Greater Toronto Area Flooring and Tiling solutions!
The Perfect Floor for your home is waiting!
4 Step Process - Renovating your home Flooring and baseboard
Get an Estimate
It’s that Easy, get on the phone with one of our professionals and answer a few questions about your current situation and we assess the best options for your requirements, as per your budget, prior to designing and planning
Meet Project Manager
Our Project Manager will meet you to learn more about your project and a proposal with a scope of work and transparent pricing.
Design with Confidence
After your space is measured, we design your dream space. Select from catalogues or samples for your flooring and T-molding for your home.
Let The Experts Work
Our professionals can make your dream design a reality, staying on schedule and on budget so your renovation is stress-free.
How to Choose Flooring
Choosing the right floors for every room in your home, this is a hot topic!
The good news is that there are thousands of options available for you on the market today to suit your style and budget. The bad news is there are literally thousands of materials available for you, so I know you get overwhelmed and probably frustrated in your search.
We will break down the most popular hard flooring types, so you find your perfect match. We will be breaking down the key characteristics of each type giving the pros and cons.
Consider these factors:
Room: Some types like carpet and hardwood are not ideal for every room
Family Situation: Children and pets need liquid-proof and scratch-resistant flooring
Budget: Price varies widely, best to set a budget
Style: Certain types work better than others to create the right environment
Return on Investment (ROI): Higher cost and quality often means a long-term investment
Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood is the top choice for its appearance and long-term ROI.
Pros:
High ROI
Can be resurfaced every 3-5 years
Best for shared living spaces
If scratched, can be refinished.
Can last decades with good maintenance
Cons:
Expensive compared to other flooring materials
Easily scraped , scratches and dented over time
Sensitive to moisture, can not be mopped with excessive water
Too much sun exposure can cause discoloration
Cannot use abrasive cleaners
Types of Flooring Material
Laminate Flooring
There are pros and cons of laminate flooring.
Pros:
Lower price than hardwood
Durability
Easy to clean
Can withstand moisture, can be mopped with water
Variety of colors and designs, like natural wood.
Good for high-traffic areas
Cons:
Difficult to repair, If damaged or water damaged, it must be replaced rather than being sanded
Scratches are visible and unsightly
Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring is not the cheap alternative it used to be. This flooring for the home is durable and effectively mimic ceramic, wood and stone.
Pros:
Versatile
Great for high-traffic areas
Easy to maintain
Cons:
Lower ROI vs. wood or laminate
Less popular due to appearance
Can be expensive
Hardwood flooring is a traditional favorite, most people love it for its durability and natural beauty. Oak is the most popular choice but other woods like maple, cherry, black walnut, and imported exotic woods like Brazilian cherry are available on the market today.
Hardwood floors come in a variety of styles including plain parquet and pre-finished boards that you can install yourself. Standard planks are about two to four inches wide, but if you have a larger space specify a larger plank so it feels more proportionate to the size of your space.
Nowadays new technology provides coatings for pre-finished hardwood with additives that produce incredibly tough surfaces that are super durable. The pros are that there is a variety of hardwood available on the market today, the variety of hardwoods blend with so many styles of interior design and We especially love it for an open concept floor plan, so that there's a continuous flooring throughout the home. In an open concept floor plan, you'll have that visual continuity so there's no transitions, there's no line breaks, and it makes the space seem larger. Another pro is that it can be refinished many times over its lifetime you can stain it you can paint it you can sand it down and refinish it to any new color you like.
One of the cons is that solid hardwood is nailed to the subfloor so it's not easy if you want to change it out, you will have to demolish the entire floor and prep it for a new floor if you want to switch it out. Since it's a solid wood it's not impervious to temperature and climate changes water heat and humidity can warp the wood so if you're installing the hardwood in an area with high humidity, it might not be a good choice for you. Another con hardwood is expensive, so make sure to plan out your budget wisely!
Engineered wood features a top of veneer of real wood backed by layers of cheaper plywood, this type of construction makes the flooring more stable and less susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity unlike solid wood instead of plywood backing. Some newer varieties have substrates made from recycled wood fiber mixed with stone dust to supply extreme dimensional stability engineered wood is a clever idea for kitchens and basements as well as for installation over in-floor heating systems. Engineered hardwood can be nailed, glued, or installed as a floating floor over a cushion pad, more manufacturers are producing a self-locking or clickable engineered wood flooring that installs without glue or nails. Clickable flooring comes as planks or parquet squares, the pro for engineered wood is that it is durable, it is stable, and it comes in a variety of options to match your style. Changes in temperature and climate will not warp the plank wood can be installed directly over an existing floor substrate one of the biggest cons is that it is expensive just like solid hardwood.
Laminate flooring continues to be one of the most popular flooring choices around, it's easier to install than solid hardwood flooring and is much less expensive. Laminate floors get their name because they're composed of different wood-based materials that are laminated together then topped with a wood grain photographic imprint on the face of each board, the more variation there is in the photorealistic prints the more realistic laminate floors will look when lay down.
Laminate flooring is similar to engineered wood in that a top layer is backed by layers of plywood or compressed fiber backing that is extremely stable, the big difference is that the top layer is not real wood, but a plastic coating applied over a photograph. The photo realism technology that is used produce look-a-like finishes to real wood or even other materials such as stone ceramic tile or even stained concrete.
The pros of laminate flooring is that there's a variety of styles colors and patterns available, it's easy to install, it's cost effective if you're on a budget, and it's very low maintenance most are floating floor systems meaning they can be installed directly over old existing flooring without glue or nails so no tear out is necessary. A major con for laminate flooring is that it warps when water sits on it we have laminate installed in my own home and we specified it because we was budget conscious about my remodel we love the grain finish it almost has like a medium walnut stain to it and it matches the aesthetic of my home but we have to admit it's not the best for pets or plants if one of the dogs accidentally soils the flora and we don't get to it in time it can actually warp the plank and there's no way to fix it without tearing the entire floor up. Though liquids are a risk, there are verities that can hold water up to 24 hours.
Vinyl Flooring comes in sheets and tile, they are considered resilient flooring, they're soft and flexible underfoot, they're tough and durable and virtually maintenance free. Vinyl comes in an array of colors and patterns at a really low cost you can expect to pay as little as a dollar per square foot but there are fewer style options among the less expensive types vinyl products are backed with a layer of felt or foam that offers an extra measure of comfort and safety in general. The thicker the vinyl surface means a better quality and higher price thicker vinyl can have a textured surface that looks like stone or wood vinyl flooring has a wear layer on its upper surface that helps resist stains and scratches. You may have seen vinyl plank flooring that looks like laminate planks on the market today, Vinyl plane flooring is very durable however it is a softer material than most laminates hardwoods and tiles since it is vinyl, these tiles and planks can be punctured easily with a sharp object so if you have it installed in your kitchen and you accidentally drop a knife on it just remember that the surface can be punctured. A pro is that vinyl is waterproof and it's inexpensive and they can be made to look like wood or stone, they're very easy to clean, they're extremely durable and there is ample variety on the market.
Since the topcoat is impervious to water it's great for kitchens basements bathrooms or any area that you know there's a lot of wetness involved. It also absorbs sounds, so it is a lot quieter underfoot than tile or hardwood. A major con is that vinyl emits VOCs that's volatile organic compounds, so it's not green by any means. If you have ever tried to remove vinyl tile yourself, it is a nightmare especially when that adhesive has set in it gets all over the place and it's very messy, it's not the greatest thing to drive up resale value.
Vinyl is that one material that new homeowners rip out as soon as they purchase a new property, and since it's not eco-friendly it's really difficult to recycle. Vinyl is best for a quick cosmetic facelift especially if you're budget conscious and you're trying to change the look of your home quickly.
Tile and Stone
Ceramic tile is the most popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms, there are so many shapes sizes colors and textures of ceramic tile, it is easy to create customized looks. The cost varies widely and you'll find tile priced anywhere from one dollar to a hundred dollars per square foot if you factor in the complementary decorative trim pieces and mosaic inlays that cost quickly can raise the price of total tile installation you can expect to pay experienced tile setters about four to twelve dollars per square foot to install the tile.
Ceramic tile is made from a mixture of clay and shale that is backed and hardened in a kiln dry pigment added to the mixture give the tile a variety of earthy tonal colors ceramic tiles come in one of four basic types. Some ceramic floor tiles come with an anti-slip finish that is great for traction when wet make sure that you specify ceramic tiles for floors in this case because there are some that are rated, or walls and they are slippery when wet.
The pro of ceramic tile is that it is cost effective it comes in a variety of colors patterns trims and accents since it is non-porous there is no need to seal the ceramic tile you can get creative with the application. It is waterproof is weatherproof and is slip resistant if you specify the right type, it combines the beauty and hardness of natural stone, but it costs less and it is easier to maintain.
The con is that ceramic tile can chip and crack if something heavy is dropped on it. Ceramic tile can also stain if it's unglazed and of course since it's manufactured you don't get the look and feel of natural stone it's great for kitchens bathrooms outdoor areas and entries high traffic areas that get a lot of wear and tear.
Natural stone like marble stone, granite, travertine, limestone, the pro to natural stone is that it is luxurious there is nothing like it on the market and always looks high-end and of course depending on your application you can get creative with it. we source natural stone about 95 of the time for our clients, if it stains somehow, you can polish it down and reseal it if it's a honed or matte finish. One of the major cons to natural stone is that it requires maintenance, softer stones such as sandstone and limestone must be refinished every few years with a stone sealer. Harder stones such as granite and marble should be sealed every four to five years, since they are all porous they can stain pone and polished stone can be slippery when wet so in this case you want to choose a natural stone that has a little bit of a texture to the finish especially for bathrooms or kitchens.
Concrete Flooring is one of the hottest flooring options on the market today. It not just for industrial lofts, but just for any type of contemporary setting with a wide range of sealers and specialty stains currently on the market. Plain and gray concrete can be stamped and stained to resemble polished marble stone brick or really anything you dream up of, there's no limit to the design possibilities.
That's the real beauty of concrete floors one of the greatest pros of concrete is that it's long lasting, it's durable, and its extremely low maintenance. It's also the perfect flooring for radiant heat as there's no grout lines, it's a seamless floor, it's so easy to clean, and there's so many ways for you to get creative with concrete.
One of the cons of concrete is that it could feel cold concrete can take a beating but it's not completely indestructible, so of course if you drop something heavy on it, can crack or chip and the only way to repair it is to pour new concrete on top of it. In general, we like the look of simple honed or polished concrete with a little pigment mixed in.
Porcelain Tile is a dense clay that has a printed image of certain kinds of stone, whether it be natural stone or ceramic.
The pros for porcelain tile, they are pressed compounded hard and then they're fired at a really high temperature, which absorbs nearly 100 of the moisture that is why they are so dense, this is why they are pretty much bulletproof. Other pros to porcelain tile is that it is sealed so you'll never really have to do any maintenance to the tile other than simple washing.
The advantage that porcelain has over the natural stones or ceramic, is with the high definition graphics today and technology that's progressed the porcelain looks, most people can't tell it from natural stone. The beautiful looks that are available are phenomenal, the advantages of course are no chipping, no cracking no sealing it's just a lot stronger and a tougher material than a natural or ceramic stone.
One of the cons for porcelain, they are very heavy, they are very tough to drill they can be tough to cut and sometimes require a special kind of adhesive depending on the size of the tile.
Finally, choosing flooring is a big decision, but it doesn't have to be stressful. The best thing to do is to plan and to ask yourself all those important questions before embarking on choosing the right flooring for your home. What is the function of the room? who will be using the room? do you have kids pets? what vibe are you going for? what look are you trying to create? how much are you willing to spend on the material and installation? how much maintenance can you handle? and of course what is your budget having figured all of that out you will be well on your way to picking the perfect flooring for your home.
Here are a few of my personal design rules when it comes to flooring. You can change the flooring from room to room, not all bathrooms have to look alike, we prefer that all bathrooms have its own distinct look and style. Mind your transitions the thickness of the material has everything to do with how it transitions from finish to finish if one material is higher than the other. The next engineered wood is one of the most common flooring types that we specify for my clients, laminate would be next. For kitchens and bathrooms, natural stone is the most highly requested material for my projects next to that would be a porcelain when you have budget restrictions.
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