If your new Toronto condo or house was handed over with the builder's standard floor, you can replace it before the furniture arrives. The practical window is between your pre-delivery inspection and move-in day, while the unit is empty and an installer can work across the whole floor in one pass. Our flooring installation service covers removal and installation in that window, and our guide to condo flooring in Toronto covers the wider condo choices. Below are the order of work, four upgrade levels at our current prices, and a worked 800 sq ft budget for a house and for a condo.
Quick answer: can you replace the builder's floor before you move in?
- On timing: the pre-delivery inspection comes first, so the builder's floor is on record before it comes out.
- On cost: an 800 sq ft floor in a house, with a floating builder floor taken out and one of the two SPC planks priced below put in, runs from $5,158.99 to $5,999.17 including HST at our current box prices.
- On phasing: you do not have to replace every room at once. Carpeted bedrooms can go first, and a sound plank floor in the living area can wait.
- In a condo: installation and removal are priced higher than in a house, which adds $660.00 before HST to the same job.
Log deficiencies at the PDI before anything comes up
The pre-delivery inspection is your one structured chance to put the builder's work on the record. Tarion describes its purpose this way: "The objective of this inspection is to record all items that are incomplete, damaged, missing, inaccessible or not operating properly, and noting them on the builder’s PDI Form to verify that these conditions existed prior to occupancy." Check the flooring for damaged boards, hollow-sounding tiles or carpet loose at a threshold, and keep the signed copy.
The form is not itself a warranty claim. As Tarion puts it, "The PDI Form does not represent a request for warranty service, so if you fail to note an item this does not necessarily impact your warranty coverage." It is still the record of the floor's condition on the day you took the keys. Anything the builder has left unfixed by then moves onto the warranty paperwork: "Any items that are not corrected by the time you move in need to be listed on an Initial Form, Mid-Year Form, or Year-End Form." Once the old floor is in a disposal bin, there is nothing left for anyone to inspect, so finish this step first.
Four upgrade levels at our current box prices
We sell by the box, so compare the coverage per box and the cost per square foot. All four are in stock.
| Level | What it is | Product | Box price and coverage | Price per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry laminate | 8mm click-lock plank, 7.60" wide | Egger EM7206 laminate | $40.48 per 21.42 sq ft box | $1.89 |
| SPC vinyl, 12mil | 6mm waterproof click-lock plank, 7.09" wide, IXPE pad attached | Riche Blonde Sand Oak 6mm SPC | $62.93 per 23.64 sq ft box | $2.66 |
| SPC vinyl, 20mil | 8mm waterproof click-lock plank, listed as Commercial / Heavy Duty | Riche Heavy-Duty 8mm Driftwood Mist | $59.00 per 16.55 sq ft box | $3.56 |
| Engineered oak | 19mm (3/4") nail-down plank, 7 1/2" wide, 3mm top layer, wire brushed | Villa European Oak engineered hardwood | $97.00 per 19.42 sq ft box | $4.99 |
Prices checked October 6, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue; each figure per square foot is the box price divided by the coverage.
The 20mil plank costs more per square foot than the 12mil plank even though its box is cheaper, because each box covers less floor: 16.55 sq ft against 23.64 sq ft. The wear layer is the surface that takes foot traffic, so the 20mil plank is the one to compare for an entrance or a busy hallway, while the 6mm plank with its pad is a natural fit for bedrooms. Egger is the budget start, and Villa is the real-wood option, listed as nail-down, so confirm the method against your subfloor first. Our first-time buyer flooring guide sets out the same material choices from the buyer's side.
The order of work between possession and move-in day
- Attend the PDI, list what you find on the flooring, sign the form and keep a copy.
- Measure every room and note the floor type and subfloor.
- Choose the replacement and confirm the box count, remembering boxes are sold whole.
- Book removal and installation for the empty window; arrange elevator and loading access if you are in a condo.
- Have the old floor removed and disposed of, then the subfloor checked.
- Install the new floor, then trim, transitions and baseboards.
- Walk the finished floor yourself before the movers arrive, so any fix happens while the rooms are still empty.
Steps five and six are where extra lines appear on a quote. Subfloor preparation, stairs and door shaving sit outside the per-square-foot rates below and are priced after viewing, because each depends on what we find on site. Baseboards, trim and transitions have their own per-foot or per-piece rates, confirmed at quote. Our flooring renovation timeline shows where the floor fits next to painting and other trades.
What an 800 sq ft replacement costs, line by line
These are the rates we price with, so you can repeat the arithmetic on your own measurements. They assume a flat, dry subfloor.
- Waste-adjusted area = floor area x 1.05. Our quotes allow 5% for cuts and offcuts.
- Boxes = waste-adjusted area divided by the coverage in one box, rounded up to a whole box.
- Material = boxes x box price.
- Installation labour = waste-adjusted area x the rate: for vinyl plank, $1.50 per sq ft in a house or basement and $2.00 per sq ft in a condo.
- Removal = the original floor area x the removal rate. The 5% allowance is not added here.
- Subtotal = material + labour + removal, then 13% HST is added for the total. Delivery is not included in these figures; it is confirmed at quote.
The example below is a house with 800 sq ft of floating laminate or click vinyl coming out at $1.30 per sq ft. Every line is rounded to the cent.
| 800 sq ft, house | Riche Blonde Sand Oak 6mm SPC ($2.66/sq ft) | Riche 8mm Driftwood Mist ($3.56/sq ft) |
|---|---|---|
| Waste-adjusted area (+5%) | 840 sq ft | 840 sq ft |
| Boxes needed | 36 boxes (851.04 sq ft) | 51 boxes (844.05 sq ft) |
| Material | $2,265.48 | $3,009.00 |
| Labour at $1.50 per sq ft | $1,260.00 | $1,260.00 |
| Removal at $1.30 per sq ft | $1,040.00 | $1,040.00 |
| Subtotal | $4,565.48 | $5,309.00 |
| HST (13%) | $593.51 | $690.17 |
| Total | $5,158.99 | $5,999.17 |
Divided by the 800 sq ft of floor, that is $5.71 and $6.64 per sq ft before HST, removal included. The two planks differ by $743.52 in material on this floor, so the choice comes down to whether the rooms need the thicker wear layer.
Laminate and engineered oak: the material side
For the Egger laminate, the same 840 sq ft takes 40 boxes (856.80 sq ft), or $1,619.20 in material. Laminate goes over an underlayment, which our quotes add in whole rolls of 200 sq ft at $50.00 each: 5 rolls, $250.00, for $1,869.20 before labour and removal. Laminate installation is confirmed at quote.
If real wood is the upgrade you want, the Villa plank takes 44 boxes (854.48 sq ft) for the same floor, which is $4,268.00 in material. As a nail-down floor it is installed at a different rate from click planks, so its installation is confirmed at quote.
What a condo changes
Condo vinyl installation is priced at $2.00 per sq ft instead of $1.50, and removal of a floating floor at $1.60 per sq ft instead of $1.30. On the 800 sq ft Blonde Sand example that adds $420.00 to labour and $240.00 to removal, so the subtotal becomes $5,225.48 and the total $5,904.79. Buildings set their own rules on sound, work hours and loading, so check yours before you order. Our flooring picks for small Toronto condos take the same decision from the layout side.
Removal depends on what the builder left you
Match the floor in your unit to one of three cases: the rate follows the floor type, and the building type changes it.
- Carpet: $0.70 per sq ft in a house, $1.00 in a condo.
- Floating laminate or click vinyl: $1.30 per sq ft in a house, $1.60 in a condo.
- Nailed hardwood: confirmed at quote. Glued-down flooring and tile: priced after viewing, because adhesive and thinset change the work.
On an 800 sq ft house, carpet removal comes to $560.00 against $1,040.00 for a floating floor, a difference of $480.00 before HST. So a unit that still has the builder's carpet can cost less to upgrade than one with a plank floor already down.
That gap is also a good reason to split the job. If your unit has carpet in the bedrooms and a laminate floor in the main living area, you can replace the carpet first at the lower removal rate and leave the laminate for a later stage. Send a photo of the doorway where the two floors will meet so we can price the transition.
Questions about replacing builder-grade flooring after possession
Do I have to live on the builder's carpet for a year before I can change it?
What matters most is the order: put any problem with the builder's floor on the inspection form and the warranty forms first, then book the replacement. In a condo, the building's renovation rules apply as well, so read them before you order.
Can the replacement happen before my furniture arrives?
That is the window we plan for, since planks can run from room to room without furniture in the way. Give us your possession date and the movers' date and we will fit the work between them.
Can I keep the builder's laminate and upgrade the bedrooms later?
Yes, and it is a sensible way to phase the cost. Note the product name and box count of anything you buy, in case the colour is not stocked when you come back for the next room.
What does it cost per square foot to replace builder-grade flooring in Toronto?
In our worked house example, an SPC vinyl floor lands between $5.71 and $6.64 per sq ft before HST with the old floating floor removed. Material alone runs from $1.89 for the Egger laminate to $4.99 for the Villa oak, and vinyl installation in a house is $1.50 per sq ft.
What does the Tarion warranty have to do with replacing the floor?
Its forms set the order of the paperwork. Report flooring defects on the PDI form, then list anything still not corrected at move-in on the initial, mid-year or year-end form, and do that before the old floor comes out.
Get a flooring quote for your new home in Toronto and the GTA
Send us your room measurements, your possession date and a few photos of your current floors, and we will turn this plan into a quote. You can request a flooring quote here.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819