Why We Refuse to Open a Showroom (And How It Saves You Thousands)

📖 8 min read

Every few months, someone asks us the same question: "When are you opening a showroom?"

And every time, I give them the same answer: Never.

Not because we can't afford one. Not because we're lazy. And definitely not because we don't care about our customers seeing and feeling our products before they buy.

We refuse to open a showroom because it would force us to raise our prices by 30-40%. And frankly, I think that's a rip-off.

Let me explain.

The True Cost of a Flooring Showroom

I've worked in the flooring industry for over 15 years. I've seen the inside of the business – the wholesale side, the retail side, and everything in between. And I can tell you exactly what it costs to run a showroom in Australia.

Let's look at a modest flooring showroom – nothing fancy, just a standard retail space in a suburban industrial area:

That's roughly $270,000 to $426,000 per year – just to keep the lights on and have someone there to greet you.

And that's a modest operation. The big flooring retailers? They're spending double or triple that on prime retail locations, multiple staff, flashy displays, and endless samples that get scuffed up and need replacing.

Guess Who Pays for All That?

Here's the thing that nobody in retail wants to admit: showrooms don't make money. Customers make money.

Every single dollar spent on rent, staff, electricity, and those giant sample boards? It gets added to the price of the flooring you buy.

That's not a small difference. On a 100m² home, we're talking $2,000 to $3,000 in savings. That's a holiday. That's new appliances. That's money in your pocket instead of paying for someone else's rent.

How We Actually Run This Business

Instead of a showroom, here's what we do:

We buy direct from manufacturers. We store in a warehouse. We ship to your door. That's it.

No fancy showroom. No sales people working on commission trying to upsell you. No overpriced coffee machine in the corner (although I do love a good flat white).

Just flooring, shipped direct, at the lowest price we can manage while still running a sustainable business.

Let's Do the Maths

Here's a real comparison. Same quality hybrid flooring – 6.5mm SPC with 0.5mm wear layer and pre-attached IXPE underlay:

I'm not making these numbers up. Go and get quotes. Compare them to our prices. The maths speaks for itself.

Why Samples Are Actually Better Than Showrooms

Here's something the showroom retailers don't want you to know: a showroom is a terrible way to choose flooring.

Think about it:

• Showroom lighting is designed to make floors look good. Your home lighting is... whatever you've got.
• You're looking at samples vertically on a wall. You'll live with floors horizontally on the ground.
• Showrooms use small sample boards. You need to see how a floor looks in a larger area.
• Your paint colours, furniture, and natural light? Not in that showroom.

Our free samples are actual planks from the same batches we sell. Not special "showroom quality" pieces – the real thing. Put them in your home, see them in your light, against your walls, next to your furniture.

That's a way better decision than anything a showroom can offer.

The Dirty Secret Flooring Retailers Won't Tell You

Alright, I'm going to share something that might ruffle some feathers in the industry.

Most flooring showrooms sell the exact same products from the exact same factories.

That premium hybrid floor you're looking at in the fancy showroom? There's a very good chance it came from the same Chinese or Vietnamese factory as ours. Maybe even from the same production run.

The difference? Their logo printed on the box. Their showroom costs added to the price. Their sales staff commission baked in.

You're not paying for better flooring. You're paying for their business model.

We don't rebrand our products. We tell you exactly what you're getting: the specifications, the factory, the materials. No mystery, no markup for marketing fluff.

"But I Want to See It In Person!"

I get it. Buying flooring online feels risky. It's a big purchase and you want to be sure.

Here's what I tell people:

1. Order samples first. They're free. You've got nothing to lose.
2. Call us. Actually call. Ask questions. We'll talk you through options, help you calculate quantities, and give you honest advice – even if that means recommending something cheaper.
3. Read our reviews. We've shipped thousands of orders. Our customers aren't shy about sharing their experiences.
4. Understand our returns policy. If something's genuinely wrong, we'll make it right.

And here's the thing: the money you save gives you a buffer.

If you're saving $3,000+ compared to a showroom, and for some reason you don't love the floor when it arrives (rare, but it happens), you can still afford to order something different and still come out ahead. That's not a risk – that's a safety net.

The Bottom Line

We could open a showroom. We'd look more "legitimate" to some people. We could put up fancy displays, hire sales staff, and offer you a mediocre coffee while you browse.

And then we'd have to charge you an extra $20-30 per square metre to pay for it all.

That's not a trade-off I'm willing to make. And based on the thousands of customers who've bought from us, it's not one you need to make either.

We'd rather give you the savings.

That's why we'll never open a showroom.

Questions? Give us a call on 0406 304 357 or send us a message. We're always happy to chat – even if you just want to vent about showroom prices.

Last updated: January 2026 · Written by the team at Hybrid Floors Australia