The floor you choose matters less than the surface it goes onto. An uneven subfloor produces hollow-sounding laminate, cracked tile grout, and hardwood that squeaks within a year - and none of those are fixable without pulling the floor back up. Subfloor preparation is the line item most likely to be missing from a cheap quote and most likely to cause a callback.
The second thing worth understanding is acclimation. Wood and many vinyl products need to sit in the room for days before installation so they reach the humidity they will live at. A crew that delivers and installs the same morning is setting up gapping in winter or buckling in summer.
What flooring installers do
- Hardwood, engineered wood and bamboo
- Laminate and luxury vinyl plank
- Ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tile
- Carpet and underpad
- Subfloor levelling and repair
- Refinishing existing hardwood
- Stair treads, nosing and transitions
Does a flooring installer need a licence in Ontario?
No provincial licence required. Manufacturer installation requirements are the real standard, because they govern your warranty.
General liability insurance and WSIB clearance
Standard checks.
Manufacturer installation compliance
Most flooring warranties specify subfloor flatness, moisture content and acclimation. Departing from them voids coverage, and the manufacturer will ask for evidence if you claim.
Moisture testing for concrete subfloors
Basements and slab-on-grade need a moisture test before wood or glue-down vinyl goes on. Skipping it is the most common cause of catastrophic basement floor failure.
Asbestos assessment for pre-1990 flooring
Old vinyl tile and its adhesive can contain asbestos. It must not be sanded or dry-scraped without assessment.
What it costs in Ontario
Flooring is usually quoted per square foot, but whether that number includes material, underlay, subfloor prep, removal of the old floor, and trim varies enormously between quotes. Ask for those as separate lines.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Hardwood, supplied and installedSpecies and board width drive material cost more than labour. | $10 – $20 / sq ft |
| Engineered wood, supplied and installedMore stable than solid hardwood over concrete or in basements. | $8 – $16 / sq ft |
| Luxury vinyl plank, supplied and installedWear layer thickness is the specification that matters, not the brand. | $5 – $11 / sq ft |
| Laminate, supplied and installedAC rating indicates durability. AC3 is the practical minimum for a home. | $4 – $9 / sq ft |
| Ceramic or porcelain tile, installedPattern, tile size and waterproofing membrane drive the range. | $12 – $25 / sq ft |
| Carpet with underpad, installedUnderpad quality affects how the carpet wears more than most people expect. | $4 – $9 / sq ft |
| Refinish existing hardwoodUsually far better value than replacement if the boards are thick enough to sand. | $3.50 – $7 / sq ft |
| Subfloor levellingOften discovered after the old floor comes up. Ask how it will be priced if needed. | $2 – $5 / sq ft |
These are planning estimates for Ontario, not quotes, and they move with material prices and demand. Use them to sanity-check a quote, not to argue one down.
Questions to ask before you hire
- 1Is subfloor preparation included, and what happens if the floor turns out to be uneven?
- 2Is removal and disposal of the existing flooring in this price?
- 3How long will the material acclimate on site before installation?
- 4For basements or concrete: will you moisture-test the slab first?
- 5Are transitions, baseboard, quarter round and stair nosing included?
- 6Does the installation meet the manufacturer requirements needed to keep the warranty valid?
- 7How much waste and overage is built into the material quantity?
Warning signs
- Same-day delivery and installation of wood or vinyl, with no acclimation.
- No moisture test proposed for a basement installation.
- A quote with a single per-square-foot number covering everything, with no breakdown.
- Dry-scraping or sanding old vinyl tile in a pre-1990 home without an asbestos assessment.
- Reluctance to state the product line and wear layer.
How to read reviews for this trade
Look for reviews that mention the crew finding and fixing a subfloor problem rather than covering it up. That is the behaviour you are paying for. Squeaks, gaps and lifting show up in months two through twelve, so reviews around a year old are more informative than fresh ones.