Is luxury vinyl plank a good substitute for real hardwood in a Toronto home? Often it is, depending on the room and what is under the floor. It is still a different purchase from solid wood, not a copy of it. This LVP vs hardwood flooring comparison sets our solid hardwood flooring collection against the rigid-core SPC vinyl plank we sell, using live box prices, our house installation rates and one 800 sq ft job priced four ways. For the wider hardwood cost picture, our hardwood flooring price guide is the place to start.
Quick answer: is vinyl plank a good substitute for hardwood?
For rooms with a concrete slab or moisture nearby, usually yes. For a main-floor living area over a plywood subfloor where you want a floor you can sand and refinish later, solid hardwood makes the stronger case. The honest split is by room, subfloor and budget rather than by which material wins overall. Here is where each range starts and ends in our catalogue, with price per sq ft worked out as box price divided by sq ft per box.
| Floor | Product | Box price and coverage | Price per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid hardwood, entry | Lauzon Essential Beech Cape Cod | $99.80 per 20 sq ft box | $4.99 |
| Solid hardwood, top | Lauzon Authentik Red Oak Nostalgia | $169.83 per 17 sq ft box | $9.99 |
| SPC vinyl, entry | Riche Cream Ivory Oak, 6mm | $62.93 per 23.64 sq ft box | $2.66 |
| SPC vinyl, top | Riche Flooring 9mm Coastal Greige | $69.99 per 13.79 sq ft box | $5.08 |
Prices checked October 4, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue. Several SPC colours share each vinyl price, so each row names one example.
- Choose solid hardwood for main-floor living areas over a plywood subfloor, especially if you expect to sand and refinish the floor down the road.
- Choose SPC for basements, concrete slabs and rooms where spills are routine. The product pages for three Lauzon solid floors (Sapphir, Beech Cape Cod and Authentik Nostalgia) each say that floor is not suitable over concrete or below grade.
- Compare installed totals, not box prices. At 800 sq ft the highest-priced SPC we stock finishes under the hardwood that starts our solid range.
- Resale claims need a source. We cite one US survey below and make no Toronto promise.
LVP vs hardwood flooring: how the two differ in our catalogue
Every solid hardwood product we have in stock today is 19mm thick. That is 37 products from Appalachian, Lauzon and MKB, priced from $4.99 to $9.99 per sq ft.
Our SPC vinyl plank collection works the other way round. There are 87 SPC products in stock, all click-lock floating planks between 6mm and 10mm thick, priced from $2.66 to $5.08 per sq ft. The catalogue lists each of them as waterproof: Yes.
Wear layer: 12mil or 20mil
Of those 87 SPC products, 45 have a 12mil wear layer and 42 have 20mil. The 20mil planks carry the thicker protective top layer, which makes it the number to compare first in a busy house. Riche Flooring Heavy-Duty 8mm Driftwood Mist is one of them at $59.00 per 16.55 sq ft box, or $3.56 per sq ft.
What separates the ends of each range
On the solid side, the entry board is 3 1/4" wide and the top board is 4 1/4" wide with a wire-brushed surface, and both are 19mm thick. The $5.00 per sq ft step from entry to top therefore buys a wider, textured board, not a thicker one.
On the vinyl side, the $2.42 per sq ft step from entry to top moves you from 6mm to 9mm of total thickness, a difference of 3mm, while both carry a 12mil wear layer. That is worth knowing before you assume the pricier plank has the thicker wear layer.
A mid-range solid example
Lauzon Essential Hard Maple Sapphir sits in the lower half of the solid range at $99.80 per 17 sq ft box, which is $5.87 per sq ft. It is 19mm thick.
Its product page lists a “25-Year Residential Finish Warranty”. That is a warranty on the finish, so read what it covers before treating it as a lifespan promise for the wood itself.
What 800 sq ft costs: entry and top SKU for each floor
This is the worked example the whole comparison turns on. Take an 800 sq ft floor in a house, installed by us at our standard rates: $2.00 per sq ft for hardwood, and $1.50 per sq ft for vinyl plank on jobs over 300 sq ft. We price the four products from the first table with the same five steps, and you can repeat them on a calculator.
- Waste-adjusted area is 800 sq ft × 1.05, which is 840 sq ft (a 5% waste allowance).
- Boxes are the waste-adjusted area divided by sq ft per box, rounded up to whole boxes.
- Material is boxes × box price.
- Labour is 840 sq ft × the install rate.
- Subtotal is material plus labour. HST is 13% of the subtotal, and the total is subtotal plus HST.
Removal of the old floor, delivery, trim, stairs and subfloor preparation are not in these totals. We quote those separately once we know the job. To rerun the steps for your own rooms, swap in your measured area, then take the box price and sq ft per box from the product page and use the install rate for your building type.
| Floor | Boxes | Material | Labour | Subtotal | HST | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid hardwood, entry ($4.99 per sq ft) | 42 boxes | $4,191.60 | $1,680.00 | $5,871.60 | $763.31 | $6,634.91 |
| Solid hardwood, top ($9.99 per sq ft) | 50 boxes | $8,491.50 | $1,680.00 | $10,171.50 | $1,322.30 | $11,493.80 |
| SPC vinyl, entry ($2.66 per sq ft) | 36 boxes | $2,265.48 | $1,260.00 | $3,525.48 | $458.31 | $3,983.79 |
| SPC vinyl, top ($5.08 per sq ft) | 61 boxes | $4,269.39 | $1,260.00 | $5,529.39 | $718.82 | $6,248.21 |
What the numbers say
- Within the same tier, entry SPC totals $3,983.79 and entry hardwood totals $6,634.91, a gap of $2,651.12 with HST. At the top of each range the gap is $5,245.59.
- The two ranges overlap. The SPC at $5.08 per sq ft totals $6,248.21, which is $386.70 less than the hardwood at $4.99 per sq ft.
- Labour is not what separates them. The $0.50 per sq ft difference in install rate comes to $420.00 on 840 sq ft, so most of the gap is material.
- Before HST and spread over the 800 sq ft you actually walk on, the four jobs work out to $7.34, $12.71, $4.41 and $6.91 per sq ft.
- Stock matters on the hardwood side. The beech entry floor shows 9 boxes on hand and this job needs 42 boxes, so confirm availability before you plan around it.
The Cream Ivory Oak listing is titled with an attached IXPE pad, so no separate underlay is needed for that plank and none is in the totals above.
Lifespan and refinishing: counting the second install
Nobody can honestly give you a lifespan in years for either floor, and we do not. What can be cited is how solid wood ages. The National Wood Flooring Association's magazine says that, generally speaking, most solid wood floors can be sanded six to eight times during their service life. It adds that the number depends on things like the thickness of the wear layer and the skill of the contractor.
The Sapphir product page makes a similar point about that floor: it can be sanded and refinished multiple times over its lifetime. We do not publish a refinishing price, because refinishing is quoted separately.
That turns the lifecycle question into one about how many installs you will pay for. Using the subtotals above before HST, one entry-tier hardwood install is $5,871.60, while two entry-tier SPC installs are $7,050.96 (2 × $3,525.48). At the top of each range, one hardwood install is $10,171.50 and two SPC installs are $11,058.78.
Read that as a break-even test, not a forecast. It leaves out removing the first vinyl floor, any refinishing of the hardwood, disposal and whatever prices do later, and it assumes you would buy the same vinyl again. If you expect to replace the floor within a few years anyway, the lower-cost floor is a sound pick. If you plan to stay, the second install is where hardwood closes the gap.
On the vinyl side, the choice you control up front is the wear layer. Driftwood Mist, a 20mil plank at $3.56 per sq ft, is priced below the 12mil Coastal Greige at $5.08 per sq ft, so a thicker wear layer does not automatically cost more in our catalogue.
Resale: what a cited source says and what nobody can promise
Resale is the part of this comparison with the least local evidence. The one source we are willing to cite is the 2022 Remodeling Impact Report from the National Association of REALTORS®, a US survey in which REALTORS® estimated how much of a project's cost a seller recovers. Among interior projects it put refinishing hardwood floors at 147 percent, followed by new wood flooring at 118 percent.
Three limits apply. It is a US survey from 2022. It says “new wood flooring” without separating solid from engineered. Its interior chart lists no vinyl plank project, so it cannot tell you how vinyl compares. We have no Toronto sale data, so we do not claim that either floor adds a set amount to a Toronto home. If a sale is coming, ask a local REALTOR® what buyers in your area expect.
Where each floor wins in Toronto and GTA homes
Rooms and subfloors settle this choice faster than any spec sheet. Here are four common situations and how each one tends to resolve.
Condos
Our vinyl plank installation rate for a condo is $2.00 per sq ft, against $1.50 per sq ft for a house, on jobs over 300 sq ft. Solid hardwood installation in a condo has no standard rate and is priced after viewing, as are vinyl jobs under 300 sq ft. Check your building's own rules before you order any floor. Our guide to LVP and engineered hardwood in Toronto condos covers the building-side questions in more depth.
Basements and concrete slabs
This is the situation that favours SPC. The Sapphir page says this floor “is not suitable for installation over concrete or below-grade (basement) applications,” and the Beech Cape Cod and Authentik Nostalgia pages say the same about those floors. Check the product page of any solid floor before you plan it for a basement. Our vinyl plank labour rate for a basement is $1.50 per sq ft, the same as a house.
Main-floor living areas
Over a plywood subfloor, solid hardwood is the floor where the refinishing argument counts most, because you live on it every day and can renew it later. The Sapphir page says this floor “must be nailed or stapled to a plywood subfloor,” so confirm what is under your current floor first. If engineered boards are also in the running, read our solid versus engineered hardwood comparison.
Busy family rooms and entrances
Pick SPC when the room takes wet boots, pets and spilled drinks. Look at the 20mil planks first, and remember that the catalogue lists the planks as waterproof: Yes. Our busy-household comparison with engineered hardwood looks at the same trade-offs from the engineered side.
Frequently asked questions about LVP and hardwood
Is vinyl plank as good as hardwood?
Neither is better in every room. Our SPC planks are all listed as waterproof, which helps on a slab and wherever moisture matters. Solid hardwood can be sanded and refinished, and the Lauzon floors we checked need a plywood subfloor. Decide room by room using the situations above.
How much cheaper is vinyl plank than solid hardwood installed?
On material, our SPC runs $2.66 to $5.08 per sq ft against $4.99 to $9.99 for solid hardwood. Installation is $1.50 per sq ft against $2.00 in a house. In the 800 sq ft example the totals with HST were $3,983.79 to $6,248.21 for SPC and $6,634.91 to $11,493.80 for hardwood.
Can you install vinyl flooring over hardwood?
Sometimes. It depends on the condition of the floor underneath and on the installation instructions for the specific vinyl plank, so we look at both before quoting. Send photos of the existing floor along with your room sizes.
Should I remove old hardwood before installing vinyl plank?
Not automatically. Removal is its own line on a quote, and it depends on what the old floor is and how it is fixed down. Tell us whether the old floor is nailed or glued when you ask.
Can the solid hardwood you sell go in a basement?
The product pages for Lauzon Essential Hard Maple Sapphir, Beech Cape Cod and Authentik Nostalgia each say that floor is not suitable for below-grade installs. Check the page of the specific floor you choose. SPC is the option we price for basements.
Get a measured quote in Toronto and the GTA
Send us your room sizes, building type (house, basement or condo) and what is on the floor now, and we will run the same steps with your numbers. You can request a quote online for solid hardwood, SPC or both.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819