Resilient flooring
Laminate is still one of the best value floors you can buy, as long as it is chosen and installed properly. Kitchener Prestige Flooring installs laminate for homeowners, landlords and builders in Kitchener, Waterloo and the surrounding townships.
After more than 16 years and 1,700 flooring jobs, we can tell you in a few minutes whether laminate or vinyl plank suits your room. We do not oversell either one.
Our installers are licensed, insured and WSIB covered, and every laminate floor comes with a written 1-year labour warranty. The estimate is free, in your home, with a clear written price.
Vinyl plank gets most of the attention right now, but laminate still wins in three areas. It resists scratches better, looks more like real wood and usually costs less.
Laminate's top layer is a melamine resin with aluminium oxide. It shrugs off dog claws and dragged chairs that would mark a vinyl surface.
Its weakness is water. The core is high density fibreboard, which swells if water sits at the seams. For basements, laundry rooms and bathrooms, luxury vinyl plank is the better call.
The abrasion class, or AC rating, tells you how much wear the surface can take. Pay for the grade your room needs and no more.
| Rating | Best use |
|---|---|
| AC1 | Light residential, guest bedrooms |
| AC2 | General residential, living rooms and bedrooms |
| AC3 | Heavy residential, whole homes with kids and pets |
| AC4 | General commercial, busy family homes, small offices |
| AC5 | Heavy commercial, retail and public spaces |
Most Kitchener homes do well with AC3. If you have large dogs or run a home business with foot traffic, AC4 costs a little more and lasts noticeably longer.
Many new laminates carry a 24, 48 or 72 hour water rating. That means a spill left on the surface for that long should not damage the floor if the seams are intact.
It does not mean waterproof. A burst supply line, a leaking dishwasher or a flooded basement will still swell the core from underneath.
We install water-resistant laminate in kitchens, entries and main floor powder rooms. We keep it out of full bathrooms and below-grade spaces with any history of water.
The underlay sits between the plank and the subfloor. It cushions small bumps, quiets footsteps and, over concrete, stops moisture.
In condos and stacked townhomes, footstep noise travels straight down. Many condo boards in Waterloo Region require an underlay with a specific impact rating before any hard floor is installed.
We use dense acoustic underlays such as IXPE foam or cork. For stricter requirements, our soundproof flooring team can build a tested assembly.
Concrete releases moisture all year. Over any slab, laminate needs a 6 mil polyethylene barrier with taped, overlapped seams, or an underlay with a built-in film.
Skipping this step is one of the most common reasons we replace basement laminate after only a few years.
Laminate floats, so it moves as one piece with the seasons. We leave a 1/4 to 3/8 inch gap at every wall, pipe and cabinet, hidden under baseboard or quarter round.
End joints are staggered at least 12 inches from row to row. That avoids the repeating H-joints and ladder patterns that make a floor look cheap.
Door casings are undercut with a jamb saw so the planks slide underneath. Very long runs, usually over 40 feet, get a hidden expansion break.
Few installers talk about transitions, but they are where a laminate floor looks finished or looks rushed. We match the moulding to each situation.
We measure heights first so nobody trips on a lip between rooms.
One chipped or swollen plank does not mean a new floor. Near a wall, we unclick the rows and replace the damaged board with a spare.
In the middle of a room, we cut the damaged plank out, trim the locking edge off the replacement and glue it in place. Done well, the repair is invisible.
Keep a box of spare planks after your installation. Colours change between production runs, and a matching board is the key to a clean repair.
These are typical 2026 ranges for Kitchener, Waterloo and nearby towns.
| Item | Typical cost per sq ft |
|---|---|
| Laminate installation labour | $2.00 to $3.50 |
| Laminate material, AC3 to AC4 | $2.00 to $5.00 |
| Underlay or vapour barrier | $0.40 to $1.00 |
| Remove and dispose of old flooring | $0.75 to $1.50 |
Uneven subfloors need grinding or floor levelling before laminate goes down. We quote that separately so you can see it.
Every laminate install includes our 1-year labour warranty. If you are also weighing wood, compare our hardwood floor installation options.
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FAQ
Straight answers to the questions we hear most. Still unsure? Call and ask.
Ask for a Free QuoteLaminate resists scratches from pets and grit better, and it often looks more like real wood. Vinyl plank wins wherever water is a risk.
For main floors with dogs and kids, a water-resistant AC4 laminate is hard to beat. For basements, we lean to vinyl.
We do not recommend it in full bathrooms, even water-resistant laminate. Showers, tub splashes and toilet leaks put standing water at the seams for longer than any rating covers. Vinyl plank or tile is the right choice there.
AC stands for abrasion class. It measures how well the top wear layer resists scuffs and wear, from AC1 for light bedroom use to AC5 for heavy commercial traffic. Most homes need AC3 or AC4.
Usually not a second foam layer, which can make the floor too soft and strain the joints. Over concrete you still need a 6 mil vapour barrier if the attached pad does not include one. We check the manufacturer's rules before adding anything.
Free estimate
Tell us about the floor. We will call to book a time, measure on site, check the subfloor and moisture, and leave you a written quote.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call and speak to a flooring specialist directly.
Kitchener Prestige Flooring
137 Glasgow St, Kitchener, ON N2M 5E3
Monday to Saturday: 7:00am to 9:30pm
Sunday: 9:00am to 9:00pm