Lauzon, Superior, Seasons and North Plank all make the same basic product: a 3/4 inch solid hardwood board that you nail down and can sand and refinish many times over its life. What separates them is the species and colour range, the plank width, how clean the grade is, and the price, which runs from $3.87 to $9.99 per sq ft across our solid hardwood collection.
The short answer: choose North Plank when price is everything and the room is small, Seasons for affordable maple and birch in a 4 inch board, Superior for select red oak or a dramatic ash, and Lauzon when you want the widest choice of Canadian-made hard maple and red oak, from simple everyday boards up to wire-brushed premium lines.
The four brands at a glance
| Brand | Species we carry | Widths | Price per sq ft | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Plank | Red oak, birch | 3 1/4" | $3.87 to $4.99 | Small rooms and tight budgets |
| Seasons | Maple, red oak, yellow birch | 3 1/4" and 4" | $4.50 to $5.89 | Light, affordable maple and birch |
| Superior Flooring | Red oak, ash | 3 1/4" and 4 1/4" | $4.95 to $6.99 | Classic select red oak, bold ash |
| Lauzon | Hard maple, red oak, beech | 3 1/4" and 4 1/4" | $4.99 to $9.99 | The widest colour range, premium lines |
Prices checked October 17, 2026. All boards are 3/4 inch (19mm) solid wood.
Start with the species, not the brand
The species you choose changes how the floor looks and how it ages more than the name on the box does. Decide this first, and the brand choice gets much shorter.
Red oak
Red oak has an open, busy grain and a warm undertone. That grain is useful in a real home: it hides small scratches, dust and pet hair better than a smooth wood, and it takes stain evenly. It is the classic choice for Toronto houses and the easiest species to match when you repair or extend an older oak floor. All four brands carry it, from North Plank at $3.87 per sq ft to the Lauzon Authentik line at $9.99.
Hard maple
Maple has a tight, smooth grain and a clean, light look. It is harder than red oak, so it resists dents from dropped objects a little better. The trade-off is that its smooth face shows fine scratches more easily, especially in darker colours, and maple is hard to stain evenly on site. A factory-finished colour avoids that problem, which is one reason Lauzon's maple range is so popular. Seasons is the budget route into maple, with boards at $4.69 per sq ft.
Ash and birch
Ash has a strong, oak-like grain on a paler base, so a dark stain on ash looks dramatic and a light one looks Scandinavian. Superior carries it in Ebony and Storm. Yellow birch is softer in tone and grain, with a warm, even colour, and it is one of the lower-cost solid woods we sell: the Seasons Yellow Birch is $4.50 per sq ft.
Plank width: 3 1/4 inch or 4 1/4 inch?
The 3 1/4 inch board is the traditional width in older Toronto homes, and it is the safer choice for solid wood. Each board is narrow, so the seasonal swelling and shrinking of the wood is spread across many joints. The 4 1/4 inch board, and the 4 inch Seasons boards, look more current and show more of the grain in each board. They move a little more with the seasons, so humidity control matters more.
Either width works well if the house is kept at a steady humidity. Toronto winters are very dry indoors, and that is when solid floors show thin gaps between boards. A humidifier on the furnace prevents most of this. Our guide to hardwood gapping in winter explains what is normal and what is not.
Grade: how clean do you want the floor to look?
Grade describes how much natural character the boards show: knots, mineral streaks and colour variation. "Select" and "Select & Better" boards are cleaner and more even. "No. 1" or common grades show more character and usually cost less. Superior and North Plank sell select red oak, and Seasons offers both its No. 1 red oak and select boards.
Grade names are not standard from brand to brand. Seasons uses the name Prestige, and Lauzon groups its boards into lines such as Essential, Exclusive and Select & Better. The best test is simple: open a box, or look at a full sample board, before you decide. Our article on character grade vs select grade shows what to look for, and our guide to Lauzon's hardwood lines explains each Lauzon line in detail.
Brand by brand
North Plank: the entry price of the four
North Plank select red oak is $3.87 per sq ft in Coffee, Gunstock and Natural, all 3 1/4 inch boards, which puts it below the other three brands here. Black Pepper Birch costs $4.99 and gives a darker, modern look. These colours are in short supply, so North Plank suits a bedroom, an office or a hallway better than a whole floor. Confirm the quantity with us before you plan a large area.
Seasons: affordable maple and birch in a 4 inch board
Seasons is the value choice for a light floor. Maple Classic and Walnut Maple are $4.69 per sq ft, Yellow Birch is $4.50, and the No. 1 red oak in Auburn and Jatoba is also $4.69, all in a 4 inch board. For a classic narrow red oak, the Seasons Select Red Oak Natural is a 3 1/4 inch board at $5.39, and the Prestige red oak colours, Black Pepper and Pistachio, are $5.89.
Superior Flooring: select red oak and ash
Superior focuses on select red oak in warm stains such as Cognac, Copper, Truffle, Coffee and Autumn. The 3 1/4 inch boards are $4.95 per sq ft, and the 4 1/4 inch boards are $5.99, with Autumn at $6.99. Superior is also our source for ash: Ash Ebony and Legend Ash Storm are $5.99 per sq ft. Most Superior boards are labelled Made in Canada.
Lauzon: the widest range, from everyday to premium
Lauzon is a well-known Quebec mill, and every Lauzon board we sell is made in Canada. It gives you the most choice: hard maple, red oak and beech, from $4.99 per sq ft for beech up to $9.99 for the wire-brushed Authentik red oak. The Essential line covers good everyday colours such as Red Oak Limes at $5.39. The Exclusive and Select & Better lines add designer maple colours such as Graphite, Kenya and Amaretto at $5.87 to $6.99. Line Art and Pacific sit above that at $7.99 and $8.11. If you want one brand for a whole house, with matching colours across rooms, Lauzon has the deepest range. See also where to buy Lauzon in Toronto.
What a 300 sq ft room costs in material
Solid hardwood is sold by the box, and box sizes differ between brands, so compare the full order, not only the price per square foot. The figures below add 5% for cuts and round up to whole boxes: 300 sq ft becomes 315 sq ft of material.
| Board | Box price | Box covers | Boxes | Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Plank Select Red Oak Coffee | $77.33 | 20 sq ft | 16 | $1,237.28 |
| Seasons Walnut Maple | $84.42 | 18 sq ft | 18 | $1,519.56 |
| Lauzon Essential Red Oak Limes | $91.63 | 17 sq ft | 19 | $1,740.97 |
| Superior Ash Ebony | $116.80 | 19.5 sq ft | 17 | $1,985.60 |
| Lauzon Exclusive Red Oak Vela | $118.83 | 17 sq ft | 19 | $2,257.77 |
Installation, removal of the old floor and trim are separate. They depend on your subfloor and your stairs, so we price them after we see the job.
Which brand should you choose?
- Lowest cost for one room: North Plank select red oak at $3.87 per sq ft. Check the quantity first.
- A light, modern floor on a budget: Seasons maple or yellow birch at $4.50 to $4.69 per sq ft.
- A traditional red oak floor for an older house: Superior select red oak in 3 1/4 inch at $4.95 per sq ft, or Seasons Select Red Oak Natural at $5.39.
- A bold, dark floor with visible grain: Superior Ash Ebony at $5.99 per sq ft.
- A whole house, made in Canada, with designer colours: Lauzon Exclusive or Select & Better at $5.87 to $6.99 per sq ft.
- A premium, textured look: Lauzon Authentik wire-brushed red oak at $9.99 per sq ft.
One rule applies to every brand here: solid 3/4 inch hardwood is for wood subfloors on or above ground level. For a basement or a concrete slab, look at engineered hardwood instead. Our guide to solid vs engineered hardwood explains why.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lauzon better than the other three brands?
Lauzon is not better at the basics: all four brands sell 3/4 inch solid boards that can be sanded and refinished. Lauzon gives you more colours, more lines and premium textured boards, and you pay for that. For a single room in a classic red oak, Superior, Seasons or North Plank can give the same result for less.
Which of the four brands costs the least?
North Plank, at $3.87 per sq ft for select red oak. Seasons is next, with yellow birch at $4.50 and maple and No. 1 red oak at $4.69.
Which brands are made in Canada?
Every Lauzon board we sell is made in Canada, and so are most of the Superior boards, including both ash colours. Ask us about a specific Seasons or North Plank board if the country of origin matters to you.
Is red oak or maple better for a home with kids and pets?
Red oak is usually the easier floor to live with. Its open grain hides small scratches and pet hair, while maple's smooth face shows them more. Maple is the harder wood, so it handles dents a little better. A mid-tone colour on either species hides wear better than a very dark or very light one.
Can I mix brands in one house?
Yes, if a doorway or a change of room separates them. Side by side in one open room, two brands rarely match perfectly in colour, width or finish, so use one board for each continuous area.
See these boards in person
Colour photos only go so far with wood. Come and compare full boards from all four brands side by side, or request a quote with your room sizes and we will price the material and the installation.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819