February 16/23, 2015; Volume 28/Number 17
By Ken Ryan
Standing out in the increasingly crowded field of luxury vinyl tile players is becoming more difficult, but that obstacle hasn’t prevented a bevy of flooring manufacturers from putting their R&D departments to the test. The results are impressive: new wood and stone visuals that are indiscernible from the real thing and product that can withstand the rigors of either a busy household or light commercial settings.
Following is a look at some of the newest offerings in the resilient floating floor category.
Armstrong
Product/collection: Luxe Plank; CushionStep Premium; StrataMax
Floating floor type: Luxe Plank, FasTak installation; CushionStep, modified loose lay or glue down with either releasable or permanent adhesive; StrataMax, loose lay
Retail price range: Luxe Plank, $3.99-$5.29 per square foot; others vary
About the product: Armstrong is introducing 14 authentic wood designs in Luxe Plank in a range of colors with distinct graining and undulating textures. A new 12 x 24 tile format features a hand-sculpted wood visual, while light new stone tile designs are being introduced—three in 12 x 24, three in 18 x 18 and two in a 6 x 48 plank.
New designs for CushionStep Premium include a vein-cut, linear travertine design in three groupings and a thicker (155mm), plusher construction for everyday use.
The new travertine vinyl sheet plank capitalizes on the trend in natural stone favoring vein-cut designs. All CushionStep products feature Armstrong’s CushionCore for comfort and quietness underfoot.
StrataMax Value Plus is said to offer two times more stain resistance than fiberglass or felt. Offered in 12 wood and stone tile formats, the product comes with a urethane protective coating that resists wear and tear from normal household use.
Beaulieu of America
Product/collection: Bliss COREtec One
Floating floor type: Unilin angle/tap profile
Retail price range: $3.99-$4.50 per square foot
About the product: Bliss COREtec One is 100% waterproof, allowing it to be installed in areas such as kitchens and laundry rooms. COREtec One can be installed over existing hard surfaces, eliminating the concerns of telegraphing thanks to its rigid plank technology that eliminates ripples and waves caused by uneven subfloors. There is no need for expansion transitions in large rooms, and no acclimation is required prior to installation. Bliss COREtec One is constructed with a 12 mil wearlayer and two coats of UV-cured acrylic finish, suitable for residential and light commercial projects.
BerryAlloc/Beauflor
Product/collection: Pure Click
Floating floor type: Dream Click locking system
Retail price range: $3.99-$5.49 per square foot
About the product: Pure Click, manufactured at the Beauflor/ BerryAlloc facility in Belgium, is 100% recyclable and offers fast installation thanks to its identical interlocking profile on all four sides. The rigid composite board requires little floor prep and minimizes the risk of telegraphing, which speeds up installation time and reduces associated costs. Several colors can be mixed, and various patterns can easily be created, including herringbone. BerryAlloc/Beauflor’s rigid composite board technology is unaffected by high moisture levels.
Pure Click is offered in
8 x 52 and 8 x 72 planks, and
12 x 24 and 24 x 24 tiles. The product is 5mm thick and is offered in wear layer options of 16 mil for light commercial and 22 mil for heavy commercial.
EarthWerks
Product/collection: Aurora
Floating floor type: Loose lay LVT plank
Retail price range: Approximately $5 per square foot
About the product: EarthWerks’ Aurora collection is a loose lay floor that can be easily installed with no locking mechanisms. The product features the company’s TuffShield coating for superior durability and can be easily repaired, removed or reused elsewhere. Available in eight colors, Aurora is appropriate for residential and commercial applications.
Hallmark Floors
Product/collection: Organic Engineered Collection
Floating floor type: EZ Loc Unilin locking system
Retail price range: $11.50-$13 per square foot
About the product: Hallmark replicates authentic, reclaimed visuals in solid and engineered wood floors without the heavy price tag. Organic integrates natural, vintage materials into contemporary living environments while complementing the latest design trends. The product is coated with Hallmark’s NuOil finish to provide 21st century durability and easy maintenance.
Home Legend
Product/collection: SynCoreX commercial grade luxury vinyl planks
Floating floor type: Click-lock joint
Retail price range: Varies
About the product: Home Legend’s SynCoreX line of luxury vinyl features a 20 mil resilient vinyl wear layer, a waterproof core and an attached underlayment. The waterproof core construction will not swell when exposed to water, making this an option for a laundry room, kitchen or bathroom. The attached 1.5mm EVA foam underlayment delivers a sound deadening STC rating of 48db and resists mold, mildew and odors. Each plank measures 6mm x 7 1⁄16 x 48 and has a click-lock joint for convenient floating installation.
Inhaus
Product/collection: Zig luxury polypropylene plank (LP3)
Floating floor type: Megaloc patented angle-drop
Retail price range: $4.99-$5.99 per square foot
About the product: Zig, which debuted at Surfaces in January, is a luxury polypropylene plank, or LP. The core technology of Zig combines polypropylene and wood fiber; is free of formaldehyde, plasticizers and PVC, and is 100% recyclable.
Zig utilizes a high-definition digital printing process that when combined with the clear Sealtec lacquer finish provides a stunning level of detail and realism. The product is waterproof and can be installed in interior areas that are prone to moisture, such as kitchens and bathrooms.
IVC
Product/collection: Moduleo Vision/Horizon/Embellish
Floating floor type: LVT click
Retail price range: Vision, $3.49-$3.79; Horizon, $3.79-$4.29; Embellish, $4.29-$4.79
About the product: Moduleo Vision is IVC’s “better” quality LVT product, which is offered in an array of warm colors and designs in both luxury vinyl wood plank and tile patterns. Available in both click and glue down options, Moduleo Vision comes with five-year commercial and 15-year residential warranties.
Moduleo Horizon is IVC’s “best” quality LVT product. Horizon provides more striking colors and explores more of the exotic wood and tile looks in its luxury vinyl plank and tile offerings. Also available in both click and glue down, Moduleo Horizon comes with a 10-year commercial and 30-year residential warranty.
IVC’s “premium” embossed-in-register LVT is Moduleo Embellish, available exclusively in an extra large plank format. Embellish features a variety of color shades and design details, including saw cuts, hand-scraped accents, ceruse treatments and high gloss levels. Embellish comes with a 10-year commercial and lifetime residential warranty and is offered in click and glue down installation options.
Karndean
Product/collection: Karndean LooseLay
Floating floor type: Loose lay
Retail price range: $5.09 per square foot
About the product: Karndean Designflooring’s innovative LooseLay collection of 26 planks and tiles now features six new wood plank designs, which include popular pale and warm oak tones, fashionable rustics and deep grays. The line combines realistic designs with a friction grip backing that allows for faster and easier installation over most existing hard surface floors.
Mannington
Product/collection: Adura luxury vinyl flooring
Floating floor type: LockSolid locking system
Retail price range: $4-$6 per square foot
About the product: Adura offers natural looks and textures with a variety of options to suit any customer’s needs. Designs within Adura include wood, tile, stone and slate visuals as well as several unique hybrid and textile offerings. Size options include a variety of tile and plank formats—16 x 16, 12 x 24, 4 x 36, 5 x 48 and 6 x 48. Installation options include glue down, LockSolid and grout or no grout. Durable, reliable and easy to clean, Adura is also FloorScore certified and Made in the USA.
Marquis Industries/ Best Buy
Product/collection: Country Home
Floating floor type: Unilin locking system
Retail price range: $2.69-$2.99 per square foot
About the product: Country Home provides the wearability of laminate, the beauty of real rustic wood and the convenience of easy installation. Distinctive characteristics of the waterproof product include crosscut saw marks, stabilizing fiberglass intercore, virgin PVC and 4.2mm thickness. Country Home is the best selling product in the company’s hard surface division.
Metroflor
Product/collection: Engage Reserve Timber with UniFit
Floating floor type: UniFit locking system by Unilin
Retail price range: $4.49-$4.99 per square foot
About the product: At 60 inches long and over 8½ inches wide, Reserve Timber is the largest plank in the Engage collection and one of the most visually impressive products in the LVT category. In addition to its oversize format, Reserve Timber is built to perform with a 100% waterproof solid core, a urethane wear layer with a ceramic bead finish, and the all-new UniFit locking system by Unilin. The product requires no adhesive and can be installed over most existing hard surfaces. It is offered in seven rustic visuals.
Mohawk
Product/collection: Clic Step Urban Patina; Simplesse
Floating floor type: Uniclic
Retail price range: Clic Step Urban Patina, $5-$7 per square foot installed; Simplesse, $3.49-$3.99 per square foot, material only
About the product: Click Step Urban Patina is a multi-purpose, highly versatile floor that features innovation with unique visuals in fresh color ways. Its unusual mix of popular species and organic-inspired patterns provides hints of wood without exactly replicating any specific type. Various textures range from linear to handscraped. Urban Patina is offered in easy-to-install 7 x 48 planks.
For consumers with long-lasting performance in mind, Simplesse combines durability and performance with softness and warmth underfoot. In addition to its established hardwood styles, Mohawk’s Simplesse LVT now offers striking tile visuals using the latest in digital printing technology. These designs are created on 100% virgin vinyl material and provide superior scratch and dent resistance for high traffic areas. The Simplesse collection also features Mohawk’s patented glueless Uniclic technology locking system providing worry-free, quick installation with zero adhesives required.
Novalis
Product/collection: NovaFloor Hartsfield; NovaFloor Casa; NovaFloor Lyndon
Floating floor type: NovaClic FD locking system
Retail price range: N/A
About the product: The NovaFloor Hartsfield collection is a true commercial-grade product available in an array of colors, textures and sizes in order to meet the design and style needs of a broad range of applications. Hartsfield, which has a 10-year light commercial warranty and lifetime residential warranty, is made with 3.0mm overall plank and tile thickness with a 20 mil wear layer.
NovaFloor Casa comes in 6 x 48 planks along with 12 x 24 and 18 x 18 tiles. The line includes a 10-year light commercial warranty and lifetime residential warranty, with a 4mm overall thickness for NovaClic FD. All Casa planks and tiles have a 20 mil wear layer.
NovaFloor Lyndon represents an affordable luxury, fitting most budgets. Available in 6 x 36 planks, Lyndon includes natural and rustic wood-like designs and textures. Also available are 18 x 18 tiles that provide the look of real stone with an economical price. Lyndon includes a 10-year residential and three-year light commercial warranty.
Raskin Gorilla Floors
Product/collection: Elevations Interwoven; Elevations Prima Plank; R9LVT
Floating floor type: Loose lay
Retail price range: Varies
About the product: Elevations Interwoven is a phthalate-free, woven-textured, loose lay tile that is fray proof, easy to clean and features Raskin’s G88 anti-fungal, anti-bacterial ceramic finish. Interwoven can be mixed and matched with all Elevation 5mm patterns to create a multi-texture floor design. Measuring 19.7 x 39.4 x 5.0mm, Interwoven is available in nine colors.
The company is introducing four new colors (for a total of 12) in its best-selling Prima collection of 7.08 x 47.24 x 5.0mm planks. Another collection, Prima Beechwood, includes standard 7.078 x 47.24 and 9.25 x 59.25 long planks. Elevations’ New Tusk—12 x 24 x 5.0mm—has a unique scraped texture that creates a wood effect yet still resembles stone. Three new neutral colors were added to offer more options in Raskin’s popular concrete visual.
R9LVT is a phthalate-free LVT designed specifically for the A&D community. Available in 38 colors with exclusive natural fiber textures, R9 benefits include a 20-year commercial warranty, 28 mil wearlayer, micro-beveled edge and G88 finish. Tile sizes include 12 x 24, 19.685 x 39.37 and 36 x 36; plank sizes include 7.08 x 47.25 and 9.25 x 59.25.
Roppe
Product/collection: Northern Timbers
Floating floor type: Loose lay
Retail price range: $4.70-$4.90 per square foot
About the product: Northern Timbers is available in eight popular grains in a 6 x 48 plank with increased installation efficiency.
Shaw
Product/collection: Floorté
Floating floor type: Fold-n-Tap
Retail price range: $5-$8 per square foot
About the product: A 200-year-old door in Northern Italy inspired designers that created Floorté resilient planks, which replicate rainwater-marked walnut, aged and mellowed to accentuate graining. The line is offered in three trendy colors: rich chocolate, caramel and hazelnut.
Tarkett
Product/collection: Transcend Luxury Vinyl Tile & Plank
Floating floor type: Freespan locking technology
Retail price range: $4.99-$5.99 per square foot
About the product: Transcend Luxury Vinyl Tile & Plank combines a high-end luxury wood floor design with a durable, long-lasting surface. Easy to install with no underlayment needed, Transcend floating floors easily click into place.
The FiberCore Stability Layer—a multi-layered, cross-directional back with a fiberglass inner layer that eliminates gaps—allows Transcend to remain dimensionally stable. Transcend also resists swelling and buckling to maintain its appearance for many years. Available in 16 colors and recently updated to include tiles in the plank line, Transcend features micro-beveled edges for a natural wood appearance. Additionally, the collection features Tritonite, a patented ceramic coating that protects against scuffs, scratches, stains and wear.
Trillium
Product/collection: Trillium Floor Fashions EIR LVT
Floating floor type: Uniclic
Retail price range: $3.99 and up per square foot
About the product: Trillium’s all new LVT line features 18 embossed-in-register and hand-scraped styles that rival genuine hardwoods’ and tiles’ design, comfort and durability. New LVT offerings were developed using cutting-edge 3D imaging technology to create tiles and planks that are virtually impossible to differentiate from genuine hardwood, fine stone and porcelain tile. The four-side Uniclic glueless system allows for floating installation in virtually any area of the home.
USFloors
Product/collection: COREtec Plus
Floating floor type: Unilin angle/tap profile
Retail price range: $3.99-$4.99
About the product: The patent-pending COREtec Plus line is positioned as rigid, waterproof, engineered luxury vinyl flooring. COREtec Plus eliminates subfloor telegraphing and can be installed over existing ceramic tile floors without skim coating the grout lines. The product requires neither acclimation nor expansion gaps in large rooms and has a lifetime waterproof warranty. COREtec Plus features 5 x 7 hardwood planks and 12 x 24 and 18 x 24 stone and slate tiles. COREtec Plus XL sports a 9 x 72 long plank.