Flooring and tiles retail is dominated by two pricing models: price per square metre (for tiles, laminate, LVT) and price per pack or board (for engineered wood, solid wood). Customers typically calculate the area they need and buy by pack or box. Sample ordering is critical in this category — customers rarely buy flooring blind. Migrating to Shopify requires handling the area-based buying process and carrying detailed technical specifications.

Flooring product categories

Porcelain and ceramic tiles: Floor and wall tiles. Size, R-rating (slip resistance), PEI rating (wear resistance), indoor/outdoor.
Natural stone: Marble, slate, limestone, travertine. Finish (polished, honed, brushed), sealant requirement.
Engineered wood flooring: Top layer species, core material, plank width and length, wear layer thickness.
Solid wood flooring: Species, grade, finish, width. Pre-finished vs unfinished.
Laminate: AC rating (wear resistance), thickness, waterproof or water-resistant.
Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) / Vinyl plank: Wear layer thickness, waterproof, underfloor heating compatible.
Carpet: Pile type, twist, fibre content, weight. Usually sold per linear metre (cut to customer's specified length).
Outdoor paving: Porcelain paving slabs, natural stone paving. Frost-resistant, slip resistance rating.
Underlay and accessories: Underlay, adhesive, grout, trim profiles, tools.

Square metre pricing

Tiles and many hard floor products are priced per m², but sold in packs/boxes covering a specific area. The buying process:

Customer measures their room (m²), adds 10–15% for waste
Divides by coverage per box to determine boxes needed
Shopify handles this as standard: set price as "per box," include coverage per box prominently (as a metafield, in the product title, and in the description)
A calculator: add a custom area calculator to the product page using a Shopify app (like Quantity Calculator or a custom liquid snippet) that takes room dimensions and recommends number of boxes

product.metafields.flooring.coverage_per_box_sqm = "1.44"
product.metafields.flooring.tiles_per_box = "6"
product.metafields.flooring.price_per_sqm = "24.99"         // display only; sold per box
product.metafields.flooring.tile_size_mm = "600x600"
product.metafields.flooring.thickness_mm = "10"

Technical specifications

product.metafields.flooring.material = "Porcelain / Ceramic / Marble / Slate / Engineered Oak / LVT"
product.metafields.flooring.finish = "Matt / Polished / Satin / Honed / Brushed / Textured"
product.metafields.flooring.r_rating = "R9 / R10 / R11 / R12"    // slip resistance (DIN 51130)
product.metafields.flooring.pei_rating = "PEI I / PEI II / PEI III / PEI IV / PEI V"  // wear resistance
product.metafields.flooring.suitable_underfloor_heating = "true"
product.metafields.flooring.frost_resistant = "true"              // for outdoor
product.metafields.flooring.water_resistant = "true"
product.metafields.flooring.wear_layer_mm = "0.55"               // LVT wear layer
product.metafields.flooring.ac_rating = "AC4 / AC5"              // laminate wear class

Sample ordering

Flooring is a category where sample ordering significantly reduces returns and increases conversion. Options:

Create a "Flooring sample" product for each flooring product at £0 or a small charge (£1–5) with a limit per customer
Link from the main product page: "Order a free sample" button linking to the sample variant or product
Sample order management: tag sample orders separately for fulfilment routing
Limit samples per customer: use a free sample limit app (e.g. SC Cart Limit) to enforce a maximum of 5 samples per order

Colour and shade variants in natural materials

Natural stone and wood flooring are subject to natural variation in colour and shade. Display guidance:

Images should show multiple pieces/tiles together to represent the range of natural variation
State clearly in product description: "As a natural product, colour and veining will vary"
Shade batches/dye lots: if your warehouse holds product from multiple shade batches, note the batch code as a metafield for order management

Heavy goods delivery

Tiles and flooring are extremely heavy — a pallet of porcelain tiles can weigh 800–1,000kg:

Assign tiles and hard flooring to a pallet/freight shipping profile
Kerbside pallet delivery (not room of choice) is typical for heavy flooring; state this clearly
Note on product page that a responsible adult must be present to accept pallet deliveries

Post-migration checklist for flooring and tiles stores

Coverage per box (m²) displayed prominently on all tiles and hard floor products
Price per m² calculated and shown (even if sold per box)
Area calculator: configured on product pages for room dimension to box count calculation
Technical specs: R-rating, PEI rating, wear layer, AC rating as metafields
Underfloor heating compatibility as metafield
Sample ordering: sample product or variant created for key lines
Shade/batch variation: natural material variation note in all stone and wood descriptions
Freight shipping profile: tiles and heavy flooring assigned
Outdoor products: frost resistance confirmed and displayed

Migrating a flooring and tiles store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)