Custom Installations has spent over 20 years installing hardwood floors on the North Shore, and West Vancouver's building stock — from architect-designed new construction in the British Properties to waterfront character homes in Dundarave — calls for a different level of attention than a standard flooring job. We work in solid hardwood, engineered hardwood, and luxury vinyl plank, and we handle refinishing too, so the same team that installs your floor is the one you call if it ever needs a second life. This is residential work only: no commercial contracts, no big-box volume jobs. Every project is a home, and it's treated like one.
Our installers hold National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) certification, and we build with names like Kentwood, Mohawk, and Timeless, finished with Bona products where a site-finished floor is called for. But the material is never the whole story. Subfloor condition, moisture behaviour, and acclimation are what separate a floor that looks right on day one from a floor that still looks right in year fifteen — and on a West Vancouver property, getting that wrong isn't a minor fix.
Solid Hardwood
Milled from a single piece of wood, solid hardwood can be sanded and refinished multiple times over a 50-to-100-year lifespan, and it's the traditional choice for above-grade living spaces in a custom home. In West Vancouver's coastal climate, species selection and proper acclimation matter more than usual — we'll confirm your space is a genuine fit before we recommend it, particularly on waterfront or view properties where humidity swings are more pronounced.
Engineered Hardwood — including wide-plank European white oak
Engineered hardwood's cross-ply construction gives it far more dimensional stability than solid wood, which makes it the material of choice for most of the custom and estate work we do in West Vancouver — main floors, radiant-heated new builds, and any space where coastal humidity is a factor. It's also where the design-forward options live: wide-plank European white oak, herringbone and chevron patterns, and site-finished custom stain matching to align a new floor with existing millwork, cabinetry, or trim. If your architect or designer has a specific look in mind, this is usually where we land.
Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP)
LVP has improved substantially and remains a practical choice for specific rooms in a custom home — mudrooms, secondary suites, below-grade spaces, or any area where water resistance matters more than the premium look of real wood. We install it selectively rather than positioning it as the default; on a project at this level, it's usually reserved for a supporting role rather than the main event.
Stairs & Transitions
On a custom home, stairs and transitions are a design detail, not an afterthought. Book-matched treads, clean nosing profiles, and transitions between materials — hardwood to stone, hardwood to tile — are planned at the quoting stage so the finished result reads as one continuous, considered space rather than a series of separately installed rooms.
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Nail-down The standard method for solid hardwood over wood subfloors — planks are fastened directly to the subfloor for a firm, solid feel underfoot. The preferred approach for above-grade solid wood installations in custom and character homes alike. |
Glue-down Used for engineered hardwood and LVP over concrete subfloors. Adheres the flooring directly to the substrate, cutting down on movement and sound transmission — relevant for below-grade rooms and radiant-heated slabs in new construction. |
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Floating Planks click together and rest on an underlay without being fastened down. Common for engineered hardwood and LVP, and often the right call over radiant heat where some movement tolerance is useful. |
Subfloor prep & levelling On heritage homes and older construction especially, getting the subfloor flat and dry comes before any product decision matters. We assess and correct high spots, low spots, and moisture issues before a single plank is ordered. |
Most homeowners shopping for a new floor spend their time choosing the right product - the species, the stain, the finish. That part matters. But the quality of the installation is almost entirely determined by what happens before a single plank goes down.
A subfloor that's out of level by even a few millimetres causes hollow spots, movement, and noise. Skip the moisture check in a coastal climate like North Vancouver's and you risk cupping, buckling, and gapping as the seasons change. Rush the acclimation period - the time the flooring material needs to adjust to your home's temperature and humidity before installation - and you're building in problems from day one. Choose the wrong underlay for a condo with an IIC rating requirement and you're looking at a strata complaint.
These aren't rare edge cases. They're the most common reasons floors fail. We check subfloor flatness, assess moisture levels, and confirm the installation method and underlay before we start. It adds time at the front end and it's worth every minute of it.
Why Choose Us?
A meaningful share of our West Vancouver work comes in through the project's architect, interior designer, or general contractor rather than directly from the homeowner — and we treat that relationship as its own discipline, not an afterthought.
That means reviewing flooring specs against the broader design intent before ordering anything, sourcing specific species, widths, or finishes to match a sample board or an existing material palette, and sequencing our work around the other trades on-site so flooring goes in at the right point in a tight construction schedule — not whenever happens to be convenient for us. If you're an architect, designer, or GC evaluating a flooring subcontractor for a high-specification West Vancouver project, we're set up to be the team you don't have to manage closely.
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Waterfront and view properties. Salt air and coastal humidity swings are a real factor on waterfront and near-waterfront lots in Caulfeild, Eagle Harbour, and Altamont — species selection and finish choice need to account for it, not fight it after the fact. |
Radiant heat in new custom builds. New construction in the British Properties and Whitby Estates is frequently built with radiant in-floor heating. Not every hardwood product is rated for it, and the ones that are still need the right acclimation and installation approach to avoid gapping as the system cycles. |
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Steep and sloped-lot access. A large share of West Vancouver sits on engineered hillside terrain. Material delivery, staging, and site logistics on a steep or gated lot take real planning — we scope this at the outset rather than discovering it on install day. |
Heritage homes with original subfloors. Character homes in Dundarave and Ambleside often have original subfloors that were never built for a modern wide-plank floor to lie flat against. Subfloor correction — levelling, moisture assessment, sometimes a full subfloor replacement — is usually the real work behind a floor that looks effortless. |
We install hardwood flooring throughout West Vancouver, from village-core character homes to hillside estates, including:
Waterfront and near-waterfront properties in Caulfeild, Eagle Harbour, and Altamont bring salt air and humidity considerations into the material conversation. Hillside estates in the British Properties and Whitby Estates are frequently new construction with radiant heat. Character homes in Dundarave and Ambleside usually mean a subfloor assessment before anything else. Wherever your property falls, we've likely already solved for the conditions it comes with.
We also serve North Vancouver, Vancouver, Coquitlam, and communities throughout the Lower Mainland. Not sure if we cover your address? Call 604-818-4053.
We are extremely happy with the work done by Custom Installations! They repaired the laminate flooring in our living room and installed new tiles in the entryway- we couldn’t be happier with the results. They were reliable, professional, and responded to all our inquiries promptly.
For most new custom builds, engineered hardwood — particularly wide-plank European white oak — is the strongest fit. Its stability handles coastal humidity and radiant heat better than solid wood, and it's the material most design-forward projects are already specifying. That said, the right answer depends on your subfloor, your heating system, and the look you're after — we'll give you a straight recommendation once we've seen the space.
Yes. Matching an existing wide-plank width, stain, or herringbone/chevron pattern for a renovation or addition is a common request on West Vancouver projects, and it's exactly the kind of work our site-finishing process is built for. Bring us a sample or a photo and we'll tell you what's achievable.
Not every hardwood product is rated for radiant heat, and even the ones that are need proper acclimation and the right installation method to avoid gapping as the system cycles through heating seasons. We confirm compatibility with your specific system before recommending a product — this is a standard part of our process on new West Vancouver builds.
A typical single-level installation takes two to four days, including prep, installation, and finishing details. Site-finished floors (sanded and coated on-site) require additional time for coats to dry between applications. We'll give you a clear timeline at the quoting stage.
Regularly. We review specs against the design intent, source specific species and finishes to match a sample or palette, and sequence our work around the rest of the trades on-site. If you're managing a project team and evaluating flooring subcontractors, we're comfortable being the team you don't have to hand-hold.
Waterfront and near-waterfront properties see more pronounced humidity swings and salt air exposure, both of which affect species selection, acclimation time, and finish choice. We factor this in at the recommendation stage rather than treating every West Vancouver property the same.
A single-room renovation typically runs two to four days including prep and finishing. A full custom home installation depends heavily on square footage, pattern complexity (herringbone and chevron take longer than straight-lay), and whether floors are site-finished — we'll give you a realistic timeline once we've scoped the project.
Because most of our West Vancouver work involves wide-plank material, custom patterns, or site-finishing, costs vary more than a simple per-square-foot number can capture. Every project here is quoted individually once we've seen the space and discussed material and finish — send a few photos and we'll walk you through it.
Whether you're flooring a new custom build, matching an existing pattern for a renovation, or restoring a heritage-era home near the seawall, send us a few photos and tell us what you're working with. We'll give you an honest assessment, a realistic timeline, and a detailed quote.
Serving West Vancouver, North Vancouver, and the Lower Mainland. NWFA-certified installers. 20+ years on the North Shore.