Choosing an installer

Ask these questions before you hire.

Updated 26 October 2026

Before you hire an installer, ask whether the crew has worked in your building type, what the moisture-testing process is, how stain matching is approved, what the written quote includes, and what warranty covers the labour.

Have you worked in my building type? Condo towers, semis, and century homes each ask for different site knowledge.
What is your moisture-testing process? Concrete slabs in Toronto towers are tested before glue-down adhesive.
How is stain matching handled? Confirm a sample-approval step before full production begins.
What does the written quote include? Product spec, install method, and timeline should all be itemized. The line items are on the quote guide .
What warranty applies to the installation? Ask what covers labour defects, separate from the product warranty.

The papers, not the promise.

Documentation is what separates a professional Toronto crew from an unreliable one. Ask for a certificate of insurance — most condo corporations require it before crews can enter, and the useful copy names the building as additional insured. Ask for a written moisture-testing protocol and the readings. Ask for the physical stain sample before the colour lot locks. Ask for a line-item quote. Ask for the warranty in writing.

References are two or three recent local addresses in a building type like yours. Condo boards across downtown towers increasingly require proof of insurance and an after-hours work window before they approve access. Confirm those details before the floor arrives. Submitting the insurance documentation, as part of booking, typically takes 1–2 business days to clear a condo’s alteration approval.

Floors Toronto showed us their moisture-testing readings before starting the glue-down on our concrete slab — that documentation is what our condo board asked for.

Warranty Installation mistakes

When the oak and the crew are the same order.

Floors Toronto supplies the European white oak on the order and includes free custom stain matching, so the colour is not a separate compromise. The same company is the crew that can hand over the certificate of insurance, the moisture-testing protocol, and the line-item quote before you compare another installer.

How that job actually runs — measure, stain lock, delivery, install — is how we work .

Floors Toronto supplies 3/4 inch European white oak engineered hardwood (about 19 mm) with free custom stain matching across Toronto, the GTA, Yorkville, and Forest Hill — keep occupied rooms near 35–55% RH.

Questions on this page

What documentation should a Toronto hardwood installer provide before starting?

A certificate of insurance naming the building as additional insured, a written moisture-testing protocol for concrete slabs, and a line-item quote specifying product, grade, and install method. Floors Toronto provides all three before a crew accesses a Toronto condo or house.

Does my Toronto condo board require an insured installer?

Most Toronto condominium corporations require a certificate of insurance before granting building access, often naming the corporation as additional insured. Floors Toronto submits this documentation as part of booking. Clearing a condo’s alteration approval typically takes 1–2 business days.

How do I compare quotes from different Toronto hardwood installers?

Compare species, grade, thickness, install method, and finish line by line. Two quotes at the same total can specify different products. Floors Toronto itemizes every component, including whether free custom stain matching and moisture testing are included.

Should I ask for references before hiring a Toronto hardwood installer?

Yes. Two or three recent Toronto addresses, ideally in a similar building type, confirm local experience. Floors Toronto can provide references across condo towers, semi-detached houses, and century homes in the GTA on request.

What warranty should a Toronto hardwood installation include?

A labour warranty covers installation defects separately from the manufacturer’s product warranty on the European white oak, and it should be in writing before work begins. Floors Toronto documents both.