How long does flooring installation take?
Most flooring installations take one to three days. A 1,000 square foot main floor takes one to two days in vinyl plank or laminate, two to three days in hardwood, and three to five days in tile because of thinset and grout curing. Carpet is the fastest, with most homes completed in a single day. Add one day for a staircase, one day for removing and disposing of old flooring, and one to two days for subfloor levelling if it is needed. Site-finished hardwood is the longest job at five to eight days including sanding and finish cure time, during which the space cannot be used. Condo installations take the same working time but three to five weeks overall, because strata or condo board approval takes two to four weeks before work can begin.
Typical durations by material
Carpet: one day for most homes. Vinyl plank and laminate: 400 to 800 square feet per crew per day. Hardwood: 300 to 500 square feet per day for nailed installation. Tile: 150 to 250 square feet per day, plus a day for grouting and curing. Site-finished hardwood: installation plus three to five days of sanding and finishing.
What adds time
Removal of old flooring, particularly glued parquet, bonded tile or nailed hardwood. Subfloor levelling. Stairs. Complex layouts with many rooms, closets and angles. Furniture moving. Condo access restrictions that limit working hours.
Acclimatisation
Hardwood and some laminate need to sit in the room for two to five days before installation so the material reaches the home's own temperature and humidity. This is not padding — skipping it is a leading cause of gapping and buckling. Good installers deliver material ahead of the install date for this reason.
Living in the house during installation
Most flooring work is done room by room, so a household can usually stay. Tile and site-finished hardwood are the exceptions: tile needs 24 hours before walking on it, and a site-finished floor needs three to five days of cure with no foot traffic and no furniture.
Condo timelines
The installation is the short part. Budget two to four weeks for board approval, then schedule around elevator availability and permitted working hours. Starting the approval process before ordering material is the single best way to compress the overall timeline.
Common questions
01Can I walk on a new floor immediately?
On click vinyl, laminate and carpet, yes, right away. On nailed or glued hardwood, yes, but avoid moving heavy furniture for 24 hours. On tile, wait 24 hours before walking and 72 before heavy loads. On site-finished hardwood, follow the finish manufacturer's schedule — typically 24 hours for light foot traffic and up to a week before rugs.
02Do I need to move out during installation?
Rarely. Most homes stay occupied with work proceeding room by room. The exceptions are whole-home site-finished hardwood, where the sanding dust and finish cure make it impractical, and large tile projects that take out the only bathroom.
03Why does my quote include acclimatisation days?
Because wood and some laminate products must reach equilibrium with your home's humidity before installation, or they will move after they are fixed in place. Two to five days is standard. An installer who skips it is taking a risk with your floor.
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Related guides
Installing flooring over a concrete slabSubfloor preparation and levellingFlooring and indoor humidity in Canada
Cost guides
Vinyl plank flooring cost in CanadaLaminate flooring cost in CanadaHardwood flooring cost in CanadaCarpet installation cost in CanadaTile flooring cost in Canada
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