Flooring
Flooring installation in Guelph, Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo: hardwood, tile and custom patterns laid to carry through the whole main floor, not just one room, by the same crew that renovates it.
Flooring laid by the crew that renovates the room.
New flooring is usually part of a bigger change: a kitchen opened to the living room, a main floor brought up to date, a basement finished for the first time. Busato Custom Woodworking is a renovation company and a cabinet shop under one roof, so the floor is planned with the kitchen, the trim and the layout instead of being fitted around them afterwards.
That matters most where rooms meet. When flooring runs continuously through a main floor, the transitions, the stair nosings, the height under the cabinets and the baseboard all have to be worked out together. Because the same crew installs the cabinetry and the trim, those details line up.
- Hardwood, tile and custom laid patterns
- One continuous floor through the main level
- Subfloor preparation done before anything goes down
- Baseboard and transitions finished by the same crew
Choosing a floor, and what each one asks of you.
The right floor depends on the room, the subfloor and how the house is lived in. These are the trade offs we talk through before anything is ordered.
Hardwood
Real wood is warm, lasts for decades and can be sanded and refinished. It moves with humidity and does not belong in a wet bathroom or on a basement slab.
Engineered hardwood
A real wood top layer on a stable core, so it copes better with seasonal humidity and can go in places solid hardwood cannot. It can be refinished fewer times than solid wood.
Porcelain and stone tile
Tile is the most durable and water resistant floor, and suits kitchens, bathrooms and entries. It is cold and hard underfoot, and it needs a very flat, stiff subfloor.
Wood look tile
Porcelain planks that read like wood, laid in straight runs or a brick pattern, with the toughness of tile. The pattern and grout lines need planning so the result looks deliberate.
Vinyl plank
Water resistant and comfortable underfoot, which makes it a common choice below grade. Quality varies widely, and the cheapest planks show wear quickly.
Laminate
Hard wearing and budget friendly, with a wood look. Most laminate does not like standing water, so it is better in living areas than in kitchens and bathrooms.
How a new floor goes in.
A floor is only as good as what is under it. Most of the care goes into the steps before the first board or tile is laid.
Consultation
We measure the rooms, check the subfloor and the heights where floors will meet, and talk through how each space is used.
Plan and Select
We settle the material, the direction of the boards or tiles, the pattern and every transition, as part of the 3D design for your renovation.
Preparation
Old flooring comes up, the subfloor is fixed, levelled and stiffened where needed, so the new floor sits flat and stays quiet.
Install and Finish
The floor is laid, the transitions and stair nosings are fitted, and the baseboard goes back on so the room is finished.
What new flooring costs, and what moves the price.
The material is only part of a floor's cost. Preparation, the pattern and how many rooms and stairs are involved can matter as much as the price of the boards. We price flooring as part of one fixed scope for your project, so the number does not move once you have signed off.
- MaterialSolid hardwood, engineered wood, porcelain, stone, vinyl and laminate all sit at different prices.
- Subfloor conditionLevelling, fixing squeaks or stiffening a floor for tile adds time before installation starts.
- PatternStraight lay is the quickest. Brick, herringbone and other laid patterns take more cutting and more material.
- Stairs and transitionsStair treads, nosings and the places where floors meet all need careful fitting.
- Removal and baseboardTaking up old flooring, and removing and replacing baseboard around the rooms.
Floors we have laid.
Flooring from real Busato renovations, laid to run through the room rather than stop at the doorway.
Flooring in Guelph, Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo.
One crew out of our Guelph shop, so the floor, the trim and the cabinetry are finished to the same standard.
Guelph
Our shop is on Johnston Street, so Guelph projects are close by for the subfloor checks and levelling that make or break a floor. In Guelph's older homes the subfloor is often uneven or patched from past renovations, and it is worth fixing properly before anything new goes down.
Kitchener
Kitchener is about half an hour from the shop along Highway 7. Many Kitchener main floors are a mix of carpet, old hardwood and small tile, room by room, and running one floor through the whole level is often the change that makes a renovation feel complete.
Cambridge
In the older parts of Galt, Preston and Hespeler, floors are often out of level and heights change from room to room. Levelling and planning the transitions first is what lets a single, continuous floor sit flat through the whole house.
Waterloo
Waterloo is just past Kitchener, inside the forty minute radius most of our work falls in. Newer Waterloo homes often have builder grade carpet and laminate on the main floor, and replacing it with hardwood or tile that runs from the entry through the kitchen is one of the most visible upgrades a house can get.
Also serving
Flooring questions.
The questions homeowners ask most before they replace a floor, answered plainly.
How much does it cost to install 1000 square feet of flooring?
It depends far more on the material and the preparation than on the square footage alone. The same 1000 square feet costs very different amounts in laminate, engineered wood, solid hardwood or large format tile, and levelling a poor subfloor or laying a pattern adds to any of them. We measure the space and price the floor you actually want.
How much does it cost to install 1000 square feet of hardwood floors in Ontario?
The species, the grade, the width of the boards, and whether the floor is solid or engineered all change the material cost, and stairs, transitions and subfloor work change the installation. Prices across Ontario vary with all of those, so we give you a fixed price after seeing your rooms rather than a rate per square foot.
How much does 2000 sq ft of hardwood flooring cost?
At that size, most of the cost is in the choice of hardwood, the pattern and how many rooms, stairs and transitions the floor has to run through. A straight lay of engineered wood through an open main floor and a herringbone solid hardwood floor are very different projects, so the price follows the plan.
Is it cheaper to install laminate or vinyl?
Both are usually installed as click together floating floors, so the installation work is similar, and the material prices overlap depending on quality. The better question is where the floor is going. Vinyl plank copes with water and suits basements and kitchens, while most laminate is better kept to dry living areas.
Tell us about the floor you want.
Call 519-242-5013 or send us the details. We serve Guelph, Kitchener, Cambridge, Waterloo and the townships around them.