DALTON—Shaw Industries has partnered with Pak-Lite Inc. (PLI) to be its exclusive distributor of Selitac branded underlayment.
Selitac is a popular underlayment system in Europe that was introduced to the U.S. at Surfaces by PLI after it obtained the North American production rights through an agreement with its German manufacturer/inventor Selit (FCNews, Jan. 24/31).
When PLI introduced the patented underlayment, the company felt it could have a “major impact” on the domestic market, much like it has in Europe, where the brand “dominates the market,” noted David Pritchard, president. PLI is already a leading private label manufacturer of foam underlayments in North America, and having the ability to produce Selitac will keep it “on the cutting edge of innovation in the underlayment market.”
Partnering with Shaw allows Selitac to be exposed to nearly every specialty retailer in the country thanks to the flooring manufacturer’s extensive customer base.
For its part, Eric Erickson, Shaw’s laminate manager, said the company feels Selitac will be a great addition to any store. “The product was launched in August in the U.S. and has been the product of choice in Europe for many years. It brings many features and benefits that competitive products can’t offer and is extremely price competitive.”
From the get go, Selitac is different, he noted. “Instead of offering another roll Selitac folds together in an accordion style which allows it to be packaged in a thin, light carton similar to laminate but weighs about half of the traditional premium, making it very easy to handle and get into the job site.”
Once unfolded, Erickson said Selitac lays completely flat, “unlike rolled products that tend to have a memory and curl back up.” Connecting each row is simple due to the “locking teeth” on the edges. “This allows each row to lock together and hold the rows in place, also making this easier to work on and install.”
The top of Selitac has a film with a printed grid to act as a guide for when installers need to cut around walls. The film also acts as both a moisture barrier and thermal insulator. And it “provides superior sound suppression” under floating laminate and engineered floors by helping to eliminate any hollow sounds.
Besides its performance attributes, Selitac falls in line with two important aspects of Shaw—being environmentally friendly and being domestically produced. Erickson said the product is 100% recyclable and is being manufactured in the U.S. by PLI.
To help emphasize its uniqueness and give dealers a way to showcase the product to consumers, Shaw developed a stand-alone display for Selitac. Since rolling it out last month, Erickson said reaction by retailers has been “overwhelming,” as they quickly realize the advanced underlayment technology.
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