Kitchen
One field after the wall comes out
An open-concept Toronto renovation takes the wall out and leaves one floor. The plank direction and the stain lot have to run from kitchen to living, and they have to be decided before widths and cabinet matches lock. Moisture and traffic are still there. They are not the opening decision.
Request a quoteThe field
One direction. One stain lot. No mid-room T-moulding where the wall used to be. The field is 3/4 inch throughout so a transition, where one is actually needed, can sit flush.
After that decision, the usual face is 9¼ inch Grade AB, or Grade ABC in a renovated semi. 10¼ inch suits a large great room. 7½ inch works in a compact condo open plan. All of those widths are 3/4 inch. 9¼ inch is the forgiving default. 10¼ inch amplifies stain variation across the longer view.
Toronto open plans spanning 800 to 1,400 square feet need that one direction. Changing direction mid-field reads as patchwork under the pendants. Plans exceeding 900 square feet show scribe gaps from the living side, so the gaps at toe-kicks, islands, and exterior thresholds are drawn before anyone is standing in the room.
A pattern can sit inside the same field. Chevron at 5 by 25½ inch, or herringbone at 5 by 25 inch, borders a 7½ or 9¼ inch straight run. Everything stays 3/4 inch so the border is flush. Use 9¼ inch Grade AB behind a minimalist white kitchen. Use ABC where character oak meets painted Shaker boxes in an east-end semi.
Width in detail is the plank width guide and the wide plank collection. The pattern pages are chevron and herringbone.
Moisture and traffic
The wall is gone. The water is not. Spills, a dropped utensil, and chair scrape are daily. UV-cured aluminum oxide resists that wear better than an untreated site finish, and it still fails if standing water sits overnight. Wipe spills immediately. Felt pads on the stools. Approved cleaners on the finish.
Summer RH moves toward 60–70% without air conditioning. Dehumidify toward 35–55%. Winter indoor RH often falls to 20–30% without a humidifier. The seasonal swing is the humidity guide.
Floors Toronto supplies 3/4 inch European white oak engineered hardwood (about 19 mm) across this field. Keep occupied RH near 35–55%.
A low-profile transition belongs at tile or at an exterior door, not in the middle of the open plan. One stain continues inside.
The cabinet match
Kitchens set the colour. Floors Toronto complimentary custom stain matching compares prototype boards to cabinet doors, waterfall islands, and existing trim before production. It is typically two sample rounds, and the samples have to be approved under the pendants and the recessed cans, including at night.
Cool north-facing Toronto light reads a stain greyer than south-facing loft glazing. Approve the boards at the job, not from a photograph of a chip.
Floors often follow the cabinet boxes once the toe-kick clearance is known, or they go in first when panels have to be scribed to the floor. Nail-down is the house on plywood. Glue-down is the condo slab. The stain match has to finish before production lead time locks. Sequencing is the installation timeline. The colour work is the millwork matching guide and the stain matching guide.
3/4 inch European white oak, stain match when you order, supply from $4/sq ft.
Questions on the open kitchen
Should kitchen and living hardwood match exactly?
Open plans usually run one Floors Toronto stain lot and width—often 9¼ inch European white oak at 3/4 inch thickness—continuously from kitchen to living with expansion gaps at perimeters, not mid-room T-mouldings.
What width suits Toronto open kitchens?
9¼ inch straight plank is the common default; 10¼ inch suits large great rooms; 7½ inch works in compact condo open plans—all Floors Toronto widths share 3/4 inch engineered thickness.
How do I match floors to kitchen cabinets?
Floors Toronto free custom stain matching prototypes European white oak against cabinet doors and islands until you sign colour approval—typically two sample rounds under jobsite lighting.
Can hardwood run through the whole open plan in condos?
Yes, when Toronto corporation approvals, moisture testing, and glue-down or floating acoustic packages clear—same engineered oak programme as bedrooms at 35–55% RH targets.
Are transitions needed at exterior doors?
Yes at tile or exterior thresholds—use low-profile transitions from the Floors Toronto stairs and transitions service while keeping one stain continuous across interior open zones.
How do I protect kitchen hardwood from spills?
Wipe spills immediately, use felt pads on stools, and maintain UV-cured finish with approved cleaners—Toronto summer RH toward 60–70% also requires dehumidification toward 35–55%.
Can I mix chevron in an open kitchen plan?
Yes. Border chevron 5 by 25½ inch or herringbone 5 by 25 inch dining zones with 9¼ inch straight fields—all at 3/4 inch thickness for flush Floors Toronto transitions.
When should floors install relative to cabinets?
Sequence depends on toe-kick and panel details—share plans with Floors Toronto during timeline planning so stain matching completes before production lead time locks.
(07) — Start your project
Tell us about your space.
Send the open-plan dimensions and a cabinet or island sample.
What do you need?
Supply and install. Our oak, then our crew: measure, moisture, method, and a written 5-year workmanship warranty.
- Reply within 1 business day
- Stain match included when you order
- Itemised, no-obligation quote
- Insured crews, 5-year workmanship warranty
The quote request is in.
We reply within one business day. If the job includes install, the reply separates supply from the method and the subfloor. If you want samples, we send them on the real oak. If a site measure is needed, we book it from that reply.
If you chose a colour photo, email the file to tymur@floorstoronto.ca with your name so the match can start. The form stores the file name, not the picture.
