New construction
New construction on a builder’s clock
On a new-construction site the building is empty, and the clock belongs to the builder. Oak goes down only after the shell is closed in, wet trades are finished, and the floor has been held on site under controlled conditions. A dye lot has to cover the suites that occupy in phases, and the punch list has to be kept off the finish.
Closed inThen the oak.
The schedule
Treat the floor as a finish trade with environmental requirements. Drywall mud, tile showers, and paint should not use new oak as scaffolding. Sequence it late enough to survive.
- Closed in
- The envelope is closed before finish flooring is discussed as a start date.
- Wet trades
- Wet trades are complete. The oak is not a construction highway for the crews still on site.
- Acclimation
- Hold the 3/4 inch European white oak on site under controlled conditions before fastening or adhesive days.
- Moisture
- Moisture testing on concrete must clear before adhesive. Most new condominiums and many low-rise slabs take glue-down or floating engineered oak, not nail-down. If an acoustic underlay is mandated, approve that submittal with the corporation or the developer before the floating package is ordered.
- Radiant
- Radiant heat is increasingly standard in luxury residential. The engineered floor is compatible when adhesives and surface temperatures follow limits. Confirm those limits when quoting. Solid strip is the wrong conversation for most radiant new builds. The constraints live on the radiant heat guide.
- Temporary heat
- Temporary heat in an unfinished tower can be extremely dry. Monitor RH and do not install finish floors into conditions that will not resemble occupied setpoints. Acclimation assumes a building that is moving toward those setpoints. Push the empty building toward occupied RH near 35–55%. An empty winter envelope at 20–30% RH stresses any hardwood programme.
The batch
Multi-unit programmes need dye-lot planning so corridors and suites read as one floor. Batch-matched inventory is held for confirmed commercial and developer orders. Reserve it when the order is confirmed, because buildings often occupy in phases and early floors must not drift from late ones.
Amenity levels and corridors belong in that same batch. The stain match clears design review before manufacturing, not during the occupancy walkthrough.
A model suite gets the same engineered oak residents will receive. Substituting LVP or laminate in the model, while the building is marketed as hardwood, is the risk this page names. Keep the product consistent from the model outward.
Single-family new builds, including those in Oakville or Vaughan, follow the same product standards. Builders can line this schedule up with the builders and developers page and with moisture testing.
The punch list
Protection after install is part of the schedule. Hardboard and walk paths, restricted cart traffic, and scheduled touch-up windows keep the UV-cured oak from becoming a jobsite casualty. Punch-list trades do not get an open floor.
Handover packages restate RH near 35–55%, list approved cleaners, and note the radiant limits when the slab is heated. The first winter should not be a surprise. Seasonal care after occupancy is the humidity guide.
3/4 inch European white oak, stain match when you order.
Questions on a builder’s clock
When should hardwood go down in new construction?
After the building is closed in, wet trades are complete, and indoor conditions are moving toward occupied RH near 35–55%. The oak is not a construction highway.
Do new condo towers need special methods?
Yes. Concrete slabs take glue-down or floating, per the corporation and the developer, not nail-down. Moisture testing gates the adhesive. An acoustic underlay submittal, when required, is approved before a floating package is ordered.
Is Floors Toronto hardwood radiant-heat compatible?
It is rated for use over radiant systems when surface temperatures and adhesives follow manufacturer limits. Confirm that during quoting. Solid strip is the wrong conversation for most radiant new builds. The radiant guide holds the constraints.
Can builders get batch-consistent floors across units?
Yes. Batch-matched inventory is planned for multi-unit and multi-floor programmes, with the stain match cleared to the design palette before manufacturing.
What thickness should specifications call out?
A uniform 3/4 inch engineered European white oak across straight plank and pattern formats, so transitions stay predictable.
Who should builders contact?
Start with the builders and developers page, or send the closed-in date, the slab, and the dye-lot scope through the quote. The reply is within one business day.
(07) — Start your project
Tell us about your space.
Send the closed-in date, the slab, and whether the order is one suite or a batch.
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.
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