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Flooring Installation

Hardwood Installation in Ontario

Solid hardwood is the floor Ontario homeowners still measure everything else against, and installing it well is mostly about what happens before the first board is nailed. Wood moves with our seasons — humid summers, furnace-dry winters — so boards must acclimatize in the room, the subfloor must be flat and firmly fastened, and moisture in both wood and subfloor needs to be measured, not guessed. We scope every hardwood project around that preparation.

Direction of lay matters more than most people expect: boards usually run parallel to the longest wall and ideally perpendicular to the floor joists, and getting this wrong shows for the life of the floor. We plan the layout room by room, rack boards for colour balance, nail to the fastener schedule the manufacturer specifies, and finish with tight transitions, flush vents and trim.

What this covers

  • Removal of existing flooring and inspection of the subfloor beneath
  • Subfloor flattening, refastening to eliminate movement, and moisture testing of wood and subfloor
  • On-site acclimatization of the hardwood before installation begins
  • Nail-down installation to the manufacturer's fastener schedule
  • Board racking for colour and length variation across each room
  • Flush vents, stair nosings, transitions and baseboard or quarter-round to finish
  • Site finishing with stain and coats, or prefinished board installation, as chosen

What affects the price

  • Species and grade — plainer grades of oak cost less than character or wide-plank options
  • Site-finished versus prefinished, which trades dust and finishing days for a custom-toned, fully sealed surface
  • Board width, since wide planks demand a flatter subfloor and sometimes glue-assist alongside nails
  • How much subfloor preparation the existing structure needs
  • Stairs, borders and direction changes, which add labour beyond open-field installation

Every home is different, so we don’t publish flat prices — the quote is free and based on your actual job.

Hardwood Installation near you

We take quote requests across Ontario. Local pages:

TorontoOttawaMississaugaBramptonCaledonHamiltonVaughanMarkhamRichmond HillAuroraNewmarketGeorginaWhitchurch-StouffvilleKingOakvilleBurlingtonMiltonHalton HillsOshawaWhitbyAjaxPickeringClaringtonKitchenerWaterlooCambridgeLondonBarrieInnisfilBradford West GwillimburyCollingwoodSt. CatharinesNiagara FallsWellandGrimsbyFort ErieGuelphWindsorKingstonGreater SudburyPeterboroughThunder BayBrantfordBellevilleSarniaWoodstockStratfordOrangevilleCornwallNorth BaySault Ste. MarieChatham-KentOrilliaWasaga BeachMidlandNew TecumsethSt. ThomasKawartha LakesCobourgPort HopePrince Edward CountyQuinte WestLeamingtonOwen SoundBracebridgeHuntsvilleNiagara-on-the-LakeTimminsBrockville

Common questions

How long does hardwood need to acclimatize?
Until its moisture content matches the home — usually several days to two weeks with boxes opened in the rooms being floored, not a fixed number. We measure the wood and the subfloor with a moisture meter and start only when they sit within the manufacturer's allowed difference. Rushing this step is the classic cause of gaps and cupping later.
Should I choose site-finished or prefinished hardwood?
Prefinished boards install faster, with no dust or finish odour, and carry tough factory coatings. Site-finished floors take sanding and several finishing days but give you a custom stain, a flat surface without bevelled edges, and easier blending if you ever extend the floor. Neither is wrong; the choice is schedule against look, and we price both so you can compare directly.
Which direction should hardwood run?
Convention runs boards along the longest dimension of the main space and, where possible, across the joists for stiffness. Hallways read best with boards running their length. In open plans we pick one direction and carry it through rather than switching at doorways. We walk the layout with you before installation so the call is deliberate, not discovered afterward.
Can solid hardwood go in a basement or over concrete?
No — solid boards need a nailable wood subfloor and stable humidity, and below-grade concrete offers neither. For basements and condo slabs, engineered hardwood or vinyl plank gives the wood look with the right construction underneath. On a main floor over concrete, engineered products glue down properly where solid wood cannot. We steer the material to the conditions, not the other way around.

Ready to sort out your hardwood installation?

Tell us what you're planning — one room or the whole home — and get a free quote.

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