How much does hardwood flooring cost in Toronto?

Short answer: publicly quoted Toronto ranges seen in October 2026 put installed solid hardwood at roughly $10 to $18 per sq ft and engineered hardwood at roughly $8 to $17 per sq ft, materials and labour together. The number on your quote depends less on the wood than on what sits underneath it and around it: removal of the old floor, levelling, stairs and, in condos, building logistics.

That second sentence is the one most people learn the hard way. Below is what the public figures say, what pushes a job up or down, and how to read a quote so the price you sign is the price you pay.

Installed cost by type

These are ranges other companies and guides publish. They are not our prices, and each source states its own assumptions about what is included.

Floor type	Installed range per sq ft	Source
Solid hardwood	$10 to $18	Renohouse
Solid hardwood	$13 to $18	General West Contractors
New hardwood install	$11 to $18	Ecowoods
Hardwood, including underlay and basic prep	$8 to $15	DK Flooring Expert
Engineered hardwood	$8 to $17	Renohouse
Engineered hardwood	$8 to $13	General West Contractors
Engineered hardwood in condos	$8 to $15	Parqueteam

A few patterns stand out. The low ends cluster around $8 to $10, which typically means a common species, a standard width and a straight lay on a sound subfloor. The high ends sit near $18, which is where wide planks, premium grades, herringbone or chevron patterns and harder installs land.

If you want the material side of the decision first, our comparison of hardwood, engineered and vinyl plank covers which floor suits which room.

Labour on its own

Some Toronto companies publish labour-only rates. Top Floorings Depot lists solid hardwood labour from $2.00 per sq ft and engineered from $1.70 (wide plank nail and glue from $2.80). Renohouse gives $4 to $6 for solid and $3 to $5 for engineered. The spread is wide because “from” prices describe the simplest possible job.

What drives the cost up

Removing the old floor

Taking out what is already there is real work, and the type matters. Renohouse lists removal at about $1 to $2 per sq ft for carpet, $1 to $1.50 for laminate, $1.50 to $3 for vinyl, $2 to $4 for nail-down hardwood and $3 to $5 for tile. General West quotes $1 to $3 per sq ft plus $400 to $700 for a bin. Glued-down floors and old tile over mortar take longest.

Levelling and subfloor work

This is the line that causes the most disputes. Nobody can see the subfloor until the old floor is up, and older homes in particular can have dips, humps and slopes. Public figures for self-levelling compound run $1.50 to $4 per sq ft (General West) and $2 to $4 (Renohouse). A plywood overlay runs about $2 to $3 per sq ft (Renohouse), and subfloor replacement $2 to $5 (General West).

The fair way to handle the unknown is a named allowance on the quote, a stated rate if more is needed, and photos before any extra work is approved. If you already suspect a problem, our floor repair page explains what can be fixed in place.

Stairs

Stairs are priced per tread, not per sq ft. General West lists new hardwood treads at $40 to $90 each, and Renohouse lists $80 to $150. Risers, nosing, stringers and railings can add to that. A full staircase is often a meaningful share of a whole-floor budget, so ask for it as a separate line. Our staircases page explains the difference between capping old stairs and replacing treads.

Condo surcharges

Condos add time that has nothing to do with the floor itself: elevator bookings, loading dock windows, restricted work hours, protection for common areas and carrying material from the dock to the unit. Top Floorings Depot lists a condo surcharge of $0.50 per sq ft. A referral site, D and G Flooring, mentions $1 to $3 per sq ft for downtown condos, which is a lower-confidence figure. The condo flooring guide covers acoustic rules and board approval in detail.

Other common lines

• Underlay and moisture barriers. Needed under floating floors and over concrete. Acoustic underlay costs more than basic foam.
• Baseboards and quarter round. Removing and reinstalling, or replacing with new.
• Transitions and thresholds. Where the new floor meets tile, carpet or a different height.
• Furniture moving. Some quotes include it, some charge per room, some expect you to clear the space.
• Pattern and width. Herringbone and chevron use more labour and more waste than a straight lay.

How to read an itemized quote

A good quote lets you see where every dollar goes. A vague one gives a single total and leaves you guessing about what is missing. Here is what to look for, line by line.

Line	What it should say	Question to ask
Material	Species, grade, width, thickness, brand or product name, sq ft ordered	How much waste is included?
Installation labour	Method (nail-down, glue-down, floating) and area covered	Does this include closets and hallways?
Removal and disposal	What is coming out and where it goes	Is the bin or haul-away included?
Subfloor prep	A named levelling allowance and a rate if more is needed	Will you show me photos before extra work?
Underlay	Product and thickness	Does it meet my building’s acoustic rule?
Trims and transitions	Baseboards, quarter round, reducers, stair nosing	New or reused?
Stairs	Count of treads and risers, and what is being done to each	Are railings affected?
Moving and protection	Furniture moved, paths protected	Who moves the piano?
Dates	Start date and finish date	What happens if the schedule slips?
Payment	Deposit, timing of balance	Is the balance due after the walkthrough?

When two quotes look far apart, line them up in this table. Very often the cheaper one simply has blank rows.

Red flags

• One number, no breakdown. You cannot compare it, and you cannot tell what is left out.
• “Levelling if required” with no rate. This is an open cheque.
• No dates. A price without a schedule is half a quote.
• Pressure to sign today. A fair price holds for a reasonable period.

Ways to keep the total sensible

You have more control than it seems. Choosing a straight lay over a pattern saves labour. A standard width is usually cheaper than very wide planks. Doing several rooms in one visit avoids paying for setup twice. Clearing furniture yourself, if the quote charges for it, saves a line.

What usually does not save money is skipping prep. A floor laid over a poor subfloor squeaks, gaps or fails, and fixing it means pulling it up. If your budget is tight, an honest contractor will tell you which rooms can wait rather than which steps can be skipped.

If you already have hardwood, compare against sanding it before you budget for new boards. Our guide on whether to refinish or replace hardwood floors walks through that decision.

What our quote includes

We do not publish our own prices here because every job is measured first. What we can promise is the format: our quote will itemize material, labour, removal, prep with a named levelling allowance, underlay, trims and stairs as separate lines, with start and finish dates written on it. If we find something at removal that nobody could see at the measure, we stop, show you photos and get your written OK before doing more.

Get a number for your own floor

Public ranges are a starting point, not a budget. The real figure comes from your rooms, your subfloor and your building. Book a free quote and we will measure, take moisture readings, look at the subfloor where we can, and send an itemized price you can compare line by line with anyone else’s. You can also read more about our hardwood installation and engineered hardwood services before we visit.