Are Flooring Samples Free at Lowes?
Lowes offers small flooring chip samples free; larger take-home samples or full planks usually cost $5 to $15, often credited back at install.
Quick Answer
Small chip samples (typically 2 by 3 inch swatches) of carpet, vinyl, laminate and hardwood are free at Lowes stores and on Lowes.com (you pay only shipping if ordered online). Larger take-home samples , full 5 by 7 inch chips or full-plank samples , usually cost $5 to $15, with most stores crediting the cost back if you place an installation order.
Sample policies vary by region and brand, so policies are not uniform across every store.
What You Get For Free
- Carpet swatches: 2 by 3 inch chips on the in-store display rack. Free to take.
- Vinyl plank chips: small swatches mounted on display rings. Free to take.
- Laminate chips: 3 by 4 inch chips, free to take.
- Tile chips: small 2 by 2 inch samples, free to take.
What Costs Money
- Full-plank LVP or laminate samples (9 by 60 inch): typically $5 to $10, sometimes credited back at purchase.
- 5 by 7 inch hardwood samples: $5 to $15.
- Large carpet samples (12 by 12 inch): $5 to $10.
- Shipped samples from Lowes.com: the chip is free, but you pay $4 to $7 shipping.
Lowes Pro Desk Sample Service
Lowes Pro Desk customers (contractors, designers, frequent buyers) can request bulk sample packs at no cost on most lines. If you are renovating a whole house and want 10 to 20 large samples to compare, ask the Pro Desk directly rather than the regular flooring aisle.
Sample-Ordering Tips
- Take the chip home and look at it in three different lighting conditions: full daylight, evening lamp light, and morning sun if applicable. Floors look dramatically different under each.
- Place the sample on the floor, not at eye level. Floors are always viewed from above.
- Test the chip against your wall colour, trim and cabinet samples in the same room.
- Look at the sample for at least 48 hours before deciding. Initial reactions to colour rarely hold up.
What to Compare
- Wear-layer thickness (in mils for vinyl, AC rating for laminate).
- Plank length and width (wider planks read more premium).
- Edge profile (squared vs micro-bevel).
- Texture (smooth, embossed-in-register, hand-scraped).
- Warranty (residential lifetime vs 25-year wear).
Compared to Home Depot and Specialty Stores
Lowes and Home Depot sample policies are very similar in 2026: free small chips, paid large samples. Specialty stores (Floor and Decor, Flooring America) often have more generous sample policies and let you take home larger swatches without charge. Direct-to-consumer brands (LL Flooring, BuildDirect) almost always charge for samples but credit the cost at purchase.
Online Sample Service
Lowes.com offers sample ordering with the chip itself free and $4 to $7 shipping. The same product family can also be sampled in store at no extra cost. For full details, see lowes.com.
How Long Samples Stay Current
Flooring manufacturers update their colour ranges every 12 to 24 months. A sample chip you pick up today might match a SKU that gets discontinued in the next reset. If you sit on a sample for more than 6 months, double-check the SKU is still in production before placing an order. Both Lowes and Home Depot reset their flooring aisles twice a year.
Bringing Samples Home: Practical Tips
Pick up at least one chip larger than your hand if the line offers it. Tiny 2 by 3 inch swatches do not show enough of a wood-look print to judge how repetitive the pattern is. Patterns repeat every 8 to 20 planks, and you only see that on a larger chip.
If you're choosing flooring for an open-plan space that includes adjoining rooms, take samples to each room. North-facing rooms with cool light show different undertones than south-facing rooms with warm light. A chip that reads "warm gray" in the kitchen often reads "purple gray" in a north bedroom.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this answer change in 5 years? Pricing and product lines drift, but the underlying physics of flooring (moisture, expansion, wear layer) does not. The buying principles in this guide hold long-term.
Is the answer different in the UK and Europe? Mostly the same. Retailers like B&Q, Wickes and Carpetright sell equivalent product categories, and EU EN standards mirror North American ASTM tests closely.
What about commercial settings? Commercial floors use the same materials but higher wear ratings (AC5 laminate, 28 mil vinyl, commercial-grade epoxy). Spec sheets state the heaviest foot traffic the product is rated for.
Where can I get a second opinion? The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI), and World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) all publish free consumer guidance and certified-installer locators.
Pro Tips From the Trade
- Order 10 percent extra. Cuts, mistakes and future repairs add up. One spare carton stashed in the basement is cheap insurance.
- Photograph every layer. Subfloor, vapour barrier, expansion gap, transitions. Warranty claims hinge on documentation.
- Save the lot number. Replacement planks must match the production run or the colour will not line up.
- Acclimate before installing. 48 hours minimum in the room of installation for click-lock products; 7 to 14 days for engineered or solid hardwood.
Bottom Line
Flooring decisions are part budget, part lifestyle, part long-term resale. Prep the subfloor properly, match the product to the room, and follow the manufacturer's install spec, and even a mid-tier material will outperform a premium one that was rushed in. Cut corners on prep and even a top-shelf plank will telegraph every flaw underneath.