Hardwood Refinishing in Scarborough for Bungalows, Rentals and Multi-Unit Buildings

Scarborough grew faster than almost anywhere in Canada after the war: from 56,292 people in 1951 to 334,310 in 1971. The bungalows built in Bendale, Wexford and Guildwood in that boom usually still have solid red oak with plenty of wood left.

Many of those homes are now rentals, so much of our work here is between tenants. A screen and recoat at $2-$3/sq ft keeps a unit leasable, and a full sand is saved for floors worn through to bare wood.

Basements are the other common call. Vinyl plank suits below-grade rooms where solid hardwood would move with the seasons.

Most bungalows built here in the 1950s and 60s have solid 3/4in red oak strip with plenty of wearable wood left, because they have rarely been sanded more than once. Guildwood and Cliffside homes near the Bluffs often have original floors in excellent shape under decades of wax or ambered varnish. A full dustless sand with a 36/60/100 grit progression on the Lagler Trio takes them back to fresh wood.

Rental basements are a different story. Below-grade spaces in Scarborough Village and Bendale are the wrong place for solid hardwood, so we install waterproof LVP over a levelled subfloor at $5-$12/sq ft installed, as we did on a 450 sq ft Bendale basement suite that was ready for its tenant on schedule.

Work here is often time-boxed by a lease date. Our crews reach Bendale, Wexford and Agincourt quickly via the 401 and Kingston Road, and most bungalows have driveway parking for the sander trailer. For rental turnovers we can start Friday evening, screen and recoat or fully sand on Saturday, and have the unit ready for showings by Monday.

That is exactly what happened on an 850 sq ft Bendale rental: tenant out Friday, floors refreshed over the weekend, unit back on the market Monday. Landlords and property managers get COIs within 24 hours, Net-30 invoicing and bulk-unit pricing from $3/sq ft for portfolio contracts.

Homes near the Scarborough Bluffs see damp spring air and wide humidity swings, which shows up as mild cupping on main floors above unheated crawl spaces. We moisture-test before sanding and will not sand cupped boards until they flatten. In winter, salt from Lawrence and Eglinton avenue sidewalks grinds through entry finishes, and a recoat every 3-5 years keeps rentals looking new.