Flooret, a direct-to-consumer flooring company based in San Diego, California, sees opportunity in its buy-direct business model—to offer more affordable flooring products without the need for a middleman. With a warehouse on the West Coast in Lacey, Washington and one on the East Coast in Smithville, Tennessee, the company is poised to service anyone nationwide.
In addition to cutting out the middleman, “we often found that salespeople in big box stores only know ‘a little bit’ about the floors they sold, which wasn't really good representation,” said Chesirée Katter, community manager, Flooret. “There is no sales staff, so there are no additional costs like commission increasing the price."
Flooret sources its flooring from the U.S., Asia and Europe. Two DIY-friendly collections are currently offered.
Silvan is a resilient hardwood collection made using 100% FSC-certified hardwood and is Greenguard Gold certified. It is designed with a 0.6 mm hardwood wear layer on five wood-look options, utilizing a drop-click system.
Modin is Flooret’s rigid plank collection with an SPC core and click system. It is FloorScore and Assure certified. Available in 11 wood looks, ranging from natural to a deep brown, with a 20-mil wear layer and a pre-attached underlayment. Two commercial-grade options are also available with a 40-mil wear layer.
According to Katter, around 50% of their customer base uses a flooring installer. “We have a database of installers, many of whom have previously worked with our products,” she said. “When a customer contacts us, we take a look at our database/map to see if any of these installers are in the customer's area. Many of the database entries have notes that include feedback about the installer from previous customers, which projects the installer has worked on before, and how many years of experience they have. While most of the installers we recommend have previous experience working with our products, we don’t endorse them nor are they affiliated with Flooret.”
Flooret has a support team that is knowledgeable about flooring and is available by phone rather than utilizing an automated service or website form. “It's not uncommon to pick up the phone on separate days and talk to the same member of our team both times,” said Katter.
The company has a flat shipping rate of $199 for anywhere in the continental U.S. “We take a bit of a loss doing this,” said Katter. “But we don't think you should have to pay astronomical prices just because you want the best flooring for your home or project.”
According to Katter, Flooret will ship to Alaska and Hawaii but assistance by a freight forwarder is needed. The Flooret team can help with that as well.
If your flooring arrives damaged, customers must send photos or video of the damaged delivery. Flooret says it will do what is needed to make it right. If a customer simply changes their mind, Flooret allows six months to return the product no questions asked.
For more information on Flooret, click here.
