Overview: Vinyl & Laminate Flooring Installers
Laminate and vinyl plank end up in a lot of Canadian basements, because both cope with a cold slab better than solid wood. Laminate is a photo layer over a fibreboard core, tough underfoot but ruined by water that sits in a seam. Vinyl plank is plastic through and through, so melted snow off a boot won't bother it.
The price is mostly prep. A floating floor copies every dip beneath it, so the high spots get ground and the low ones filled. Over concrete, a vapour barrier goes under the underlay. In winter, planks carried in from a cold truck or garage need time to warm up in the room before anyone clicks them together.
When quotes arrive, compare the wear layer, that clear top film, rather than plank thickness. Then ask who lifts the old floor and who supplies the strips at doorways. In an older house, also ask what the old floor is made of before anyone starts scraping.
Our listings show what each flooring company states on its own website about the laminate and vinyl work it does. Select your province, then your city, to see installers who lay floors in your area.
What do laminate and vinyl floors cost in Canada?
Compare installed floors with the same subfloor condition. Levelling, moisture control and trim can change the final price.
| Service | Planning budget | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Laminate supplied and installed | C$3.50–C$9per measured sq ft of floor | Named laminate product; straight layout over a sound, level and dry subfloor.Material waste, levelling, removal and trim must be itemised. Do not add an item again if the installation quote already includes it.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Laminate product; Standard fitting and specified underlay Budget separately or confirm: Material overage and subfloor levelling; Removal and trim |
| Click vinyl plank supplied and installed | C$4.50–C$11per measured sq ft of floor | Named LVP product; straight layout with manufacturer-approved underlay where required.Material waste, levelling, removal and trim must be itemised. Do not add an item again if the installation quote already includes it.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Flooring; Installation Budget separately or confirm: Material overage and subfloor repairs; Removal, trim and stairs |
| Glue-down vinyl tile supplied and installed | C$6–C$8.50per measured sq ft of floor | Named glue-down vinyl, adhesive and fitting over a ready substrate; straight layout.Material waste, levelling, removal and trim must be itemised. Do not add an item again if the installation quote already includes it.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Flooring and adhesive; Installation Budget separately or confirm: Material overage and substrate levelling; Removal and trim unless listed in the installation quote |
| Sheet vinyl supplied and installed | C$3–C$7per measured sq ft of floor | Residential sheet vinyl supplied and fitted; room dimensions, seams and pattern match specified.Material waste, levelling, removal and trim must be itemised. Do not add an item again if the installation quote already includes it.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Vinyl and adhesive; Installation Budget separately or confirm: Subfloor reconstruction and old-floor removal; Complex coving, trim and material waste |
| Subfloor levelling | C$1.50–C$8per affected sq ft | Nonstructural patching or levelling; affected area, depth and preparation method specified.Apply this rate only to the measured area needing work. Agree the depth and method after assessing the floor. This is an extra only when the stated condition applies and the work is not already included.What this estimate coversIncludes in this budget: Specified preparation; Levelling material and labour Budget separately or confirm: Structural repairs; Moisture remediation |
What changes the price
- Product specification, wear layer or rating, pattern and room layout.
- Subfloor flatness, moisture, old adhesive and required preparation.
- Removal, underlay, transitions, skirting, door trimming and minimum job size.
Ask before accepting a quote
- What product specification and installation system are included in the installed rate?
- Is subfloor preparation fixed-price, provisional or charged after removal?
- Are thresholds, skirting, waste, door trimming and disposal included?
Separate floor area from material orders
- Ask for the measured floor area, material quantity including offcuts, and the separate area needing levelling. Labour should not silently grow with every extra box ordered.
- Use the installed rate for one chosen floor type, then add only preparation, removal and trim that the quote excludes.
Canadian context
For condo installations, confirm the building's acoustic requirements before purchasing flooring or underlay.
Planning amounts in Canadian dollars. Published tax treatment varies; confirm applicable taxes and the final total in your written quote. Rows can be different services, alternative packages or separately priced extras. Add only work that is needed and not already included in your quote.
Frequently asked questions
Laminate or vinyl plank?
Vinyl, for a basement, a mudroom or anywhere boots come in wet from the snow. Laminate's fibreboard core swells at the seams when water sits on it, and it never shrinks back. Laminate wins on scratch resistance and price, which makes it a fair pick for upstairs bedrooms and halls. Vinyl can dent under heavy furniture and fade near a sunny window.
Glued down or floating?
Floating, for most basements. Planks click together over an underlay, so if the basement ever floods they can come up, dry out or be replaced. Glue-down bonds to the slab, feels solid and handles big open rooms and strong sun better. It also wants a flat, clean and dry slab, so a moisture test on the concrete comes first and the prep bill grows.
Is it safe to pull up old vinyl floor tiles?
Find out what's in them first. Health Canada lists floor tiles among older materials that may contain asbestos. It says there's no significant risk while they're left undisturbed, and the danger comes from scraping, sanding or breaking them. It recommends having a professional test before you renovate, and a qualified removal specialist if asbestos turns up. Floating new planks over intact tiles is often the simpler route.
Why would a new floor buckle or lift?
Usually because it had no room to move. A floating floor shrinks as the furnace dries the house and grows again in humid summer weather. The installer leaves a gap at every wall, pipe and door frame and hides it under trim. Glue that edge down, trap the floor under a kitchen island, or run one unbroken floor through several rooms, and the planks push until a joint rises.
Does waterproof mean I can ignore a leak?
No. Waterproof describes the plank itself. Water still gets through the joints and around the edges. Vinyl shrugs off a puddle of snowmelt at the door, but a burst pipe or a leaking washer hose sends water underneath, where it sits against the slab or subfloor and turns musty. Stop the leak, lift the floor, dry everything below, and only then put the planks back.
