Cabbagetown · Swansea · Davisville Village · Midtown Toronto · King West · Liberty Village · The Kingsway · Ancaster · Dundas · Stoney Creek · Waterdown · Beamsville · King City · Nobleton · Kleinburg · Woodbridge · Angus Glen · Bayview Glen · Cachet · Port Credit · Lorne Park · Mineola · Clarkson · Sheridan · Williamsville · Kenmore
Every area above has its own page: the housing stock, the neighbourhoods and the constraint that is specific to it. See all service areas.
