We launched Kite off the back of a frustrating experience trying to find a floor, since then, we’ve helped 100s of families get the perfect floor. Like any new business, in a competitive sector, we’ve had our ups and downs, but we’re pretty damn good at it now, as our reviews back up. We love what we do, and hopefully that comes across in our content, blogs, Instagram and when you meet us at the showroom.
As we’ve started to grow our team, we’ve come across a very important realisation. Our best projects almost always start with a showroom visit. And we thought it would be helpful to explain why this is.
1. Floor Samples
At Kite, we post out samples of our mid-range floors and also our laminates. We don’t post samples of our high-end floors. The reason for this is that samples can be misleading. Any wood floor, especially if it’s rustic (so with knots), will have up to 10% colour variation. We have had people order samples from us, and it just so happens to be the darker part of the floor. They then choose their entire kitchen based on this colour. It’s a rubbish situation. Samples also don’t show the knot filling strategy, grading differences (density of knots), the milling (how the planks slot together). It’s very common that people spend multiple four figures sums on floors, so to not see larger versions of these floors is crazy. You wouldn’t choose a car on this basis? The Online flooring market has evolved to sell through floors through samples, in an effort to hit ever lower price points with fake sales. But it doesn’t work. Trust us. We explore this more fully in our Blog here – Tiny Samples Don’t Work
2. Design Advice
Many of our clients haven’t bought a floor before, and are not working with an Interior Designer. We can advise on plank vs. herringbone, light vs. dark, the dimension of the floors, and the amount of texture. Most of our floors are made to order, so it’s really a question of finding out what will work in your property, and then tailoring the solution. For example, we know a certain size Herringbone works in a 4m wide space. A different one is suitable for a 3m space. We can also advise on the oils that should be used, either surface UV treatments or deeper Hard Wax oils. It can get pretty technical. But with a 30 minute explanation, we can help you navigate what you need to worry about. And what to forget about.
3. Technical Advice
Many of our clients have a contractor. But they are project managing themselves. Sometimes they take advantage of our fitting service. But here’s the truth though. At Kite, last year, we fitted over 100 floors. Each of those will be in different residential scenarios, with different subfloors, different underfloor heating systems, different climatic conditions (….it makes a difference guys…). On all of them we found a solution to make it work. And we can take those lessons to you guys. These lessons will save you £1,000s and a lot of stress. Like the time we stopped a client ordering the wrong underfloor heating system? Or a contractor floating a floor on an uneven subfloor? Or managing the dry times in your concrete screed? The list goes on and on.
This is very different from businesses who don’t fit floors. You will find their marketing teams write blogs (or worse still Chat GPT), and they won’t know anything about flooring (we regularly see some real clangers in these blogs…). Whether you buy a floor through us, or somebody else, our advice is always buy floors through people who actually fit them. If you need to do some research, our flooring guide is a great place to start – Download Floor Guide.
4. Your time is precious
Finally, most of our clients are super busy. I was there once. You have a job, family, and a contractor breathing down your neck, saying you need to make decisions, and you need a product on site. Flooring is another thing to tick off on the to do list. You can order a load of samples, and then hope for the best (don’t do it). You could also trudge round different flooring shops, and view their glossy display stands, with identical yellow floors and grey carpets. Or you could visit us, and we will curate our floors to find you the perfect floor. And as we make our floors to order, anything is possible. And will this be expensive? Well, unlike our competitors, we are completely transparent about every aspect of the production process. Cheaper floors with straightforward oils will be slightly more expensive than our online friends (it’s like comparing a BMW to a banger…). We also have serious floors, but these are seriously beautiful. For those on a budget, we sell premium laminates. We’re mega excited about these, as nobody sells Premium Laminate floors in the UK (for various reasons…), but we think they’re awesome.
In a one hour site meeting at our showroom, you can solve your flooring problem. Tick it off the to do list. Tell your partner you’ve achieved something. And move onto choosing bathrooms.
We’re just off Shoreditch High Street, so you can also grab a pretty decent flat white.
So, what are you waiting for? Join us at our showroom. And solve your flooring problem. You can book an appointment online here
