Referral Flooring Hamilton · Burlington
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Tips from Max

Straight answers from the man who does the estimates.

Twenty years of other people's floors leaves you with opinions. This page is where Max writes them down: why a new floor squeaks, what a floor actually costs per square foot around here, what can go over the tile you already have, and what will wreck a new finish in a month.

The questions are up. The answers are being written in Max's own words, one at a time, and go live as he confirms each one. Nothing here will be written by a copywriter guessing at what a flooring installer might say.

How this page works

Three rules, so you can trust what ends up here.

  1. 01

    Max answers, nobody else

    Every answer is his, from jobs in Burlington, Hamilton, Waterdown and Dundas houses. If he has not done it, it does not get an answer.

  2. 02

    Numbers come as honest ranges

    A cost is given as a range with the things that move it named, never a single figure that falls apart once someone looks at your subfloor.

  3. 03

    Standards get their source

    Where an answer leans on an industry figure, the published standard is linked beside it, the same way the subfloor tolerances on the home page are.

The list

What Max is answering.

Worded the way people actually type them into a search box, which is also the way they ask them at the kitchen table. If yours is not here, the bottom of the page tells you how to add it.

Something is wrong with my floor

  1. Why is my new floor creaking or squeaking, and is that normal?
  2. Why is my new laminate floor bouncy, lifting or separating?
  3. Why is my vinyl plank flooring separating, lifting or coming up at the seams?
  4. Why is my hardwood floor cupping, and do new hardwood floors need time to settle?
  5. Are gaps in hardwood floors normal, and can they be fixed?
  6. How do you fix squeaky floors under carpet before the new floor goes down?
  7. What happens if vinyl plank flooring gets wet underneath?

What it costs

  1. How much does hardwood flooring cost per square foot installed in Ontario, and what does that make a 500 or 1,000 square foot job?
  2. How much does vinyl plank flooring cost per square foot installed?
  3. How much does laminate flooring cost per square foot installed?
  4. How much do flooring installers charge per square foot for labour only?
  5. How much does it cost to refinish hardwood floors in Ontario?
  6. How much does it cost to level a floor in an old house?
  7. How much does it cost to replace carpet on stairs with hardwood?
  8. How much does it cost to replace wood spindles with iron?
  9. Is it cheaper to buy the flooring yourself and pay for the installation only?
  10. What do people spend money on that makes no difference, and what do they skimp on that they should not?

Can it go over what is already there

  1. Can you put vinyl plank over tile, linoleum, laminate or hardwood?
  2. Can you put vinyl plank over carpet?
  3. Can you put laminate over tile or over hardwood?
  4. Can you install hardwood over concrete, or over existing hardwood?

Which floor

  1. What is the best flooring for a basement over concrete in Canada, including one that has flooded?
  2. What is the best flooring for a kitchen, and can it run into the living room?
  3. What is the best flooring for a bathroom that is not tile?
  4. What is the best flooring for dogs, for nails, accidents and kids?
  5. Vinyl plank vs laminate: price, pros and cons, and which one for a basement?
  6. Engineered vs solid hardwood: cost, and which lasts in a Southern Ontario winter?
  7. What is the difference between luxury vinyl plank and ordinary vinyl plank?
  8. Wide plank vs narrow plank flooring: is wide plank better?
  9. Do dark floors make a room look smaller, and do they show more dirt and scratches?
  10. Matte vs satin floor finish: which hides more?
  11. What is the best flooring for radiant heat?

Doing the job

  1. Flooring before or after kitchen cabinets?
  2. Do you paint before or after flooring?
  3. Do you install baseboards before or after flooring?
  4. How long does it take to install hardwood floors in one room, and in a whole main floor?
  5. What is under the carpet in an older house, and on the stairs?
  6. What do you do if the subfloor is not level, especially under vinyl plank?
  7. Flush mount floor vents: are they worth it, and do they work with vinyl plank?

Stairs and railings

  1. Is carpet or hardwood safer on stairs, and what about a runner on hardwood stairs?
  2. Iron balusters vs wood, and are iron spindles going out of style?
  3. How do you install hardwood on stairs after carpet?
  4. Stair nosing for vinyl plank and laminate: what is it, and do you need it?

Looking after it

  1. How do you clean vinyl plank floors, and is vinegar all right?
  2. How do you clean hardwood floors without streaks, and what should you never use on them?
  3. How do you protect hardwood floors from dog nails, furniture and rolling chairs?
  4. Can you replace one plank of vinyl, laminate or engineered hardwood?
  5. How often should hardwood floors be refinished, and can you refinish without sanding?
  6. Do you need a humidifier for hardwood floors, and can one damage them?

Already answered

Fifteen of them are on the home page now.

Ten of the questions people ask before they call, answered in Max's words, and the five subfloor and humidity standards with their sources linked.

The questions people actually ask The published standards

Your question

Not on the list? Send it over.

Text or email it and Max will answer it directly. If enough people ask the same thing, it goes on this page with the rest.

Email a question Text 289-689-4242
Phone
289-689-4242
Email
referralflooring@gmail.com
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