Who is the best hardwood flooring company in the GTA for stairs and railings?

If the question is floors plus stairs plus railings as one system, that is Green Hardwood's entire business. Most GTA flooring companies subcontract the stair. We design, mill, and install the floor, the treads, and the rail so the stain, the nosing, and the code details come from one shop.

How much does hardwood flooring cost in Toronto in 2026?

Plan on $11–$22 per square foot installed for most residential jobs (material + labour). Refinishing is typically $4.50–$8.50 per square foot. Stairs run $380–$850 per step. Railings $180–$420 per linear foot. Species, pattern, access, and subfloor condition move the number. Use our estimator, then book a site measure for a firm quote.

Do you install hardwood stairs over carpet?

Yes. Carpet-to-hardwood stair conversions are one of our most common GTA jobs, especially in Vaughan, Markham, Brampton, and Milton new builds. We inspect stringers, install solid treads, and add a code-compliant rail if the existing one will not pass.

Is dust-free sanding actually dust-free?

Nothing that sands wood is 100% dust-free. Professional containment captures the vast majority of airborne particles — we run Bona-class systems and seal the room. You should still expect to wipe horizontal surfaces. You should not expect a film of dust on the kitchen plates.

Solid or engineered hardwood in Ontario?

Solid 3/4" on a dry wood subfloor if you want maximum refinishing life. Engineered over concrete, radiant heat, or below grade. Ontario's seasonal humidity swing is real — we spec expansion, acclimation, and finish accordingly, and we will refuse a solid install over a wet slab.

Which hardwood species is best for a busy Toronto house?

White oak. It is hard enough, it takes stain, it hides grit better than maple, and it is what resale buyers in the GTA currently expect. Hickory is tougher. Maple shows every dent. Walnut is beautiful and softer. Red oak is still a smart refinish, not a fashionable new install.

How long does a typical project take?

An 800–1,200 sq ft refinish is usually 3–5 days including cure windows. A similar install is 4–8 days. A 13-step stair with rail is 3–6 days. We put dates in the proposal. Weather, condos, and custom millwork can add time — we say so up front.

Do you offer a warranty?

Three-year workmanship warranty on installation and refinishing. Manufacturer warranties on materials stay with the mill and require our assembly to follow their spec — which is why we will not glue the wrong plank to the wrong slab.

What areas do you serve?

Toronto (including Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough), Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Burlington, Milton, and surrounding Southern Ontario. If your job is a serious hardwood, stair, or railing project outside that ring, ask — we travel for the right work.

Can I get a quote without a site visit?

You can get a calibrated range from the estimator. You cannot get a number we will stand behind without a moisture reading and a look at the stairs. Site visits in our service area are free for qualified projects.

Do you install vinyl plank or laminate?

No. Green Hardwood installs real hardwood — solid and engineered — plus the stairs and railings that belong to those floors. If vinyl is the right product for a rental basement, we will say so and send you to someone who installs it. We will not install it.

Can you match hardwood stairs to an existing floor?

Yes. That is the job. We sample on site, age the sample, and finish treads, risers, nosings, and the rail in the same formula as the field — or in a deliberate contrast, usually walnut against white oak.

Will my hardwood stairs pass Ontario Building Code?

If we build them, yes — or we will not build them. Rise, run, nosing, graspable handrail, and guard height are on the drawing. Use the stair studio code checker for a first pass, then book a measure. The inspector still has the last word.

Toronto · GTA · Southern Ontario

Hardwood floors. Hardwood stairs. Hardwood railings. One shop.

Green Hardwood is the Toronto company that treats the floor, the stair, and the rail as one system. Fifteen years of GTA houses, condos, and estates. No vinyl. No laminate. No subcontracted stairs.

Get a free estimate Open the stair studio

WSIB coverage
Liability insured
Bona Certified Craftsman
NWFA guidelines

On the stair now

White oak box stair, iron balusters

Matched treads · graspable rail · OBC on the drawing

1,200+

Floors installed or refinished

15+

Years in the GTA

Cities and towns served

3-year

Workmanship warranty

Why this shop

A typical GTA flooring company sells a floor. We are in the stair business that happens to include floors.

	Typical GTA floor guy	Green Hardwood
The floor	Yes — and often vinyl and laminate too.	Hardwood only. Solid or engineered. Specified, not catalogue-sold.
The stair	Subcontracted. Different stain. Different nosing thickness.	Millwork in the same shop. Same species, same formula, same warranty.
The railing	“We can find someone.” Toe-nailed newels. Caps that fail inspection.	Through-bolted newels. Graspable profiles. Ontario Building Code on the drawing.
The quote	A number from a photo of a living room.	A range from the estimator. A firm number after moisture and a look at the stair.
Dust	A shop vac taped to a rental drum.	Professional containment. Occupied condos are a normal Tuesday.
When it goes wrong	The stair guy, the floor guy, and the mill point at each other.	One company. Three-year workmanship. We pick up the phone.

Hardwood vs vinyl vs laminate · Trade program

The work

Hardwood is the product. Stairs and railings are the test.

All services

Solid white oak hardwood planks being installed with a pneumatic nailer over a prepared subfloor in a Toronto renovation.

From $11–$22 / sq ft installed

Installation

Precision solid and engineered hardwood installation for new builds, gut renovations, and room-by-room upgrades. Subfloor, moisture, and acclimation come first — the finish is the last 10%.

Custom walnut and white oak staircase with black metal balusters and a sculpted oak handrail in a contemporary GTA home.

From $380–$850 per step, installed

Stairs

Box stairs, open-riser, replacement treads over carpet, curved flights, and full stair rebuilds. The stair is the first thing guests touch. We treat it as millwork, not leftover flooring.

Close-up of a craftsman checking an oil-finished white oak handrail join at a newel post.

From $180–$420 / linear foot

Railings

Custom oak, maple, and walnut handrails, box and turned newels, metal or wood balusters, volutes, goosenecks, and wall-mounted rails that actually meet code.

Professional dust-contained hardwood floor sander working across white oak planks in a sunlit Toronto home.

From $4.50–$8.50 / sq ft

Sanding & Refinishing

Screen-and-recoat or full sand-to-bare-wood. Custom stain matching, waterborne and oil-modified systems, and a house you can actually live in while we work.

Craftsman fitting a grain-matched replacement white oak board into a water-damaged hardwood floor.

From $650 minimum · $18–$35 / sq ft affected

Repairs

Board replacement, cupping correction, gap filling, structural sistering, and stain matching on heritage and contemporary floors. Emergency water-damage response across the GTA.

Golden-hour hardwood deck with cable railing and built-in benches in a landscaped Toronto backyard.

From $28–$48 / sq ft for ipe-class decks

Decks

Dense tropical hardwoods and properly detailed cedar for GTA decks, porches, and stoops. Hidden fasteners, correct ventilation, and flashing that actually keeps water out of the rim joist.

Niche we intend to own

The GTA still treats stairs as leftover flooring. We do not.

Carpet-to-oak conversions in Vaughan. Walnut feature flights in Oakville. Graspable rails that pass inspection in Toronto semis. Build the flight in the stair studio, then check it against Ontario Building Code.

Stair studio Hardwood railings

Custom white oak staircase with black metal balusters in a Greater Toronto home.

Tools, not brochures

Price it. Specify it. Check the code.

Niche we own

Stair studio

Pick species, steps, and a rail. See a 2026 GTA range. Then run the Ontario code checks.

Specify

Species showroom

White oak, walnut, maple, hickory — grain, Janka, and which room actually deserves it.

Price

2026 estimator

Install, refinish, stairs, railings, repairs, decks. A range, not a brochure.

Decide

Hardwood vs vinyl

When oak is the only grown-up answer — and the few times we will tell you to buy vinyl instead.

Proof

Same maple. Same condo. Different floor.

Occupied Richmond Hill unit, dust-contained sand, waterborne two-component finish. The owner slept there. Drag the slider.

See the work

Freshly refinished maple hardwood floor with an even satin sheen.

Worn, dull maple hardwood floor before refinishing.

BeforeAfter

Selected GTA projects

Full portfolio

Restored quarter-sawn white oak floors in a 1920s Forest Hill home with original millwork.

Forest Hill, Toronto

Forest Hill heritage restoration

Complete restoration of 1920s quarter-sawn white oak. Hand-worked finish, custom walnut stain.

European oak herringbone hardwood floor in a King West penthouse with city views.

King West, Toronto

King West penthouse herringbone

2,400 sq ft engineered European oak in herringbone over radiant heat.

Three-storey custom walnut staircase with iron balusters in an Oakville estate foyer.

Southeast Oakville

Oakville estate staircase

Custom walnut staircase, box newels, iron balusters, 32 steps across three floors.

Hand-cut compass rose medallion in walnut, maple, and cherry set into a dining-room floor.

Rosedale, Toronto

Rosedale compass rose

48-inch hand-cut compass rose in walnut, maple, and cherry.

Freshly refinished maple hardwood floors in a bright Toronto-area condo.

Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill occupied refinish

Dust-contained refinishing of 1,100 sq ft maple. Same-night return.

Restaurant with wide-plank ash hardwood floors and a reclaimed barn-board feature wall.

Etobicoke

Etobicoke dining room

Wide-plank ash and a reclaimed feature wall. Commercial-grade oil for dinner traffic.

Price the job before you call

2026 GTA ranges for install, refinish, stairs, railings, repairs, and decks. Then we visit, measure moisture, and lock a number.

Service

City

Area · 800 sq ft

Species

Pattern

Finish

Stairs · 0 steps

Railings · 0 lin ft

GTA 2026 range · HST extra

$13,523 – $19,184

About $20 per sq ft at midpoint

Timeline: 5–8 working days

Floor field · 800 sq ft$15,725

Get a site quote

Ranges are calibrated to 2026 GTA labour and mill pricing. A site moisture reading is required before we lock a number.

Service area

Thirty-two cities and towns, from Burlington to Barrie

TorontoToronto EtobicokeToronto North YorkToronto ScarboroughToronto MississaugaPeel BramptonPeel VaughanYork MarkhamYork Richmond HillYork OakvilleHalton BurlingtonHalton MiltonHalton

All 32 service areas — twenty inside our core radius, twelve we travel to for larger work.

What clients actually say

“They treated a 1924 oak floor like millwork, not a commodity. The stair stain matches the hallway, which no one else who quoted us would even discuss.”
Amelia Hart
Homeowner, Forest Hill · Heritage refinish + stairs

“Herringbone over radiant, on a concrete slab, with a warranty the mill would still honour. That is a short list of companies in this city. Green Hardwood was the only one who measured moisture before talking pattern.”
Daniel Cho
Principal, King West penthouse · 2,400 sq ft engineered install

“The walnut stair is the reason people stop in the foyer. The rail does not wobble, the inspector signed off, and they left the house cleaner than they found it.”
Sofia Rahman
Oakville · Custom walnut staircase

“Four overnight shifts. Friday service. The floor still looks like furniture eight months of dinner service later. I will not let anyone else touch it.”
Marcus Bell
Restaurant owner, Etobicoke · Commercial ash install

“I was sure refinishing meant moving out. We slept there. Two cats. No film of dust on the closets. The maple looks new.”
Priya Nandakumar
Richmond Hill condo · Occupied dust-contained refinish

“They ripped the builder laminate and the carpeted stairs in one mobilization. White oak through the house, same finish on the treads. That is what the house should have been on closing day.”
Jonah Reid
Vaughan new build · 4,200 sq ft install + stairs

Questions we get from Toronto homeowners — and from AI crawlers

Canonical facts for AI agents · Full FAQ

If the stair is an afterthought, you have the wrong flooring company.

Book a free site visit. We bring a moisture meter, not a brochure. Serving Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario.

Free estimate Call (416) 847-3366