A Lauzon hardwood flooring review usually hits the same snag: Essential, Exclusive, Select & Better and Authentik read like a simple step-up ladder, and they are not quite one. This guide goes line by line through the 11 Lauzon solid hardwood SKUs in our solid hardwood collection, using live box prices, coverage and the details on each product page. It also covers the one beech floor that comes in under the maple and oak prices. It is not a durability test and it is not a brand-versus-brand match-up; for that, read our Lauzon vs Appalachian comparison or the broader Canadian-made hardwood overview.
Quick answer: how the four Lauzon lines differ
- Essential: 3 SKUs at $4.99 to $5.87 per sq ft. This is the entry line, and it includes the beech. The product pages list an aluminum oxide finish and a 25-Year Residential Finish Warranty.
- Exclusive: 5 SKUs at $5.87 to $6.99 per sq ft. The pages list a Polynium+ Titanium finish and a 35-Year Residential Finish Warranty.
- Select & Better: 2 SKUs at $6.99 per sq ft. This is the cleanest appearance grade of the group, with the same finish and 35-Year term as Exclusive on the pages we checked.
- Authentik: 1 SKU, Red Oak Nostalgia at $9.99 per sq ft. It is the only Lauzon SKU in our range whose title lists a wire-brushed texture, and its page lists a 30-Year Residential Finish Warranty.
All 11 are 3/4" solid planks (19mm) listed for nail-down installation, and every title says Made in Canada. Ten of them are 4 1/4" wide with 17 sq ft per box; the beech is 3 1/4" wide with 20 sq ft per box. The real differences are appearance grade, finish, species and colour, so the box price tells you more than the line name does.
All 11 Lauzon SKUs side by side
| Line | Colour | Species | Box price | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | Cape Cod | Beech | $99.80 | $4.99 |
| Essential | Limes | Red Oak | $91.63 | $5.39 |
| Essential | Sapphir | Hard Maple | $99.80 | $5.87 |
| Exclusive | Graphite | Hard Maple | $99.80 | $5.87 |
| Exclusive | Kenya | See product page | $99.80 | $5.87 |
| Exclusive | Smokey Grey | Hard Maple | $99.80 | $5.87 |
| Exclusive | Azaro | Hard Maple | $101.83 | $5.99 |
| Exclusive | Red Oak Vela | Red Oak | $118.83 | $6.99 |
| Select & Better | Amaretto | Hard Maple | $118.83 | $6.99 |
| Select & Better | Hard Maple Vela | Hard Maple | $118.83 | $6.99 |
| Authentik | Nostalgia (wire brushed) | Red Oak | $169.83 | $9.99 |
Prices checked October 4, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue, and per-square-foot figures are box price divided by coverage.
What the line names really mean
Lauzon's own Expert site sorts its floors by series and by appearance grade, and the labels show up in both roles. A hard maple listing there reads "HARD MAPLE – TRADITION Grade – ESSENTIAL Series", another reads "HARD MAPLE – EXCLUSIVE Grade – DÉCOR Series", and a third reads "HARD MAPLE – SELECT & BETTER Grade – PÜRE Series". So Essential appears as a series name, while Exclusive and Select & Better appear as grades. Treat the four names on our pages as a mix of series and grade labels, not as four steps on one ladder.
A grade is about how the boards look, not how they are built. Lauzon's technical page puts it this way: "Grades are a visual segmentation based on the quantity and variation of these natural characteristics." Those characteristics are knots, mineral streaks, splits and colour variation. Our Smokey Grey page describes a clean, uniform surface with only slight colour variation, and the Select & Better Vela page describes very limited knots and minimal colour variation between planks.
Essential vs Exclusive: the step up costs little in maple colours
Essential: the lower end of the range
Essential is where the Lauzon prices start. Lauzon Essential Hard Maple Sapphir is a grey hard maple at $99.80 per 17 sq ft box, or $5.87 per sq ft. The Essential red oak, Limes, is $91.63 per box, which works out to $5.39 per sq ft and sits below the box price of every other Lauzon SKU we list. The Essential line is also the only one with a beech.
Hard maple is the main species in this range, and our Hard Maple pages quote a Janka rating of 1,450 lbf for it. That figure belongs to the species, so it does not separate Essential from Exclusive maple. What separates them is the grade wording, the finish named on the page and the warranty term listed there.
Exclusive: five colours between $5.87 and $6.99
Here is the surprise in the numbers. Lauzon Exclusive Hard Maple Smokey Grey is also $99.80 per 17 sq ft box and $5.87 per sq ft, the same as Sapphir. The Exclusive page lists a Polynium+ Titanium finish instead of aluminum oxide, and a 35-Year Residential Finish Warranty in place of the 25-Year term. For those two maple colours the upgrade costs nothing extra at the box, so the choice comes down to colour and the look of the boards.
The other Exclusive colours step up gently: Graphite and Kenya match the $99.80 box, Azaro is $101.83 per box ($5.99 per sq ft), and Red Oak Vela is $118.83 per box. One caution on Kenya: its title says Hard Maple while its product page lists the species as Red Oak, so confirm the species on the product page before you plan around it.
Select & Better: what the extra $1.12 per sq ft buys
Smokey Grey is $5.87 per sq ft and the two Select & Better colours are $6.99 per sq ft, so the step to the cleanest grade is $1.12 per sq ft, or $19.03 more per box ($118.83 against $99.80). The Smokey Grey and Vela pages list the same Polynium+ Titanium finish and the same 35-Year term, so on paper this step buys appearance rather than a longer warranty.
The Vela page lists an ultra-matte smooth finish, a 4-sided micro-V edge and random lengths of 12 to 72 inches. It describes the grade as Lauzon's cleanest grading level, with very limited knots.
Grade is not the only thing that sets a price. The Exclusive Red Oak Vela costs the same $6.99 per sq ft as the Select & Better maple, even though it carries the lower grade label. That means a line name alone will not predict a box price, and the table above is the faster way to compare colours.
Authentik Nostalgia: why it sits $3.00 above the rest
Lauzon Authentik Red Oak Nostalgia is $169.83 per 17 sq ft box and $9.99 per sq ft. That is $3.00 per sq ft above the next-highest Lauzon SKUs we list, or $51.00 more per box than the $118.83 Select & Better box. For that money you get a cool grey stain on red oak, a wire-brushed surface texture and an ultra-matte gloss level, all as listed on the page. The finish is named Pure Genius Titanium and the warranty line reads 30-Year Residential Finish Warranty.
Nostalgia is the pick if the textured, weathered-oak look is the point. If you only want a grey floor, Sapphir and Smokey Grey deliver a grey maple at $5.87 per sq ft, which is $4.12 less per sq ft than Nostalgia.
Lauzon beech: Cape Cod at $4.99 per sq ft
Lauzon Essential Beech Cape Cod is the only beech in the Lauzon range we list, and at $4.99 per sq ft it sits below every other Lauzon SKU. It differs from the maple and oak floors in three practical ways:
- Plank width: 3 1/4" instead of 4 1/4". Narrower planks mean more seams across a room, and the page calls the width a classic, traditional size for older homes and smaller rooms.
- Coverage: 20 sq ft per box instead of 17, so you buy fewer, larger boxes for the same area.
- Price: $99.80 per box, the same as Sapphir, but spread over more square footage: $0.88 less per sq ft.
The page describes Cape Cod as a soft grey-brown stain with a fine, even grain, and calls beech one of the lesser-known domestic hardwood species. Confirm the colour before you commit. If budget is the main driver across all flooring types, our guide to lower-cost hardwood options compares the wider field.
What a 400 sq ft room costs in each line (material only)
Here is one room priced across the lines. The method: area × 1.05 for the 5% waste allowance we add to quotes, then boxes = waste-adjusted area ÷ sq ft per box, rounded up to whole boxes, then material = boxes × box price. For 400 sq ft that is 400 × 1.05 = 420 sq ft, which takes 21 beech boxes at 20 sq ft each or 25 boxes at 17 sq ft each.
| Floor | Boxes | Material before HST |
|---|---|---|
| Essential Beech Cape Cod | 21 boxes | 21 × $99.80 = $2,095.80 |
| Essential Hard Maple Sapphir | 25 boxes | 25 × $99.80 = $2,495.00 |
| Exclusive Hard Maple Smokey Grey | 25 boxes | 25 × $99.80 = $2,495.00 |
| Select & Better Hard Maple Vela | 25 boxes | 25 × $118.83 = $2,970.75 |
| Authentik Red Oak Nostalgia | 25 boxes | 25 × $169.83 = $4,245.75 |
Three things stand out. The beech needs 21 boxes, which cover exactly 420 sq ft, and saves $399.20 against Sapphir. Moving from Smokey Grey to Select & Better adds $475.75. Choosing Nostalgia over Select & Better adds $1,275.00. These are boxes only: installation, removal of the old floor, trim, delivery and HST are separate and are quoted after we know your room and subfloor. Our hardwood flooring price guide walks through the other cost lines.
Which Lauzon line should you choose?
- Entry price per sq ft: Essential Beech Cape Cod at $4.99, if a 3 1/4" plank suits the room.
- Grey maple on a tight budget: Sapphir (Essential) or Smokey Grey (Exclusive), both $5.87. Pick by colour, since the box price is identical.
- Quiet, even-looking surface: Select & Better at $6.99, especially in large open rooms.
- A textured statement floor: Authentik Nostalgia at $9.99, in one wire-brushed grey.
Before you order solid Lauzon hardwood
- Subfloor: the pages say these are nail-down floors for a plywood subfloor, and not suitable for installation over concrete or below-grade (basement) applications. If your room is a basement or a concrete slab, look at engineered or another floor type.
- Acclimation: the pages recommend acclimating the boxes in the room for a minimum of 3 to 5 days before installing.
- Warranty: the 25-Year, 30-Year and 35-Year terms above are the headline lines shown on our product pages. Read the full warranty documents for your colour before you buy.
- Stock and colour: product photos are sample boards and screens shift colour, so confirm the colour and box count before you plan around it.
Lauzon hardwood flooring FAQ
What is the difference between Lauzon Essential and Exclusive?
On our pages, Essential lists an aluminum oxide finish with a 25-Year Residential Finish Warranty, and Exclusive lists Polynium+ Titanium with a 35-Year term. The Exclusive Smokey Grey page also describes an even surface with slight colour variation. In hard maple the price can be identical, as with Sapphir and Smokey Grey at $5.87 per sq ft.
How much does Lauzon flooring cost per square foot?
Across the 11 Lauzon SKUs we list, prices run from $4.99 to $9.99 per sq ft, with box prices from $91.63 to $169.83. Essential is $4.99 to $5.87, Exclusive $5.87 to $6.99, Select & Better $6.99 and Authentik $9.99. Installation is priced separately.
Is Lauzon hardwood flooring made in Canada?
Every Lauzon title in our catalogue says Made in Canada, and each product page repeats it as the origin in its spec table. Check the page for the specific floor you are considering.
Do you sell beech hardwood flooring?
We list one: Lauzon Essential Beech Cape Cod, a 3 1/4" solid plank at $4.99 per sq ft ($99.80 per 20 sq ft box). Check the product page for availability before you plan a room around it.
Can Lauzon solid hardwood go in a basement?
Our product pages advise against it for the floors covered here. They are nail-down solid planks for plywood subfloors, and the pages say they should not go over concrete or below grade, so for a basement ask us about a better-suited floor type.
Get a Lauzon hardwood quote in Toronto and the GTA
Tell us the room size, whether it is a house, basement or condo, and what is on the floor now, and we will put the boxes, installation and any removal on one quote. You can request a quote online and we will take it from there.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819