Blog / Flooring
Shaw Flooring Review (2026)
An installer’s look at Shaw flooring: 505 products across Floorté, EPIC Plus and engineered hardwood, and what each costs installed in Toronto.
Quick answer
Where the numbers come from
Every figure below comes from the spec sheets of the 505 Shaw products on our site as of September 2026. Where a sheet does not state something, we say so rather than fill the gap. We have not run our own wear tests and we do not give star ratings. Individual collections vary and every product page shows its own numbers.
The range side by side
Floorté and EPIC are not the same thing
This trips people up more than anything else about Shaw. Floorté is vinyl – a rigid SPC or WPC core with a printed layer and a clear wear film on top. EPIC Plus is engineered hardwood, with a real wood veneer. Both are Shaw, both come in similar colours, and the boxes look alike on a showroom floor.
The practical difference is water and repair. Floorté handles a burst dishwasher; EPIC Plus does not. EPIC Plus can be sanded and refinished depending on veneer; Floorté never can. If someone quotes you “Shaw flooring” without saying which, ask.
What the four-way installation spec really means
217 hardwood sheets list nail, staple, glue or float. That flexibility is genuinely useful – it means the same product can go over plywood upstairs and over concrete in a basement – but it is also where quotes diverge. Nailing and gluing cost $4.90 per square foot; floating the identical board costs $3.20. Same box, different number, decided entirely by your subfloor.
We work out which method your floor needs when we measure, and the quote says which one it assumes.
What to check before you buy
Which family. Floorté is vinyl, EPIC Plus and The Gallery are wood. The name does not say so.
The wear layer, on vinyl only. 12 mil is thin for a hallway; 20 mil is the sensible default; 30 mil is for commercial traffic.
Width against your room. Much of the range is 7 or 9 inch. Wide boards show an out-of-square wall, which most Toronto houses have.
What it costs installed
Floating laminate and click vinyl are from $3.20 per square foot, glue-down vinyl from $5.50 including glue, and engineered hardwood nailed or glued from $4.90 including glue and nails. Engineered that only clicks and floats is from $3.20. Taking up your old floor is included, the floor itself is priced on top, and the full list is on our flooring installation cost page. For how we install it, see our pages on vinyl flooring installation in Toronto and engineered hardwood installation in Toronto.
Browse Shaw vinyl and Shaw engineered hardwood, or compare with our COREtec versus Shaw Floorté comparison. Send us your square footage for a free quote.
Examples from the collections above: Riverbend 07142 No Collection, Roosevelt 05014 Shaw Engineered Hardwoods SW663 05014 and Bravura 07122 The Gallery.
Buying Shaw flooring in Toronto
Shaw in Toronto: we hold the engineered hardwood and vinyl and our own crews do the installing across the GTA. Jobs have taken our crews as far as Wasaga Beach, Niagara Falls and Castleton. Give us your square footage and we will price the floor and the fitting together, in writing, after a free measure.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shaw Floorté waterproof?
The Floorté lines are rigid vinyl built for wet areas, and the Repel Collection is specifically finished for water resistance. Shaw engineered hardwood is not a waterproof floor. Check which family your product belongs to, because both sit under the Shaw name.
What is the difference between Floorté Pro and Floorté Classic?
Both are rigid vinyl. Pro generally uses an SPC core and Classic a WPC core – SPC is harder and more dimensionally stable, WPC is softer and warmer underfoot. Wear layers and sizes vary by collection, so compare the individual sheets rather than the family name.
Can Shaw engineered hardwood be floated over concrete?
Most sheets allow nail, staple, glue or float, so yes in principle. On a slab we would usually glue or float, and we test the concrete for moisture and flatness while we measure. Floating is also the cheaper installation at $3.20 rather than $4.90.
How thick is the Shaw wear layer?
20 mil on most vinyl, 30 mil on the premium lines and 12 mil on the entry ones. On the engineered hardwood the equivalent figure is the wood veneer, measured in millimetres, which is a different thing entirely and decides whether the floor can be refinished.
Is Shaw good for a rental or a busy house?
The 20 mil and 30 mil Floorté lines with ScuffResist are the ones we would put in a rental or a house with dogs. Avoid the 12 mil entry lines in a hallway – they are fine in a spare bedroom and thin everywhere else.
Keep reading