FloorCoveringNews

by Melissa McGuire

Lancaster, Pa.—Armstrong has come into 2012 loaded with significant introductions in its laminate and hardwood portfolios along with a focus on its 2011 Altera Reserve intros that are just now gaining traction in the marketplace.

With luxury vinyl tile all the rage these days, Armstrong believes Alterna and its step-up Alterna Reserve offer the best visuals on the market. As such, the company is positioning these collections not versus competing LVT but rather the real thing—the stones they emulate, according to Allen Cubell, vice president of residential resilient products.

Lancaster, Pa. – Armstrong and Bruce brands were voted leaders by building professionals in Builder magazine’s 2012 Brand Use Study in multiple categories including vinyl flooring, laminate flooring and hardwood flooring, earning top spots in the survey for almost 20 years running. Armstrong swept all fields, earning highest honors in Brand Familiarity, Brands Used in Past 2 Years, Brands Used the Most, and Quality Rating. Bruce hardwood was the frontrunner in the hardwood flooring category. 

Norfolk, Neb. — We at MP Global Products, a manufacturer of quality acoustic floor underlayments, welcome you to join us on our newly launched Twitter and Facebook pages. We are now interacting online with industry professionals and consumers interested in learning about the advantages of and selection of floor underlayment for use under hardwood, floating wood, laminate, LVT or tile flooring. 

by Matthew Spieler

Ask people from just about any sector and they will say since December, sales have been steadily picking up. While this is welcome news for anyone who has suffered through the economic downturn, for those in the wood business, it is a breath of fresh air.

As one of the hardest categories of products—flooring or otherwise—hit by the recession thanks to being tied so closely to the housing market, among other factors, a positive growth trend could not have come at a better time. Though final figures for 2011 are not yet available, most experts said the year should have ended slightly better than 2010, which would be the first time the wood category finished in the black since 2006 when the industry reached its peak in sales at more than $2.5 billion.

by Matthew Spieler

Shanghai—With the U.S. economy starting to once again show signs of life and the Asian market continuing its strong growth trend, the 14th annual Domotex asia/ ChinaFloor (DACF) was filled with plenty of optimism.

The upbeat spirit was seen by both visitors and exhibitors and across all product segments on display—even by those who were not selling or buying products. “It’s been too busy,” proclaimed Bert Van der Stock, managing director of Flooring Industries, the division that handles the Uniclic licensing for Mohawk/Unilin. “I haven’t been able to leave the booth for the entire show.”

Kansas City, Mo. — ProSource of Elk Grove Village, IL hosted a CFI laminate and wood training and a carpet training workshop recently. “The CFI events are always well attended. They add to our flooring installer recommendation base to service clientele who expect professional flooring installation. CFI training and certification give us a method whereby we know the qualifications of those who represent ProSource. Installers attended from Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Florida, as well as neighboring communities,” said Jeff Bernstein, Regional Sales Manager for ProSource.

Adairsville, Ga. — Home Legend, a leading supplier of hardwood, bamboo, laminate, cork and luxury vinyl flooring is staying connected with its customers and reaching out to new ones through social media outlets. “Home Legend currently has an online presence on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube,” says Jamann Stepp, Home Legend Vice President, Sales and Marketing.

Resilient certification garners industry-wide support

Kansas City, Mo.—Flooring installation training is on track to break records in 2012, according to Jim Walker, CEO of the International Certified Flooring Installers Association (CFI).

Proliferation of new suppliers runs the risk of commoditization

Nebraska Furniture Mart is pleased with the top brands it carries in the floating luxury vinyl tile (LVT) category—among them Mannington, Armstrong and Karndean—but that hasn’t stopped manufacturers from contacting senior flooring buyer David Snedeker on a regular basis. “There seems to be someone new—or at least new to me—calling every week with versions of their latest and greatest LVT.”

During the long economic downturn, few, if any, hard surface categories demonstrated the promise and robustness as vinyl, with LVT the leader. The popularity of glueless LVT and its various click systems has produced a swath of new entrants, some with little or no flooring experience. “We’ve seen furniture manufacturers getting into the market,” said Yon Hinkle, product manager, residential tile, Armstrong.

NORWALK, CT, Jan. 31 – Metroflor Corp. launched its new Facebook page with a consumer sweepstakes designed to draw attention to its Engage Luxury Vinyl flooring.  “ENGAGE…With Metroflor!” invites consumers to “get Engaged” by “liking” Metroflor to enter.  One lucky Facebook entrant will win up to 500 square feet of Engage flooring… a retail value of up to $3,500.  Sweepstakes ends March 31^st, with the winner chosen by random drawing on April 4^th, 2012.  The company’s new www.metroflorengage.com website is also making its debut.

Dalton – Shaw Industries, recently announced a national sponsorship of the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, a fundraising campaign that has raised more than $220 million in over 20 years for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, one of the world’s premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other deadly childhood diseases.

Dalton—Shaw Industries has released dates for its 2012 winter markets. During these events, the mill will unveil a variety of introductions within the Anso nylon and ClearTouch brands along within the new HGTV Home Flooring by Shaw program. Tuftex will also display a variety of new carpets. And in the hard surfaces arena, new floors will be introduced in the Epic hardwood collection, as well as visuals in the solid hardwood, laminate, resilient, and tile and stone categories.

The North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 LAMMY Awards, which are given annually to companies and individuals for exceptional contributions to the laminate flooring industry.

For most, 2011 has been nothing to cheer about. Not that anyone really expected different. In fact, when compared to 2010, many said while there were some differences the end result was pretty much a mirror image.

Unlike previous years where manufacturers were just hoping the downward spiral would stop, officials in general are taking a different approach to 2012. To find out their plans, FCNews surveyed many of flooring’s leading suppliers to get their input on what the industry can expect over the next 12 months.

FCNews’ annual Executive Forecast is broken into the various floor covering categories and can be found by clicking the appropriate features: carpet, hardwood, laminate, resilient and ceramic tile.

By Matthew Spieler

With the massive slide laminate had been on continuing to level off in 2011, officials remain upbeat the category will soon see better days—albeit not to the degree they once were, but compared to where they have been recently, any improvement is a welcome sight.

Executives admit there are still tremendous challenges even beyond the economy but feel laminate’s realism, performance and overall value will win back the post-recession consumer.

LANCASTER, PENN.—Armstrong announced it will initiate a 4% to six 6% price increase in the United States and Canada on residential luxury vinyl tile, laminate, residential sheet and tile, and select commercial sheet products. In addition, a 2.5% increase on commercial vinyl composition tile, and a 3% to 10% increase on installation, maintenance and accessories (IMA) products, beginning with shipments on January 23, 2012.

DALTON—As flooring retailers throughout the U.S. begin preparing for the 2012 selling season, Shaw Floors is announcing the “Power Up” Winter Markets, a lineup of the company’s 2012 product, display and program introductions.

WASHINGTON—A total of 126 laminate flooring inspectors earned professional certification from the North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA), making them the first to complete the course dedicated exclusively to quality laminate flooring.

Ever since the first home center started carrying floor covering products the specialty retailer has been engaged in a constant battle to not just maintain but gain market share. Throw in the mass merchants and membership clubs, and the fight takes on monumental proportions.

The great squeeze on laminate flooring—from hardwood flooring on the high end to vinyl on the lower end— has forced many flooring distributors to decrease their dependence on the product. In some cases, wholesalers have reduced their laminate mix by more than 10%, and as much as 25% in the last three years.

Clearly, these have not been good times for laminate flooring, which is not to say that distributors are throwing in the towel. Indeed, the future looks promising, which is being buoyed by new, high-definition technology to create ever-realistic looks.

BARNWELL, S.C.—Formica Flooring began producing a new laminate flooring collection called Classic Estate.  Six hardwood looks in walnut, maple, mahogany and oak feature 12mm thick planks and details including beveled edges to capture the look of stately, refined American hardwoods.

At 4.96-inches in width by 50.79-inches long, Classic Estate features narrow planks with single-strip designs, and the entire collection is backed by a lifetime residential warranty against wear, staining and fading.

Eager to learn where the market is from the retailer’s perspective, FCNews set out to learn what the top-selling styles are across the U.S. Surveying specialty dealers from the Redwood Forests to the Gulfstream waters, from the Florida panhandle up the Appalachian Trail to New England, carpet maintains a stronghold for many states in the union. Some things are predictable: New England is mostly conservative with wool loops and Berbers; Midwestern consumers favor domestic hardwoods, and the West is eco-conscious, focusing on natural fibers.

When laminate flooring first came to the U.S. in late 1993 the product was installed by gluing the planks’ tongue-and-groove system, similar to how some engineered wood floors are installed. Less than a handful of years later the first products incorporating a glue-free mechanical locking system were introduced, forever changing the course of not just the laminate category but the industry as a whole.

Dalton—Unilin started operating a laminate flooring mill built in the Russian administrative district of Nizhny-Novgorod in the second half of September. The company will initially run a short-cycle press and a profiling line at the new facility.

Even though overall prices within the laminate category have dropped in recent years and more products fall into the low and mid range price points, there is still a market for high end goods.

As such, there are still laminate companies promoting high end products as they recognize it not only separates dealers from the pack, it allows retailers to earn higher profits as the margins on these goods are better.

As sales continue to be hard to come by, laminate manufacturers are putting more emphasis on products that give consumers extra value for their dollar while touting the fact more of these goods are being produced domestically.

“The buying process in 2011 finds consumers almost universally scrutinizing their flooring purchases through a new value lens,” said Roger Farabee, senior vice president of marketing for Mohawk’s Unilin divison. “A strong price/value relationship is of paramount importance to them.”

In the year or two leading up to the recession, the laminate category was experiencing what many called an hourglass effect. Meaning consumers were more apt to purchase either a high-end product featuring the latest technology and designs or a low-end floor that gives a quick, easy updated look to their home. As such, sales of products in the mid price point were getting squeezed out of existence.

There are pretty much two ways to look at the laminate flooring category in 2010. The optimists will focus on the fact that for the second consecutive year, and in a very tough economic climate, laminate manufacturers moved more square feet of the product than the year prior. Unfortunately, it is happening at the expense of the product’s average selling price. Thus, the category suffered its fourth straight year of declining sales in terms of dollars, although similar to 2009, the dip was only in the 2% range.

FOUNTAIN INN, S.C.—One of the industry’s hardest hit categories during the recession has been laminate, so it would be hard to fathom a company trying to enter the sector now. Don’t tell that to Anderson Hardwood Floors, which threw its hat into the ring with the launch of an extensive program of products and technology designed to distinguish itself from what is in the market and give retailers the chance to once again create sales and earn profits.