Should you install flooring before Christmas in the GTA? If the floor you want is in stock, the calendar usually works: our current install lead time runs about one week from order, so a decision made in the next few weeks can still end with new floors before the holidays. Stock, the booking slot, settling time and holiday closures decide the rest. The flooring sale collection is a sensible first stop because those products can be checked for stock before you commit to a date.
This checklist works backward from the day the room has to be ready, using our published prices, current lead time and the closures that shorten late December.
Quick answer: can you get new floors before Christmas?
- Installation is usually scheduled about a week after you order. The install date is confirmed at quote, not when you first ask.
- In-stock floors move into the booking queue straight away. A special order has to arrive first.
- Settling time depends on the material and the manufacturer's instructions: laminate boards have to acclimate in the room first, while engineered wood can go down immediately once the room's conditions and the subfloor moisture line up.
- The store is closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, and on Sundays.
A floor finished by mid-December leaves time to move furniture back. One finished on December 23 leaves none.
Work backward from your hosting date
Start from the day the room must be ready, not the day you want to shop. Our flooring renovation timeline covers the earlier planning steps; the table below narrows it to the last month of the year and uses the current one-week booking lead time.
| Floor finished by | Place the order by | What that leaves you |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, November 27 | Friday, November 20 | Four clear weeks before Christmas Day, with time to handle a surprise under the old floor. |
| Friday, December 11 | Friday, December 4 | Two weekends before Christmas Day to move furniture back and clean. |
| Friday, December 18 | Friday, December 11 | One week of buffer and an install in the last full working week before the closures. |
| Wednesday, December 23 | Wednesday, December 16 | The final working days before the holiday closures, with no room for a delay. |
These are planning aids, not promises. They assume an in-stock floor, a sound subfloor and an open slot. We confirm the real date when we quote.
For a New Year's Eve deadline, do not read the last row as extra room: the same closures fall inside that stretch, and the countdown can land on a day when nothing can be picked up or installed.
In stock or special order decides the timeline
The countdown only runs cleanly when the floor is on hand. In-stock products can be booked as soon as you order. A special order has to arrive first, which puts the arrival window in front of the install week. Our guide to in-stock versus special order flooring compares the two paths; for a holiday deadline, that difference is the whole margin.
All three floors below were in stock when we checked. If the colour you want is a special order, ask for the arrival window first.
How much settling time each floor adds
Settling time changes most with the material. The floor has to reach the temperature and humidity of the room it will live in, not the conditions in a delivery truck.
EGGER's laminate guidance says the boards must acclimate to the room where they will be installed, and that the packages should lie flat in the room for at least 48 hours. For the Egger floor below, that means two days on site before the installers start.
Engineered wood follows different rules. NWFA installation guidelines say engineered wood can be installed immediately when the flooring, the room's conditions and the subfloor moisture line up, and that the manufacturer's acclimation instructions still govern. For the Villa floor, the wait is set by the product instructions and the moisture reading.
Allure, a rigid-core SPC maker, states that its plank has no acclimation required before installation. That covers Allure's plank, not every SPC floor, so check the instructions for your exact product.
Three in-stock floors and what they cost per square foot
A holiday budget starts with the box price and the coverage in each box. The per-square-foot figure is the box price divided by the coverage, rounded to the nearest cent.
| Floor | Box price and coverage | Price per sq ft | Install method | What it means for a deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riche Blonde Sand Oak SPC | $44.68 per 23.64 sq ft box | $1.89 | Click-lock | 6mm plank, 12mil wear layer, attached IXPE pad, so no separate underlay. |
| Villa European Oak | $83.31 per 19.42 sq ft box | $4.29 | Nail-down | 3/4 inch engineered oak, 3mm top layer, wire brushed, character grade. |
| Egger EM7206 | $40.48 per 21.42 sq ft box | $1.89 | Click-lock | 8mm AC3 laminate. |
Prices checked October 23, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue.
Riche Blonde Sand Oak SPC
The Riche plank is 6mm thick with a 12mil wear layer and an attached IXPE pad. At $44.68 for a 23.64 sq ft box it works out to $1.89 per sq ft, and the pad means no separate underlayment line.
Villa European Oak engineered hardwood
The Villa floor is 3/4 inch engineered oak with a 3mm top layer, a wire-brushed finish and character-grade planks. It is nailed down, so the subfloor has to be sound and flat. At $83.31 for a 19.42 sq ft box it comes to $4.29 per sq ft.
Egger EM7206 laminate
The Egger EM7206 is an 8mm AC3 laminate with a click-lock edge. At $40.48 for a 21.42 sq ft box it comes to $1.89 per sq ft. Plan for the acclimation time covered above before this floor goes down.
What the material costs for a 500 sq ft main floor
Add 5% for cuts, which turns 500 sq ft into 525 sq ft, divide by the coverage in a box and round up to whole boxes. The Riche floor needs 23 boxes, covering 543.72 sq ft, and costs $1,027.64 before installation and tax. Egger needs 25 boxes, covering 535.50 sq ft, for $1,012.00. Villa needs 28 boxes, covering 543.76 sq ft, for $2,332.68. These are material totals only; installation, removal, trim and delivery are quoted for your job.
A holiday-hosting decision matrix
Not every project belongs in December. Use these situations to decide between now and January.
| Your situation | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The floor is in stock and the room can be cleared | Book now | The lead time fits, and the room is out of use only around the install. |
| You are hosting Christmas Day in that room | Aim for December 11 | It leaves two weeks to move furniture back before guests arrive. |
| The product is a special order | Ask for the arrival date first | The countdown starts only when the floor is on site. |
| The subfloor is uneven, damp or covered in glued tile | Plan for January | Repairs need their own time, and December has no slack. |
| You are in a condo with an elevator booking | Book the elevator first | Building access has to line up with the crew date. |
What can still push the install date
A date on the calendar is not a finished floor. These are the common reasons a holiday install moves, and each is easier to solve in November than in the last week before Christmas.
- Stock changes. Availability can change quickly. Confirm the boxes when you order.
- Subfloor surprises. A soft spot or old adhesive can turn a simple install into a repair job. Levelling and subfloor repair are priced after we see the floor.
- Condo access. Elevator bookings and building work hours can add days. Check your building's rules before you choose a week.
- Closures. A job that slips past December 23 runs into the holiday closures.
Mention any of these when you request the quote. Building the buffer in is easier than finding it on installation morning.
Frequently asked questions
Will I get new floors installed before Christmas if I order now?
If the floor is in stock and you order in the next few weeks, the week-long lead time fits before December 25. Ordering in the second week of December leaves a thinner margin, and later than that depends on the slots still open. The install date is confirmed when we quote.
How long does it take to replace flooring in a house?
For a holiday plan, the useful number is the booking lead time, about one week from order at the moment. The work itself varies with the rooms, the material and what sits under the old floor. Our guide to how long flooring installation takes covers that room by room.
Can flooring be installed between Christmas and New Year's?
The store closes for the three holiday dates, and Sundays are closed as well, so the weekdays between them carry the load. Those days book first because there are fewer of them. If that stretch is your only option, order early and treat the date as provisional.
Should I wait until after the holidays instead?
Wait if the subfloor needs work, the product is a special order, or the room will be full of guests while the floor goes in. Book now if the floor is in stock, the room can be cleared and you want the new surface in place for the holidays. January moves the disruption past the hosting season.
Do I need to empty the room before installation?
Yes. Furniture, rugs and wall items have to come out of the work area, and closets need to be cleared if the floor runs into them. Ask what furniture moving is included when you request your quote, and plan for the room to be out of use until the install is finished.
Book your flooring install before the holidays
Send us the rooms, the square footage and the product you like, and we will confirm stock, the install week and the price in one conversation. You can request a quote online, and our flooring installation cost guide covers what labour and extras add to the material totals above.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819