Flooring Installation
Hardwood, engineered, luxury vinyl and tile — laid on a subfloor that has actually been checked first.
- Typical timeline
- 3–7 days
- Permits
- Not required
- Live in during work
- Yes, room by room
What's Involved
Flooring, done properly.
Floors fail at the subfloor, not at the surface. Almost every squeak, cupped board and cracked tile we are asked to fix traces back to something underneath that was not levelled, not dried, or not fastened. The preparation is the job.
- Subfloor levelling, refastening and moisture testing
- Solid and engineered hardwood, nailed or floated
- Luxury vinyl plank and tile, including below grade
- Porcelain, ceramic and natural stone with proper substrate
- Stair treads, risers, nosings and transitions
- Baseboard removal, reinstatement and shoe moulding
What Moves The Price
Where the money actually goes.
Three things account for most of the variation between one flooring quote and another. Knowing which of them applies to you is most of the budgeting.
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1
What the subfloor needs
Flat, dry and solid is the requirement. Levelling compound, refastening squeaks, or replacing water-damaged sheathing are all common and none of them are visible until the old floor comes up.
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2
Material and installation method
Floating a click floor is quick. Nail-down hardwood, glue-down engineered, and anything tiled all take longer and demand more of the substrate — tile especially, which needs deflection checked before you start.
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3
Stairs and transitions
Stairs are the most labour-intensive part of any flooring job by a wide margin. Each tread and riser is cut and fitted individually, and the nosing detail has to be right or it will be the first thing to fail.
Timeline
How a flooring project runs.
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Assessment and acclimatisation
2–5 daysMoisture readings taken and material delivered to sit in the house so it reaches equilibrium before installation. Skipping this causes gapping later.
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Lift and prep
1–2 daysOld flooring up and disposed of, subfloor refastened, levelled and checked for flatness across the whole area.
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Installation
2–4 daysFloor laid to the agreed layout and direction, with expansion gaps correctly maintained at every perimeter.
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Trim and transitions
1 dayBaseboards and shoe reinstated or replaced, thresholds and transitions fitted, and the whole floor cleaned.
Worth Knowing
What goes wrong in flooring projects.
Not a sales pitch — these are the three failures we get called in to fix most often. Ask any contractor you are considering how they handle them.
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Laying over an unlevel subfloor
Every flooring product has a flatness tolerance. Exceed it and you get hollow spots underfoot, stressed joints, and with tile, cracked grout lines within the first year.
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Not letting material acclimatise
Wood moves with humidity. Installed straight off the truck it will shrink or expand in place, and the result is gapping in winter or buckling in summer. It needs days in the room, not hours.
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The wrong product below grade
Solid hardwood in a basement will not survive the moisture cycle. Engineered or luxury vinyl over a proper vapour strategy is the right answer down there, and it is not a matter of taste.
How We Work
Four steps, no surprises.
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01
Walkthrough
We come to you, measure up and talk through what you actually want out of the space — and what it realistically costs.
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02
Fixed quote
A written, itemised scope with a fixed price and a start date. Nothing begins until you have signed it.
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03
The build
One project manager, one schedule, dust protection up and a tidy site at the end of every day.
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04
Handover
We walk the finished job with you, fix the snag list, and leave you the warranty in writing.
Flooring Questions
Answers before you ask.
Hardwood or vinyl in a basement?
Not solid hardwood — below-grade moisture will move it regardless of how dry the room feels. Luxury vinyl plank is the practical choice, and good engineered wood over an appropriate vapour barrier also works. We check moisture before recommending either.
Can you install over my existing floor?
Sometimes, over solid sheet vinyl or well-bonded tile, if the height at doors and transitions still works. It saves demolition, but it hides whatever is underneath — so we only suggest it when we are confident there is nothing to find.
How long does flooring need to acclimatise?
For most engineered products, three to five days in the room it is going into, with the heating running as normal. Solid hardwood can need longer. It is the least glamorous part of the schedule and one of the most important.
Will the new floor squeak?
It should not. Squeaks come from movement between the subfloor and the joists, so we refasten the subfloor with screws before laying anything. If the squeak is structural, we will tell you what fixing it properly involves.
Other things we do
Want a real number for your flooring project?
Free walkthrough, fixed written quote, no obligation to go ahead.