When do Victorians buy new floors? The seasonal pattern

Victorians shop for new floors most in spring. In the quotes issued by our three company showrooms, in Dandenong, Werribee and Thomastown, October was the busiest month on average from 2023 to 2025, at about 25% above an average month. September came next, at about 20% above. February was the quietest, at about 20% below.

That makes the pattern easy to remember: the three busiest months are the three months of spring, and the three quietest are the three months of summer. This guide sets out the month-by-month figures, the likely reasons behind them, and what they mean if you're planning new floors or thinking about running a flooring showroom.

The short version. Spring is peak season for new floors. Across our three Melbourne showrooms, October runs about 25% above an average month and September about 20% above, while summer is the quietest season, with February about 20% below. If you want new floors before Christmas, start early in spring. If your timing is flexible, the quieter months are a calm time to compare and plan.

What's the busiest time of year for flooring?

Spring, and October in particular. Here's how each month compared with an average month, across the quotes our showrooms issued in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Figures are rounded to the nearest 5%. Put another way, an average October brings roughly one and a half times as many quotes as an average February (our calculation from the rounded figures).

Three things stand out:

• Spring leads. September, October and November are the only months more than 5% above average.
• Summer is the low point. December, January and February are all at least 15% below average.
• The rest of the year is steady. From March to August, every month sits within 5% of average, so the year is really one peak, one trough and a long, even middle.

It's an average of three years, so read it as a pattern, not a rule: in one of those years, for example, December was busier than average.

Why is spring the busiest time for new floors?

We can see when people ask for quotes, not why, so these are likely reasons rather than proven causes.

• It's the property market's busy season. PropTrack, which tracks homes listed for sale, notes that October is typically the busiest month for Melbourne's market, and at the start of spring 2025, Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) pointed to the usual spring upswing in new listings. People preparing to sell often freshen up the floors first, and new owners often replace them soon after they move in.
• It's renovating season. Longer days and milder weather tend to get people started on the projects they thought about over winter.
• Christmas is a deadline. Many people want new floors down before Christmas and summer entertaining, and that means choosing, measuring and ordering in spring.

That deadline may also explain why November, while still busy at about 10% above average, sits well below October. By then, some people may decide Christmas is too close and wait for the new year.

What happens in summer, autumn and winter?

December and January both sit about 15% below an average month. By December, many of the people who wanted floors for Christmas have likely been quoted already. Then, from Christmas to late January, home projects tend to wait: many people take a break or go away, and Victoria's government school summer holidays run from just before Christmas until late January.

February is quieter still, at about 20% below. Part of that is the calendar: it's the shortest month, so it simply has fewer days. Beyond that, a likely reason is the back-to-school, back-to-work rush, when new floors slip down the to-do list.

Autumn and winter are steadier. March and April run about 5% below average, May and June about average, and July and August about 5% above. A likely reason for the small winter lift is that cold weather keeps people indoors, where they notice tired carpet or cold, hard floors, and some are getting ahead of spring. Differences of 5% are small, though, so we wouldn't read much into any single month in this stretch.

So when is the best time to buy flooring?

It depends on when you need the floors down. Here's how we'd use the pattern:

• Want new floors before Christmas? Start in early spring. Visit a showroom and book your measure in September or early October. With so many people wanting floors down for Christmas, installers' diaries tend to fill in the lead-up to the holidays, so leaving it until late November can narrow your options.
• Flexible on timing? Use the quiet months to plan. Every month from December to April sits below average, which makes it a good stretch to compare ranges, see samples in your own light and get quotes without a deadline hanging over you.
• Selling in spring? Plan new floors in winter, so they're down before the photos and inspections.

Our figures show when people shop for floors, not what floors cost, so we can't tell you that prices are lower, or installs quicker, in any particular month. Those depend on the product, supplier lead times and the job itself, though starting early usually leaves more room to choose.

How does seasonality affect a flooring business?

For a showroom owner, the pattern is a planning calendar: the spring peak and the summer trough are regular enough to plan around, even though every year differs a little.

• Staffing and rosters. Plan for a full team from September to November, and schedule annual leave, training and catch-up work for the quieter months, especially January and February. Our showrooms trade 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, so every week needs a roster that covers the floor.
• Installer scheduling. The pre-Christmas rush is when installers book up, so line up installer capacity before spring and be clear with customers about timing. Our back office support covers payables, receivables and job dispatch for a small fee, which helps when the diary is full.
• Stock and displays. Refresh displays and samples before the spring rush. In our model, customer orders are drop-shipped to site at national pricing, so getting ready for spring is more about displays, samples and people than shelf space.
• Marketing timing. Be visible in late winter, when people start planning spring projects, and use the quiet months for reviews, follow-ups and local relationships. National Floors puts $500K a year into national marketing, and franchise owners spend $1,500 or 2% of sales on local marketing in their territory, whichever is greater. Automatic follow-ups help stop summer enquiries from going cold.
• Cash planning. Rent and wages don't take January off. A busy quoting month comes before the installs that follow it, so plan your cash across the whole year, summer lull included, rather than month to month. Our coaching includes KPI dashboards, quarterly reviews and peer groups, which help you see the quieter stretch coming.

Talk to your accountant about planning your own cash flow. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.

For more on running a showroom through the year, a week in a flooring showroom shows the weekly rhythm, and how long it takes to open a flooring showroom covers the steps to opening day. If you're still deciding how to get into the trade, start with our guide to a showroom or a van.

How we put these figures together

We counted the quotes our three company showrooms, in Dandenong, Werribee and Thomastown, issued in each calendar month of 2023, 2024 and 2025. For each year, we compared every month's count with that year's monthly average. Then we averaged each month across the three years and rounded to the nearest 5%. Comparing each month with its own year's average stops a busier year from skewing the pattern.

A few cautions:

• Quotes aren't sales. Quotes follow customers' requests, so they're an early sign of when people are shopping for floors.
• It varies from year to year. In one of the three years, December was busier than average.
• It's a Melbourne pattern. All three showrooms are in metropolitan Melbourne, and Warragul, our newest showroom, isn't included. Regional towns may run a little later: PropTrack notes that in regional areas, November rather than October is typically the busiest month of the spring selling season.

If you're looking at regional Victoria, our guide to where regional Victoria is growing covers population and new homes in 11 areas, and the open territories each cover roughly a 60-minute drive. You can check whether your area is open in about two minutes.

Questions

What is the busiest month for flooring in Victoria?

Averaged over 2023 to 2025, October was the busiest month for quotes at our three Melbourne showrooms, about 25% above an average month. September was next, about 20% above.

When is the quietest time of year for flooring?

February, about 20% below an average month, followed by December and January, each about 15% below. Summer is the quietest season overall.

When is the best time to renovate floors?

If you want new floors before Christmas, start in early spring, because installers book up in the lead-up to the holidays. If your timing is flexible, the quieter months from December to April are a good time to compare options and plan.

Is flooring cheaper in the quiet months?

We can't say. Our figures show when people shop for floors, not what floors cost, and prices depend on the product, the supplier and the job.

Does every year follow the same pattern?

Not exactly. These figures average three years, and individual months move around: in one of those years, December was busier than average. Treat it as a pattern, not a rule.

Sources

• National Floors quotes, 2023 to 2025: quotes issued each month by our Dandenong, Werribee and Thomastown showrooms, compared with each year's monthly average
• PropTrack: Listings Report, October 2023
• Cotality: Housing values bloom ahead of what is likely to be a very active spring selling season (September 2025)
• Victorian Government: School term dates and holidays in Victoria
• National Floors franchise opportunity: showrooms, marketing, fees and support