Judge the board in the room’s light

Updated 26 October 2026

A sample is a board you judge in the room’s own daylight and under its evening lamps. Retail light is brighter and more colour-balanced than a Toronto home, so a stain that looks neutral in the shop can shift once it is home.

Where the board comes from

See European white oak at AA Floors, 524 Evans Ave, Etobicoke, Monday–Friday 8:00–6:00, Saturday 9:30–3:30. Or have a full-width board delivered to the home or the jobsite and picked up when the review is done. The visit itself is the samples showroom. The address and hours are also on where to find us.

Most Toronto projects confirm a custom stain within one to two sample rounds. Matching a specific existing floor, or a very particular reference photo, occasionally needs another round to dial in the tone. Sample rounds are included with free custom stain matching on an order. There is no extra charge for a standard round. The matching service is custom stain matching.

A full-width piece is what gets delivered. A photograph of a shop visit, or a memory of one, is not the review.

Daylight and evening lamps

Retail showroom lighting is typically brighter and more colour-balanced than a Toronto home. A stain that looks perfectly neutral under that light can shift warmer or cooler under the room’s daylight and evening lamps. Homeowners who look at the board in both lights report fewer surprises after installation than people who approve a stain from the shop alone.

Look in the morning, at midday, and in the evening. Hold the board against the actual baseboards, cabinetry, and furniture. A remembered colour, or a photo of the trim, is a weaker comparison.

Floors Toronto insisted we take the sample home before approving it — good thing we did, because it looked completely different under our kitchen’s evening light than under retail lighting.
Toronto homeowner, sample approval

How to read the board
Step	Why it matters	What Floors Toronto does
Daylight	Retail lighting differs from home light	Full-width samples for viewing at home
Lamp light	Evening light shifts the colour	Check both kinds of light
Trim	Context changes the colour	Hold the board to the millwork
Grain	A chip hides the full plank	Full-width samples, not small chips
Sheen	Matte and satin are different looks	Sheen is part of the sampling
Sign-off	The colour lot locks with the approval	Written approval before production

What a sample cannot prove

A 2-inch chip cannot show how grain reads across a full plank. Grade ABC varies more across a 9¼ inch or 10¼ inch face than a small swatch suggests. Floors Toronto sends full-width pieces so that misread does not become the order.

Approving the colour does not settle the sheen. Matte and satin change the final look, and both are part of sampling. That comparison is the matte and satin guide. Choosing the stain itself is the stain colour guide.

Sign off in writing before production locks the lot. A sample is not a proof of how the floor will move, which install method the building allows, or how much a pattern will waste.

Floors Toronto supplies 3/4 inch European white oak engineered hardwood, about 19 mm, with free custom stain matching. Occupied indoor RH stays near 35–55%. Supply from $4/sq ft.

Questions on judging a sample

Why does my hardwood sample look different at home than under retail store lighting?

Retail showroom lighting is typically brighter and more colour-balanced than a typical Toronto home's daylight or evening lamps, which can make a stain sample appear differently once viewed in your actual room. Floors Toronto delivers sample boards to your address and picks them up after review — so you approve colour under your daylight and evening lamps, not under retail store lighting.

How many sample rounds does it typically take to approve a custom stain in Toronto?

Most Toronto projects confirm a custom stain match within one to two sample rounds through Floors Toronto's free custom stain matching process. More complex requests, such as matching a specific existing floor or a very particular reference photo, occasionally require an additional round to dial in the exact tone.

Should I request a full-width sample or a small chip for my Toronto project?

Request a full-width sample whenever possible, since a small 2-inch chip can hide how grain variation, especially in Grade ABC, reads across a full 9¼" or 10¼" plank. Floors Toronto provides full-width sample pieces specifically to avoid this common miscalculation before a Toronto homeowner approves a full production order.

Can I compare hardwood samples against my existing trim in Toronto?

Yes, and Floors Toronto strongly recommends it. Holding a physical sample against actual baseboards, cabinetry, and furniture in your Toronto home gives a far more accurate impression than trying to remember a colour or comparing against a photo. This step is part of the standard free custom stain matching process.

Does Floors Toronto charge for sample requests in Toronto?

Sample requests are included as part of the free custom stain matching process on any Floors Toronto order, at no additional cost for standard sample rounds. This lets a Toronto homeowner evaluate stain and sheen options properly before committing to full production without worrying about per-sample fees.