If your condo's documents say the bedrooms stay carpeted, the first job is finding out what the wording actually says. Whether you may replace carpet with laminate in a condo, or put in vinyl plank, is decided by your own corporation's declaration, by-laws and rules, and every building's set is different. Below: how to get that wording, what to ask the board for in writing, what to do if the answer is no, and one 120 sq ft bedroom priced at our posted condo rates with four click-lock floors from our laminate flooring collection and vinyl plank range. This is practical guidance, not legal advice.
Quick answer: can you swap bedroom carpet for laminate or vinyl plank?
- Who decides: your building, through its own paperwork. The Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) says "Every condo corporation has its own declaration, by-laws and rules."
- What we cannot tell you: whether your building limits hard surfaces. Some declarations or rules may, and the wording differs by building. We make no claim about how common a bedroom carpet requirement is.
- What to do first: get the text, ask the board in writing and wait for a written answer before you order anything or lift the carpet.
- What the swap costs: in the example below, a 120 sq ft bedroom comes to between $685.09 and $807.54 with HST, depending on the floor, before underlay, trim and delivery.
Which document holds the carpet rule?
The CAO says governing documents and the Condo Act set out what condominium owners, residents and corporations are allowed to do. The governing documents are the declaration, the by-laws and the rules. If the Act and the documents conflict, the Act is supreme, followed by the declaration, the by-laws and then the rules.
| Where the wording might sit | What the CAO says | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Declaration | Carries no legal reasonableness test | The clause number and its full text |
| By-laws | Rank below the declaration and above the rules | The by-law number and its full text |
| Rules | Must be reasonable; changes need notice to owners | The rule, the date it took effect and the notice that went out |
| Policies | Not governing documents | Which governing document the policy relies on |
Both the declaration and the rules, the CAO says, can restrict what owners can and cannot do in the units and common elements. They are held to different standards, though. Rules must be reasonable: the CAO says they must promote the safety and welfare of owners and their property and must prevent unreasonable interference with the use and enjoyment of the units and common elements. The declaration is not held to any legal standard of reasonableness.
The CAO says policies are not governing documents, and that "Policies cannot impose limitations or restrictions beyond" what the declaration, by-laws and rules already say. So if the only source of "bedrooms stay carpeted" is a conversation, a handout or a renovation checklist, ask which governing document it comes from.
How to get the wording in front of you
Do this before you shop. The CAO says current owners, purchasers and mortgagees are entitled to request access to, or copies of, their condominium corporation's records, and its core records include "Declaration, by-laws and rules of the corporation".
- Request the declaration. Owners can request a copy of the declaration from their corporation by submitting a records request.
- Request the rules. Owners can request copies of the rules from their condo corporation using the Request for Records form.
- Search for floor words. Look for "floor", "carpet", "hard surface" and "underlay" in all three documents, noting the clause and date.
- Check for recent changes. The CAO says "Condo boards must provide a notice to owners to change the rules", so a rule added recently should have a notice you can ask to see.
What to ask the board, in writing
The CAO's renovation steps begin with two moves: "Review the governing documents", then "Contact the board to inquire further about undertaking the renovation and the process that is required in your condo". Put these in a short written message to the board or property manager. Ask for:
- The exact wording. The document it sits in, the clause or rule number and the full text.
- The scope. Does it name bedrooms only, every room, or "hard surfaces" in general? Does it name materials such as laminate, vinyl plank or hardwood, or leave the category open?
- The corporation's own process. Whether a request can be approved case by case, who decides and what the board wants to see with it.
- The sound spec, if there is one. The CAO says each condo corporation has unique provisions dealing with noise in their governing documents, and what is allowed varies from community to community. If your rule names a rating, ask which number it uses and whether it applies to the floor alone or to the finished floor with its underlay. What those numbers mean is covered in our soundproof flooring for condos article.
- Whether a plank with its own pad is accepted as is. Two of the floors below have a pad named in their product titles. Whether that satisfies your rule is the board's call.
Ask before you order. The CAO says changes that contravene the governing documents are typically not likely to be approved.
For the request and paperwork to send the board, see our guide to condo board approval for flooring.
If the board says no: your options
- Keep the carpet, or replace it with new carpet. Ask whether new carpet needs the same sign-off. Our guide to carpet, vinyl plank and laminate in bedrooms covers comfort and resale if you are weighing the two.
- Ask for an exception in writing. Send the product's thickness, install method and pad type, and ask what else the board would need.
- Ask which areas the wording covers. If the limit applies to some rooms or part of a unit, get the boundaries confirmed in writing. A smaller hard-floor area is the board's to accept or refuse.
- Offer a plank with its own pad. If the board accepts it, a vinyl plank listed with a pad gives you a documented spec to point to. Whether it meets a stated rating is for the board to settle.
- Take a disagreement to a condo lawyer. Whether a rule is reasonable is not something a flooring store can judge.
For the whole unit rather than one bedroom, see picking a floor for a condo.
Four click-lock floors to bring to the board
A board that restricts hard flooring may ask for the product's thickness, how it is installed and what pad sits under it. The two vinyl plank titles name a pad; the two laminate titles do not, so underlay for laminate is something to raise at quote. No floor here comes pre-approved by any board.
For what IIC and STC lines mean, see our guide to IIC vs FIIC vs STC for condo flooring.
| Floor | Listed thickness | Pad named in title | Box price and coverage | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss Krono Grey Oak laminate (MV 803) | 10mm | None | $42.83 per 17.22 sq ft box | $2.49 |
| Riche Amber Walnut EIR laminate | 12mm | None | $26.03 per 15.4 sq ft box | $1.69 |
| Riche Reclaimed Barnwood SPC vinyl plank | 9mm | EVA pad | $32.96 per 13.79 sq ft box | $2.39 |
| Riche Blonde Sand Oak SPC vinyl plank | 6mm | IXPE pad | $44.68 per 23.64 sq ft box | $1.89 |
Prices checked October 31, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue, and the per-square-foot figure is box price divided by box coverage.
The Swiss Krono Grey Oak is a 10mm click-lock laminate at $2.49 per sq ft. Its title names no pad, so a board that wants a pad or underlay spec will need that item added and described separately.
The Riche Amber Walnut is the thicker laminate at 12mm and, at $1.69 per sq ft, works out below the other three floors.
The Riche Reclaimed Barnwood is a 9mm SPC vinyl plank whose title says an EVA pad is included, at $2.39 per sq ft.
The Riche Blonde Sand Oak is a 6mm SPC vinyl plank with an IXPE pad named in its title, at $1.89 per sq ft. Its 23.64 sq ft box covers the most floor of the four.
One 120 sq ft bedroom at the posted condo rates
Assume the board has said yes and the room is 120 sq ft. These are the steps we use in a quote:
- Waste: 120 sq ft × 1.05 = 126.00 sq ft, using our 5% waste allowance.
- Boxes: 126.00 sq ft divided by the box coverage, rounded up to whole boxes.
- Carpet removal: 120 sq ft × $1.00 = $120.00, the posted condo rate, with no waste added.
- Click-lock install: 126.00 sq ft × $2.00 = $252.00, the posted condo rate for both laminate and vinyl plank.
- HST: 13% on the subtotal of material, removal and install.
Call these the posted condo rates rather than a firm price. Our posted install rates are the rows for jobs over 300 sq ft, and pricing for smaller jobs is confirmed on the written quote, so a 120 sq ft room gets its final figure there.
| Floor | Boxes and material | Removal plus install | Subtotal | HST 13% | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss Krono Grey Oak laminate | 8 boxes × $42.83 = $342.64 | $372.00 | $714.64 | $92.90 | $807.54 |
| Riche Amber Walnut laminate | 9 boxes × $26.03 = $234.27 | $372.00 | $606.27 | $78.82 | $685.09 |
| Riche Reclaimed Barnwood vinyl plank | 10 boxes × $32.96 = $329.60 | $372.00 | $701.60 | $91.21 | $792.81 |
| Riche Blonde Sand Oak vinyl plank | 6 boxes × $44.68 = $268.08 | $372.00 | $640.08 | $83.21 | $723.29 |
The Amber Walnut comes in under the other three at $685.09 and the Swiss Krono sits above them at $807.54, a gap of $122.45. Removal and install are the same $372.00 on every row, so the material makes the gap.
These totals leave out delivery, laminate underlay, trim and subfloor work, all confirmed at quote. For the same arithmetic on larger rooms, see our carpet removal and installation budgets, and for why the condo rate is higher, our condo versus house price explainer.
Questions about condo carpet rules and hard flooring
My declaration says the bedrooms stay carpeted. Can I install laminate anyway?
Do not remove the carpet or order flooring yet. Ask the board for the exact clause and for the corporation's process, in writing, and wait for the answer.
How do I tell a real rule from a management habit?
Ask the office to name the document: declaration, by-law or rule. A rule should come with a date and the notice that went to owners, so ask for both.
Can I put hardwood in a condo bedroom?
The same questions apply to any hard surface, so check whether your wording says "hard surface" or names materials. Our condo flooring guide compares the materials that suit condos.
Does a vinyl plank with its own pad meet my building's sound rule?
The two vinyl listings name an EVA pad and an IXPE pad, and both product pages state IIC 73 / STC 72. The pages do not name a test standard, so ask the board which number its rule uses and whether a pad that comes with the plank counts toward it.
Get a condo bedroom flooring quote in Toronto and the GTA
Once you have the board's answer, send us the room size, the floor you are considering and any spec the board named. We will price it at the condo rates. You can request a quote online.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819