Flooring Companies in Ottawa

Floor tiles are on Health Canada's list

Health Canada names floor and ceiling tiles among the materials in Canadian homes that may contain asbestos, alongside cement and plaster, house siding, roofing products, drywall, caulking, sealants and insulation around hot water pipes and tanks.

The risk is not the material sitting there. It is the work: drilling, sawing, sanding, scraping, removing and breaking apart are the activities Health Canada names. Where asbestos-containing material is left undisturbed, sealed behind walls and floorboards, or tightly bound in products in good condition, the risk is minimal.

Its instruction before a renovation is direct: hire a professional to test for asbestos before renovating or remodelling, and if it is found, hire a qualified asbestos removal specialist to remove it safely. On a floor that is going to be lifted rather than covered, that test belongs in the schedule before the quote is accepted.

The pre-1990 question applies to the trim as well

A floor replacement usually means baseboards come off and go back on, often repainted. Health Canada's build-year thresholds apply there: a home built before 1960 probably contains lead-based paint, and one built between 1960 and 1990 may contain it, with interior surfaces holding smaller but still harmful amounts.

The same tools are ruled out for the same reason. Do not use sanders, heat guns or blowlamps on lead-based paint, because they create toxic dust and fumes. If old trim is being stripped rather than replaced, that is a decision worth making deliberately.

Heated floors are electrical work

Electric in-floor heating is wiring under a finish, which makes it electrical work rather than flooring work. In Ontario only a Licensed Electrical Contractor may be hired to do electrical work, it carries a seven-digit ECRA/ESA licence number, and it files the notification of work with the Electrical Safety Authority before the work starts.

This matters more under a floor than almost anywhere else, because the inspection window closes when the tile goes down. The Electrical Safety Authority also lists a contractor who offers flooring alongside electrical work as a warning sign, which is worth knowing when one company quotes both.

The rest of the scope

1. Ask whether the quote includes removal and disposal of the old floor, and where it goes. Material identified as containing asbestos is not general waste.
2. Ask what happens if something unexpected is found under the existing covering, and who carries that cost.
3. Confirm whether any wall is being moved, because a building permit is required for an installation, erection, extension, or material alteration or repair.
4. Get the estimate into the contract. The final price cannot be more than ten per cent above a written estimate in the contract unless you agree to a change and sign it.