Hardwood was the only "premium" floor option for 50 years. Now Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) installs at half the cost, lasts longer in wet areas, and looks remarkably like the real thing.
Which one's right for your specific Toronto house or condo? It depends on three things: where the floor is going, how long you'll live there, and what your dog weighs.
Solid Hardwood: $9-$18 per sq ft installed
The classic. Site-finished or pre-finished, oak/maple/walnut, 3/4" thick.
Where it shines: - Pre-1990 Toronto homes with existing hardwood elsewhere — refinishing or matching new boards is the right move - Main floors of houses you'll keep 10+ years - Resale at the top of the market ($1.5M+) where buyers expect real wood
Where it fails: - Condos over a parking garage (moisture from concrete) - Basements (never put solid hardwood below grade) - Pet-heavy households (dogs over 50 lbs scratch any species under 1850 Janka — that's oak, walnut, most cherry) - Kitchens with dishwashers (humidity swings cause expansion gaps)
Refinish-ability: Solid hardwood can be sanded and refinished 5-7 times over a 100-year lifespan. This is the actual reason it commands a premium — your great-grandkids will inherit the same floor.
Engineered Hardwood: $7-$14 per sq ft installed
Top veneer (2-6mm of real wood) over a plywood core. Looks identical to solid once installed.
Where it shines: - Condos and apartments — far more stable than solid hardwood over concrete - Anywhere with radiant heat - Areas with humidity swings (basements done right, kitchens, anywhere with no climate control) - Same look as solid at lower cost
Where it fails: - Heavy refinishing — engineered wears down to the plywood after 1-2 sands. Solid wood it isn't. - Lifecycle — engineered is rated for 30-50 years. Solid hardwood for 100+.
Most Toronto condo flooring jobs we do now are engineered. The math works: same look, less money, more stable in a concrete-and-glass building.
Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP): $5-$10 per sq ft installed
100% waterproof, scratches less than wood, looks startlingly real on the better products.
Where it shines: - Basements (the only real choice — solid hardwood will fail below grade) - Rental properties (cost-to-quality ratio unbeatable) - Families with kids + pets - Anywhere you wanted hardwood but it doesn't make budget sense - Bathrooms (yes, you can run LVP through a powder room — waterproof)
Where it fails: - Resale at the top of the market — $1.5M+ Toronto buyers still expect real wood - Heated floors (some products void warranty over 85°F floor temperature) - Direct sunlight (cheaper products fade; midrange and better LVP is fine)
The 2026 truth about LVP: the best products (COREtec, Mohawk RevWood, Shaw Floorté) look so close to real hardwood that most home inspectors can't tell from 5 feet away. That wasn't true 5 years ago.
What we actually install per project type
Basement finishing in Brampton, Mississauga, Vaughan: LVP, always. We don't even quote engineered for basements. Concrete moisture readings ($100 hygrometer test we do before quoting) usually rule out anything wood-cored.
Condo flooring in downtown Toronto: Engineered hardwood 80% of the time, LVP 20%. The right finish in a condo materially affects resale.
Whole-house in [North York](/services/flooring/north-york), [Markham](/services/flooring/markham) detached: Engineered or solid hardwood on main floor + bedrooms; LVP in basement + laundry; ceramic in bathrooms.
Older Toronto homes with existing hardwood: Refinish existing where possible (~$3.50/sq ft) + match new boards in adjoining rooms. We don't recommend tearing out 90-year-old maple floors that just need a sand.
The three things to never skimp on
1. Underlayment. For LVP, use a 3mm or 5mm IXPE underlayment, not the cheap foam. Difference: 10-year squeak-free vs you-call-us-back-in-18-months. 2. Acclimation. Hardwood needs to sit in your house for 5+ days before install. LVP needs 48 hours. Skipping this is why floors gap or buckle 6 months in. 3. Subfloor levelling. Anything over 1/4" out of level needs self-levelling compound before flooring goes down. Most installers skip this. We don't.
We supply and install flooring for kitchens, basements, condos, and whole-house projects across the GTA. Quote calculator below gets you a real range — 3 questions, under a minute.