Flooring in Redstone
Redstone is one of the newest communities in Calgary’s northeast, built through the 2010s and 2020s. Like the rest of the quadrant it has larger-than-average households, and it also has a high proportion of homes either built with, or planned for, a legal secondary suite.
That single fact changes how we approach flooring here. A suite is not simply a finished basement — it is a separate dwelling with permit requirements, tenants and a different economic logic. The flooring decisions follow from that.
What the Homes Are Like Here
Housing is recent: detached homes, duplexes and townhomes with open main floors, bedrooms upstairs, and basements that range from unfinished to fully developed suites with their own entrance and kitchen.
Because construction is new, the structure is straightforward. Slabs and subfloors are flat and sound, though both still get checked: new concrete releases moisture for a long time, and new framing shrinks enough in its first years to loosen subfloor fasteners.
The Flooring Work We Do in Redstone
- Suite-ready basement floors, coordinated with permit drawings.
- Builder-grade upgrades on main floors and stairs.
- Rental turnovers and repairs between tenants.
- Entry and mudroom tile for northeast winters.
- Squeak repairs during flooring replacement.
A Suite Floor Has Three Jobs
It has to survive tenants. That means waterproof, dent-resistant and easy to clean. Vinyl plank with a 20 mil wear layer is the standard for good reason: spills, mopping and furniture moves do not damage it the way they damage carpet or laminate.
It has to be repairable. Over a decade a suite will have several tenants, and something will get damaged. A plank floor lets you replace the affected area; sheet goods and carpet mean redoing the room. Keeping spare planks from the original lot turns a repair into an hour of work.
It has to fit the permit. Floor height affects door clearances and the height to egress window sills, and the floor assembly is part of the sound separation between dwellings. Those requirements come from the drawings, and the floor is built to suit them rather than the other way around.
Heights Matter More in a Suite
In a regular basement, adding an insulated subfloor panel system for warmth is a comfort decision. In a suite, it is a compliance decision too, because it raises the finished floor by roughly an inch and changes every clearance measured from that floor.
We calculate finished heights before ordering anything and flag any conflict with doors, stairs or egress windows while it is still a drawing rather than a problem. Where warmth matters and height is tight, there are thinner options that get part of the benefit without the same height penalty.
Two Households, One Building
When a home has a suite, two families share one structure — and flooring is one of the few finishes that affects both at once.
Sound is the obvious point. Footsteps on the main floor are heard in the suite below, and the floor assembly is what sits between them. Carpet on the stairs, a quality attached pad or specified acoustic underlay under hard flooring, and baseboard fastened to the wall rather than through a floating floor all reduce that transmission measurably.
Practicality is the second point. Two kitchens and two bathrooms mean twice the opportunities for a leak, and a waterproof floor in both dwellings turns what could be a major repair into a mop and a fan. It is also worth agreeing early who handles flooring damage in the tenancy agreement, because a clear expectation prevents an awkward conversation later.
Floors That Suit Redstone Homes
- Luxury vinyl plank in suites, basements and main floors.
- SPC flooring where durability is the priority.
- Porcelain tile in entries, bathrooms and suite kitchens.
- Carpet in owner-occupied bedrooms and on stairs.
Pricing in Redstone
Pricing is the same across the city: vinyl plank $8 to $15 per square foot installed, porcelain tile $8 to $15, carpet $4 to $8, with removal at $0.50 to $3, preparation at $1 to $4 per square foot where needed, and stairs priced per step. Suite projects are itemized separately from the main home so the costs can be tracked independently. See the Calgary flooring cost guide.