Fall intros: Fresh products create new opportunities

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September 12/19, 2016: Volume 31, Number 7

Floor covering retailers often look at the fourth quarter as an opportunity to finish the year on a high note, a chance to make or exceed plan and continue the momentum into the next year. One of the easiest ways to accomplish that goal is to offer difference-making products that resonate with consumers.

Fortunately for dealers, the 2016 fall season is off to a promising start as manufacturers have ramped up their R&D efforts to introduce offerings that provide true differentiation to a market that is often dominated by me-too products.

Bamboo Hardwoods: Old West  
This fall Bamboo Hardwoods is introducing the Old West collection to its Highlands Line. Highlands is a container-only, priced-to-move program that encourages retailers and builders to put some high-quality bamboo into their private-label programs at competitive prices. The line includes rich warm tones such as leather or saddle colors that are wire brushed and delicately scraped. “We have been witnessing different style and design demands in various marketplaces across the country,” said David Keegan, CEO. “The Old West collection is in response to that demand.”

 

 

Daltile: Slate Attaché
Daltile is introducing Slate Attaché, a glazed porcelain floor and glazed ceramic mosaic featuring its proprietary Reveal Imaging technology. Slate Attaché provides a combination of rustic durability and warmth via its mix of tone-on-tone and multicolor stone looks. The line comes in six colors across the browns, beige and gray spectrums, and are available in large size formats and three styles: 2 x 2 mosaics, 12 x 24 field tile and

24 x 24 field tile. Slate Attaché includes the company’s patent-pending StepWise, a technology engineered to provide improved slip resistance on interior surfaces.

EarthWerks: Pavilion
EarthWerks takes the wraps off Pavilion luxury vinyl plank, a 6 x 36 entry-level offering with eight colors ranging from traditional to modern tones. The new line, which features Tuff Plank technology for greater performance and durability, is suitable for multi-family applications.

Pavilion, a gluedown LVT, contains a minimum of 50% recycled content and 100% recyclable post-use. It comes with a 20-year residential and 10-year light commercial warranty.

 

Engineered Floors: Pentz
Pentz Commercial Flooring Solutions is the new Main Street brand from Engineered Floors. Positioned as a “bold new day” for Main Street, Pentz promises maximum performance, features and warranties at a competitive price. The line entails three collections—Essentials, Formation (modular), and Prismatic (modular and broadloom)—made of PureColor nylon with Nexus backing. All products are available via QuickShip.

Also new is FlexBac, Engineered Floors’ first premium backing system offered within the entry-level residential product category.

HF Design: Montage European Oak
HF Design is updating its signature Montage European Oak line with new color tones. Five new styles (Canelli, Fiana, Lorenzo, Pompeii and San Marino) will be added to the Ferno collection. Each plank undergoes a thermal treatment process to help increase dimensional stability and produce a range of vibrant colors. This color variation, HF Design says, helps display the true natural wood characters. Montage is finished off with Organic, an eco-friendly, natural air-dried oil process that penetrates through the wood grains for a long-lasting floor.

 

 

IndusParquet: Langania Hickory
IndusParquet’s new Design Tower display rolls out with new products designed to meet today’s trends in Brazilian hardwood flooring. The three new offerings are: Langânia Hickory, Peroba Rústico and Dolcé Pecan. Langânia Hickory features 1⁄2 x 7 1⁄2-inch x 8-foot boards. Additional features include wire-brushed, hand-stained finishes. Peroba Rústico is a wide-plank/long-length product featuring sandblasted, band-saw marks, while Dolcé Pecan, a 1⁄2 x 6 1⁄4-inch x 8-foot format, features handcrafted touches. According to IndusParquet, the new offerings remain true to its exotic roots.

 

IVC: Moduleo LVT
This fall IVC US is showcasing its brand new Moduleo LVT collection, which features three style and quality categories—Vision, Horizon and Embellish. Moduleo features all new colors and designs, new sizes, embossed in register SKUs and is made in the USA. Moduleo comes with a new modular display system that can be arranged in three different configurations to satisfy the footprint of any dealer’s showroom space.

 

 

Johnson Hardwood: Jockey Hollow Series
Johnson Hardwood introduced the Jockey Hollow Series, a handcrafted collection inspired by the rustic planks found at the historic Continental Army winter encampment in Morristown N.J. Designed to capture the look and feel of this historic period, the collection features wide/long planks that feature a variety of surface treatments not commonly found on new floors. Johnson utilizes a combination of skip sawing, hand scraping, soft grain brushing and surface watermarks to accentuate the colors and textures in the wood.

 

Karndean: LooseLay Longboard
LooseLay Longboard is Karndean’s fastest and easiest product to install, combining its longest plank size with LooseLay’s K-Wave backing. The new 59-inch planks feature 12 contemporary designs inspired by authentic American, Australian and European woods such as pine, walnut and spotted gum. The floors are waterproof, kid and pet friendly while still being soft and comfortable underfoot. Additional benefits include a durable K-Guard+ protective layer, enhanced acoustic qualities and the ability to install over subfloors with moisture readings of up to 95% relative humidity.

 

 

Mercier: Nature collection
Mercier Wood Flooring’s newest introductions reflect current trends while meeting customers’ needs and preferences. Irish Cream and Taj Mahal have been added to the Nature collection. These white-textured floors, marked by the passage of time, are intended to create industrial and modern looks. Many of Mercier’s new launches reflect a Scandinavian-inspired trend that gives the floors a rustic chic look with naturally softened colors. Company executives believe beauty can be found even in imperfection as each board provides uniqueness.

 

Metroflor: Engage Genesis
Metroflor announces the next iteration of its Engage Genesis portfolio—Engage Genesis 600 featuring Isocore technology. Engage Genesis 600 is the first product in Metroflor’s Engage Genesis portfolio to incorporate the company’s new DropLock 100 locking profile, which provides easy, fold-down installation. Available to distributors with or without an attached IXPE (cross-linked polyethylene) underlayment, Engage Genesis 600 features a 6 mil wear layer in a 7.5 x 48 plank format, 5.5 mm thickness without attached underlayment and 7mm with underlayment.

 

 

Mullican: Oakmont
The Oakmont collection is a 1⁄2-inch engineered product available in four species (hickory, maple, oak and walnut) and nine colors. Manufactured in the U.S. and offered in random lengths up to 6 feet, the 5-inch-wide Oakmont collection conveys a classic hardwood flooring look that has been enriched with a hand-sculpted surface texture. Also new is the St. James collection, which features a wire-brushed surface texture in four designer colors. This 3⁄4-inch solid product is manufactured in a narrow 3-inch width and captures the natural characteristics found in oak.

 

Novalis: NovaCore HPC
Novalis Innovative Flooring is adding extra-large 9 x 60 planks to its popular NovaCore HPC (High Performance Core) product line. NovaCore is made with the USFloors patent under license from Unilin. These large, rigid planks can be easily installed over almost any subfloor thanks to the NovaClic FD angle-fold locking system and are available in eight wood reproduction styles.

NovaCore comes with a 10-year light commercial warranty and a lifetime limited residential wear warranty. All planks are FloorScore Certified and feature the CeramGlaz wear layer coating for extra protection.

 

Quick-Step: LVF
Quick-Step recently announced its entry into the surging luxury vinyl flooring segment, with a nationwide launch of 16 SKUs to be sold through specialty flooring stores this fall. According to Quick-Step, its new LVT offering is “waterproof,” not “water resistant” like many other LVT products. Another key advantage touted by the company is the product’s resistance to heat and sunlight. The company said it conducted independent testing that showed Quick-Step’s luxury vinyl floors maintained dimensional stability up to 110°F and as low as 32°F, so the floors won’t warp or gap.

 

Raskin: FloorNation
FloorNation, Raskin Industries’ first LVT line to be produced in the USA, will be offered in three patriotic themes: Freedom, which features a 2.5mm thick format with a 12 mil wear layer in a 7 x 47 plank; five SKUs are available. Pride, which comes in eight SKUs, includes two collections that feature 20 mil wear layer constructions in a 7 x 47 format and is distinguished by varying textures. Glory is a 4mm, loose lay product with fiberglass sheet, micro-beveled 20 mil wear layer in 9.25 x 59.25 planks. Glory comes in five SKUs.

 

 

Stanton: Atelier
This fall Stanton unveils textured designs durable enough for Main Street commercial use. The newest Atelier collections are made with long-lasting nylon, making them resistant to wear providing the critical performance that soft commercial interiors demand at a terrific value. This board display is shipping now and also includes four new styles in the hot-selling Stainmaster PetProtect program. The designs are now backed by a 15 year residential wear warranty making them ideal for rooms with heavy traffic in the homes of your customers.

 

Urban: Savanna
Urbanfloor announced three products for the fall including the engineered Savanna collection featuring a sliced face, rustic European oak with a brushed texture. With 7 1⁄2-inch widths and up to 7-foot lengths, this collection includes an advanced HDF core platform designed to absorb higher impacts. Two other introductions are Timbertop Lifestyle and Timbertop Chevron. Lifestyle is an engineered European oak in a 9-1⁄2 wide by 8-foot long format with a 6 mil wear layer. Chevron is a classic, angled Chevron design. It measures 11 1⁄2 inches wide and 4 or 5- feet in length.

 

 

Wickham: Engineered
Wickham is investing $7 million into a new engineered wood line that will be sold under the Wickham brand in addition to a private-label offering that will be available in Canada and the U.S. The engineered products will be offered in three platforms: ½1⁄2 inch, 5⁄8 and 3⁄4, in widths ranging from 3-1⁄4 (7 ply) to 7 (12 ply) inches. In addition Wickham will be unveiling a 30,000 square foot manufacturing facility in early 2017 as the company expands with new maple and red oak species. The company is also planning new finishes that run the gamut from smooth to distressed.

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