Flooring installation and refinishing in East York

The small house that grew

A common East York story: the family bought a modest postwar bungalow, raised it to two storeys, and now the floors do not match. East York’s housing nearly doubled between 1946 and 1961, much of it compact single houses, some built by the government for returning veterans around Topham Park. Over the decades many of those bungalows gained a second floor, and that is where we often come in.

How do you make old and new floors look like one house?

We start downstairs. If the original hardwood is sound, we refinish it and install the new upstairs floor to match in species, width and stain. Samples go on your own boards before we commit. When the main floor is beyond saving, installing new hardwood through both levels gives a clean, consistent look.

The new staircase is the link between the two. We plan treads, risers and nosings with the floors, so the stairs do not look like a separate project.

What about small rooms and lots of doorways?

Compact plans mean thresholds everywhere. Running boards the long way through connected rooms, and keeping transitions flush, makes a small house feel bigger. Damaged or patched spots near old radiators or vents can usually be fixed with floor repair rather than a full replacement.

Is south of Cosburn any different?

Somewhat. Edwardian era brick houses are more common south of Cosburn Avenue, while bungalows dominate further north. Older houses can carry more layers of flooring, and that affects removal and prep. We itemize removal and any levelling separately, with a set allowance written in [CONFIRM amount], and we stop to show you photos if the subfloor surprises us.

Will the work disrupt a small house?

In a compact house there is nowhere to hide the mess, so protection matters more. We cover the rooms we are not working in, put dust walls on doorways where we cut or sand, and vacuum before we leave each day. You get a text at day end saying what is done and what comes next.

And the apartment towers?

Thorncliffe Park was planned from 1955 on the site of a former racetrack, as an apartment neighbourhood. Crescent Town is mostly apartments as well. Floors there go down on concrete, under building rules for hours and elevator use. Rigid vinyl plank and engineered hardwood are the usual choices. We also wrote up what condo boards and managers usually ask for.

Just over the valley in downtown and midtown Toronto or north in North York? Same process, same written quote. Ask for a free measure.