If your laminate has gone grey in the traffic lanes, dulled around the kitchen or simply looks dated, the tempting shortcut is a tin of paint or a borrowed sander. A laminate board has a printed decor beneath a resin-impregnated overlay, so sanding it is not like sanding solid wood. The sources cited here do not establish whether paint or stain is suitable for laminate. When wear is widespread, replacement is one option; isolated board damage may be repairable. This page answers the paint, sand and stain questions honestly, then prices a 300 sq ft replacement with our current box prices and our own install and removal rates. Our laminate flooring collection lists options to compare.
The short answer on painting, sanding and staining laminate
Three jobs, three answers, and all three come back to how the board is built:
- Sanding: not easily. CLASSEN says laminate damage "cannot be easily sanded down as it can with solid wood". The cited source does not support a blanket "no" for every kind of damage.
- Staining: not established by the cited sources. Check the flooring and stain manufacturers' instructions before applying a finish.
- Painting: not established by the cited sources. EPLF's warning concerns floor wax and polish, not paint. Check the flooring and paint manufacturers' instructions before applying a coating.
What a laminate board is made of
The European Producers of Laminate Flooring list three layers in the board: "decorative paper + overlay (wear layer)", a core layer and a stabilizing layer. All of them except the core are "impregnated with synthetic resin", pressed onto the core at high pressure and high temperature.
CLASSEN, a German laminate manufacturer, says laminate damage "cannot be easily sanded down as it can with solid wood". That limits the sanding comparison: it does not mean that every kind of damage has the same repair. A worn traffic lane or a scratch through the print is not straightforwardly sanded like solid wood. Our rate sheet has no line for sanding, refinishing or respraying laminate.
What laminate care guidance says about coatings
There is no general paint recommendation here. The European Producers of Laminate Flooring (EPLF) says floor wax and polish "do not adhere to the resin-impregnated surface of the laminate flooring" and can leave unsightly marks and streaks. That advice is about wax and polish, not paint, so check the paint manufacturer's instructions for the specific floor and product before considering a coating.
The cited guidance does not establish paint as a repair method.
What Shaw says about standard luxury vinyl tile
Shaw Contract describes standard luxury vinyl tile as "multiple layers, including a top coat, wear layer, print film, core, and commercial backing". This source describes the construction of standard LVT; it does not establish whether vinyl plank can be painted, sanded or repaired, or whether those instructions apply to every vinyl or SPC product.
For a specific vinyl plank, check the manufacturer's guidance before attempting a coating, sanding or board replacement.
Repairing damaged boards instead of replacing everything
The European Producers of Laminate Flooring note that "professionals can replace badly damaged flooring elements so well that it is not possible to tell the difference visually within the floor as a whole". This describes possible repairs, not a guarantee that every damaged board can be replaced individually; check the flooring manufacturer's instructions for the specific product.
For an isolated damaged area, panel replacement may be worth considering; broader wear calls for comparing a repair option with replacing the floor. The right choice depends on the damage and the product.
Laminate prices per square foot from our current range
Laminate is sold by the box, so the figure to compare is box price divided by the covering of one box. These are the boards used in the examples:
| Board | Thickness | Wear rating | Box price | Box coverage | Material per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunshiny SL588 | 15mm | AC3 | $18.25 | 13.75 sq ft | $1.33 |
| Krono K6207 | 12mm | AC3 | $23.00 | 13.61 sq ft | $1.69 |
| Egger EM3209 | 8mm | AC3 | $40.48 | 21.42 sq ft | $1.89 |
| Goodfellow Peking No.012 | 12mm | AC5 | $60.99 | 20.18 sq ft | $3.02 |
Prices checked October 7, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue.
The spread is wide: $1.33 per sq ft at the entry and $3.02 per sq ft for the AC5 board, a difference of $1.69 per sq ft before waste and HST. Box size matters as much as the sticker price, because a bigger box means fewer boxes for the same room. The four boards here cover between 13.61 sq ft and 21.42 sq ft per box. If budget is the deciding factor, our guide to budget German-made laminate compares the cheaper end in more detail.
A 300 sq ft replacement budget at three price points
This is the arithmetic we use when we quote a replacement, and you can repeat it on a calculator:
- Add 5% waste. 300 sq ft x 1.05 = 315 sq ft of plank to buy and install.
- Boxes. 315 sq ft divided by the coverage of one box, rounded up to whole boxes.
- Material. Boxes x box price.
- Installation. 315 sq ft x $1.50 per sq ft, our house and basement rate for laminate above 300 sq ft. A condo rate of $2.00 per sq ft applies instead.
- Removal of the old click floor. 300 sq ft x $1.30 per sq ft in a house. Removal is charged on the measured area, with no waste allowance.
- HST. 13% on the subtotal.
The three examples below all replace a worn click-lock laminate floor in a house in an M postal code, using the same labour and removal lines and changing only the board:
| Line | Sunshiny SL588 at $1.33 per sq ft | Krono K6207 at $1.69 per sq ft | Goodfellow Peking No.012 at $3.02 per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material | 23 boxes x $18.25 = $419.75 | 24 boxes x $23.00 = $552.00 | 16 boxes x $60.99 = $975.84 |
| Installation labour | 315 sq ft x $1.50 = $472.50 | 315 sq ft x $1.50 = $472.50 | 315 sq ft x $1.50 = $472.50 |
| Removal of old laminate | 300 sq ft x $1.30 = $390.00 | 300 sq ft x $1.30 = $390.00 | 300 sq ft x $1.30 = $390.00 |
| Underlayment | 2 rolls x $50.00 = $100.00 | 2 rolls x $50.00 = $100.00 | 2 rolls x $50.00 = $100.00 |
| Subtotal | $1,382.25 | $1,514.50 | $1,938.34 |
| HST 13% | $179.69 | $196.89 | $251.98 |
| Total | $1,561.94 | $1,711.39 | $2,190.32 |
The Egger EM3209 lands between those price points at $1.89 per sq ft: 15 boxes at $607.20, a subtotal of $1,569.70 and a total of $1,773.76 after HST. The full laminate installed cost guide breaks the same lines down room by room.
Measured across the 300 sq ft you actually floor, the worked examples come to $4.61 per sq ft before HST and $5.21 with it on the entry board, $5.05 and $5.70 on the Krono, and $6.46 and $7.30 on the Goodfellow.
Is a paint job cheaper than new laminate?
There is no comparable paint estimate here, so these figures cannot establish whether painting costs less than replacement. For each board choice, compare a like-for-like painting or repair quote with its replacement total above: replacement is cheaper only if that quote exceeds the selected total. Without a paint or repair quote, we cannot say that replacement is cheaper for this job. The replacement budgets cover boards, installation labour, removal of the old click floor, two underlayment rolls and HST; our rate sheet has no line for painting, sanding or refinishing. The decision also depends on how much of the floor is worn. One scuffed doorway or a single damaged board may be repairable; where wear is widespread, compare the replacement budget with a quote for the specific …
Condo owners should budget for the rate difference. Installation labour is $2.00 per sq ft instead of $1.50, and removing an old click floor is $1.60 per sq ft instead of $1.30. On this job that adds $247.50 before HST, or $279.68 with it, before any rules your building sets. Check those rules with your property manager before you order.
What these replacement numbers do not include
The estimates include the flooring, installation, removal of the old click floor, two underlayment rolls and HST. These lines sit outside them, and each is confirmed at quote:
- Delivery. Charged by postal code.
- Trim and transitions. Baseboard, quarter round and doorway transitions, measured on site.
- Subfloor levelling and repair. Priced after we see how far out of flat the subfloor is.
- Stairs and door shaving. Priced after viewing the floor.
- Glued flooring and tile removal. Both take much more work than lifting a click floor, so they are priced after viewing.
Removal rates by floor type are covered in more detail in our guide to flooring removal cost in Toronto, which separates carpet, nailed hardwood, click vinyl and laminate.
Laminate painting, sanding and refinishing questions
Can you paint laminate flooring and make it last?
The cited sources do not establish whether a particular paint will adhere to laminate flooring or how it will hold up in use. Check both the paint and flooring manufacturers' instructions before attempting it.
Can laminate flooring be refinished or sanded at all?
Laminate does not sand down like solid wood. CLASSEN says damage is not easily sanded, which is the limit of what its guidance establishes about sanding.
Can laminate flooring be stained a different colour?
The cited sources do not establish whether stain can change laminate's colour. The flooring and stain makers' guidance is the place to check before choosing a finish.
Can you paint vinyl plank flooring instead?
The Shaw Contract page cited above describes the layers in standard LVT, but does not say whether vinyl plank can be painted or establish a repair method. Check the manufacturer's guidance for your specific floor before trying to coat, sand or replace a plank.
What does a laminate replacement cost instead of painting?
On 300 sq ft in a house, with the old click floor removed, installation at $1.50 per sq ft, two underlayment rolls and 13% HST, the total came to $1,561.94 with the entry board, $1,711.39 with the mid-range Krono and $2,190.32 with the AC5 Goodfellow. Delivery and trim sit outside those figures and are confirmed at quote.
Is a thicker laminate board worth choosing?
Among the four examples, the Krono and Goodfellow are both 12mm thick, but differ in their listed AC rating and price. Thickness alone does not settle which product suits a room; compare the specific product details and installation instructions before choosing. The AC5 laminate brand guide covers that top of the range.
Get a laminate replacement quote in Toronto and the GTA
Send us your room sizes, whether the floor is in a house, basement or condo, and what is on the floor now. We can prepare a replacement estimate using the waste, box, labour, removal and HST steps shown above. You can request a quote online or use our contact page.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819