Boca Raton, Fla. — Luxury vinyl tile supplier Raskin Industries was recently honored with a pair of ADEX awards. The company annexed a Platinum award for its innovative Elevations5 and a silver award for its Provence Woods line, part of the initial Elevations offering unveiled in 2012.
“Elevations5 perfectly complements our original 21 SKUs in Elevations,” said Michael Raskin, president and CEO. “We wanted to offer our customers the ability for a high margin due to its innovation and design.”
Elevations5 is the first floating LVT with 5-foot planks; most LVT planks are 3 or 4 feet. By being able to design 5-foot planks, Raskin said he could replicate more expensive woods, such as reclaimed wood, that are usually shown in longer lengths.
“I wanted to have a product that truly separates us from the competition. With a highly competitive market it was important that we designed an innovative and beautiful product that demand higher margins,” he said.
“For our first series we were able to use high definition scanners to capture a very special reclaimed wood that has tremendous character and variation due to the age. The wood was taken from old post and beams and then hand sawed; it has been intentionally kept in the pattern to show its original character. This actual wood would cost well over $15 a foot, plus a much higher installation cost.”
Part of the challenge with real reclaimed wood, he noted, is once it is installed it is gone forever. “With LVT we can capture this look and hit a wider market. Standard red oak is readily available in real wood, but doesn’t provide the perfect reclaimed wood plank in the right colors. The longer planks have a greater impact and can truly be appreciated when you can see an actual installation. This product is special and can demand higher margins due to its unique looks. It has the ‘wow’ factor when it comes to design.”