How to Prepare for Your Free Flooring Measure

To prepare for a flooring measure, clear a path into every room you want done, decide which rooms and stairs are part of the job, and have your condo’s flooring rules or the product you already bought ready to show. Twenty minutes of prep the night before makes the visit faster, and the written quote that follows comes out closer to the real job.

A measure is where an installer sees what photos can’t show: the layers under your carpet, a soft spot near the dishwasher, a step down into the family room. This guide covers what happens at the visit, how to get your home ready and the questions worth asking before you sign anything.

What happens at a free flooring measure?

At the visit we measure every room ourselves, so the square footage on your quote matches your home. Then we look at what sits under the new floor: the subfloor, the doorways, the height where one room meets the next, and the stairs if they are part of the job.

If there is carpet over hardwood, we lift a vent cover to see how much wood remains above the tongue. That tells you whether sanding and refinishing the old hardwood could replace a new floor. We also talk through materials with samples, and we ask how you use each room, since a dog, a home office and a basement laundry each call for a different floor.

How should you get your home ready for a flooring measure?

You don’t need to empty the rooms. You need to make every part of the floor reachable. Work through this list the evening before:

1. List the rooms. Write down every room, closet, hallway and staircase you want quoted, even the ones you are unsure about. Adding a hallway later changes the layout and the transitions.
2. Clear the corners. Move laundry baskets, boxes and shoes away from the walls, so the tape can reach wall to wall.
3. Open the closets. Clear the closet floors that will take the new floor.
4. Roll back one rug. If a rug covers part of the floor, roll it back so we can see the floor beneath.
5. Find a vent. Make sure at least one floor vent is reachable in each carpeted room.
6. Plan for pets. A dog that greets every visitor makes measuring slow, so a closed room helps.
7. Sort out access. In a condo, let the concierge know we are coming and check where visitors park. In a house, leave the driveway or street parking free if you can.

Builder-grade carpet in a newer subdivision, such as the townhouses in Markham neighbourhoods like Cornell and Wismer, often hides a plywood subfloor in good shape. An older bungalow can hide two or three layers. Either way, the measure is where we find out.

What should you have ready to show the installer?

A few documents and photos save a second visit and keep the quote accurate:

• Condo flooring rules. Your building’s declaration or rules, the sound rating the board asks for and any approved underlay list.
• Product details. If you already bought the flooring, the box label or the product name and how much you have.
• Leak history. Photos or notes about past leaks, a sump pump problem or a repaired pipe, since water history changes the build-up under a basement floor.
• Other renovation plans. New kitchen cabinets, a bathroom redo or new baseboards decide the order of work.
• Your dates. Holidays, a move-in date or a baby on the way all shape the schedule.

In a condo, your property manager handles the paperwork for the board. The Condominium Authority of Ontario notes that condo managers act for the board in day-to-day operations, so ask them for the flooring rules in writing before the measure. Our guide to condo sound ratings and board approval explains what the rules tend to ask for.

Which questions should you ask at a flooring measure?

The measure is the best time to ask, because the installer is standing on your floor. These questions get you a clear picture of the job:

• What is under my current floor, and does it need levelling?
• Will the new floor raise the height at any doorway, and how will the transitions look?
• Does the quote include removing the old floor, the baseboard and the trim?
• Who will install the floor? (Our own installers do the work, with no subcontractors.)
• How long will each room be out of use, and can we stay at home?
• What does the warranty cover in writing? (Every installation carries our 2-year warranty.)

For a fuller list of what to check before you hire, see how to choose a flooring contractor in the GTA.

Should you choose your floor before the measure?

You don’t have to. Many people narrow it down to two or three options and decide at the visit, once they see samples in their own light, next to their cabinets and trim. Daylight in a north-facing Toronto living room makes a grey plank look colder than it did in a showroom.

It does help to know which family you are leaning toward. Our comparisons of engineered hardwood and vinyl plank and of laminate against vinyl cover the trade-offs, and the hardwood installation page explains solid versus engineered boards.

What happens after the flooring measure?

After the visit, you receive a written quote that lists the rooms, the material, the prep, removal and trim, so you can see what the price covers. Once you approve it, we set your install date. Most rooms are typically completed in one to three days, depending on size and subfloor. For the full sequence, see our guide to installation timelines.

You can book the measure through the quote form on our website. BuildSites built the form so your request lands in our inbox with every detail in one place, and we reply within one business day. Our guide to getting an accurate quote online lists the photos worth attaching.

Flooring measure questions