Fast Fashion and Flooring |
| Jessica Bruno — September 23, 2025 |
You finally found it: THE perfect flooring. It was at a box store, but all the specs looked good. You put it in several rooms. Not really wanting to change out that last one. A few years pass and now you want to do that last room. You go to the same box store, receipt in hand and ask if they have 6 more boxes. No, sorry, we discontinued that 2 years ago. But I ONLY need 6 boxes!! A frantic search ensues to no avail. Now what??
Sadly, this scenario has played out ever since the big box stores got into the flooring business. We hear about fast fashion in clothing – you can’t find that same shirt this year that you LOVED last year. The same happens with box store flooring. We’ll leave the carpet out of this conversation, there are only 3 major carpet manufacturers and while it seems like box stores have something different, take that sample to a retailer and they’ll be able to exactly match it (may save you some money too). Most of the hard surface flooring in the box stores (I’m referring to Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, Floor and Decor), are fast fashion floors or tiles. They have just the perfect mix of brown and gray or the perfect marble design.
As someone who has worked in flooring retail for several years, I completely understand the draw to these items. They have on-trend colors, are at a good price point, and are readily available. The frustration for someone working in a retail store – these products are not available to me. While they are, again, usually made by the major manufacturers, they make them specifically for box stores.
When looking at flooring in a box store, the specs to check on these floors to understand why they meet that price point are:
- Thickness and size of the product
- Wear layer thickness
- Pattern repeat
Most products sold through a retailer are going to be a minimum of 5 millimeters (mm) thick with an attached underlayment pad. Lots of box store products will be 3 to 4 mm thick with an attached pad. The thickness may not seem like much, 1 mm is 1/32 inch (about the thickness of a credit card), but less material means less price. In this inspector’s opinion, thinner material cores (especially the denser SPC cores) have the tendency to curl more; they are not as stable as a thicker core.
Size of the plank is also where they save money. A recent search of box store products shows several wide plank floors available – 7 inches or wider by 48 inches long. Most retailer lines will increase the length of the plank when the width increases. A 9 inch wide plank will be 60 to 72 inches long, giving a better visual.
The wear layer thickness is another place companies will save money. While some manufacturers have changed this, they were primarily 6 mil wear layers, rather than a retailer minimum of 12 to 20 mil (20 mil is a commercial rating). The wear layer thickness is where durability comes in. The thicker the wear layer, the harder it is to scratch or wear through. This is the same for some tiles, the manufacturers will apply fewer finish coatings on them. Mils are significantly thinner than millimeters (6 mils is a trash bag, 10 mils is a credit card), so it may not seem like much, but 6 mils is half of 12 mils so the amount of aluminum oxide (the hard stuff that makes the wear layer durable) will be less.
Pattern repeat is the biggest way companies will save money. A brief understanding of how these products are made: A sheet of the vinyl base goes through a machine that puts a sheet of patterned décor layer and wear layer on it. It is then laminated together under heat and pressure. These large sheets are then cut to size with a locking mechanism. Each décor layer sheet has a specific number of patterns on it. Box stores may get only one sheet of pattern while a retail store will get 3 to 4. The same goes for tile. If you look closely at the pattern on a box store tile, it will appear more pixilated than a retail store tile.
Looking at fast fashion as a whole (flooring, clothing, furniture) we need to look at the environmental impact. While there are some programs in place to help reduce the impact of these products filling up landfills, the reach is not significant yet (see more here, and here). Many manufacturers do have recycling programs for carpet tiles and some glue down vinyl products, which are helpful for commercial jobs, but do not help a homeowner. Finding a recycling program for carpet in your state (unless you are in California) may be non-existent. Recycling programs for vinyl flooring are in the very beginning stages, if at all possible. There are some great companies working towards eliminating these products going to a landfill, but until the impact becomes widespread, it will be hard to find another alternative to disposing of these products.
While there are customers who will change out their floorings in the trend of every 8 to 10 years, a more traditional and transitional look can help a homeowner keep their flooring longer, keeping it out of the landfill. Many customers realize paint is much less expensive than re-flooring the space. If the flooring has a more traditional look, they will be able to design and remodel around the floor. A recent study said most homeowners are not looking to move out of their homes for an extended period of time (source). Going with a flexible look will allow the homeowner to refresh their design over their existing floor many times before needing replaced. |
So, what’s the point?The reason I’m telling you this is to make you a more informed consumer and to understand the impact of fast fashion. Box store products may look good and be at the right price point and are available today, however, understand what you’re getting and the limitations those floors have. |
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| Flooring retail stores have more variety – even if a store only carries 2 or 3 brands, the selection is significantly larger than the 5 a box store has. The only time a flooring retailer will discontinue a product is when the manufacturer does. While floorings are discontinued, it is usually in the lifecycle of trends, about every 6 to 8 years. Going with a more traditional look will allow a customer to keep their floor for longer and keep it out of the landfill. |
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