In the past, consumers often had to make a tough choice when it came to selecting a genuine product that resembled wood—both in terms of heft and visual appearance—versus a pretty darn good look-alike with the in-demand attributes of a waterproof/water-resistant resilient floor. However, with the increasing popularity of genuine wood floors that feature naturally water-repellent, non-wood cores—along with innovations in engineered hardwood flooring that feature enhancements and installation systems designed to prevent the incursion of moisture—consumers no longer have to make that choice. They can literally have the best of both worlds—in wood hybrids.
This is due in large measure to the availability of the hardwood/rigid core hybrid structure, which entails either a thin, sliced-faced wood veneer or rotary-peeled top layer bonded to an SPC core. Accepted and approved by the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) as a real wood floor, these hybrids might not necessarily be driving the bulk of category sales, but they are certainly looking to incrementally build their share of the overall hardwood flooring market.
“The LVF category of waterproof rigid core products spurred a revitalization in the resilient category—and now the hardwood category is embracing waterproof technologies with several new product types,” said Alan Smith, director, business development, MSI.
While there is high-volume production activity within the engineered segment of the hardwood flooring market, most of that activity was dominated by traditional engineered products—i.e., all wood-based materials from top to bottom. This includes wear layers, cores and backing layers consisting of a variety of real wood species as well as hardwood flooring products featuring an HDF or MDF core—the contents of which comprise wood byproducts. When it comes to “hybrid” offerings, however, observers say the category has not been embraced as quickly as traditional engineered wood products.
“I’ve seen more entrants in the wood/rigid core hybrid market, but not necessarily a significant increase in share,” said John Hammel, senior director, hardwood and laminate, Mannington. He estimated hybrid floors account for 4%-6% of all wood flooring sold.
It’s not that hybrids aren’t appealing to mainstream consumers; in recent years many of those products were simply more expensive to ship. “Hybrids did not take more share of the engineered market last year, and the main reason is freight,” said Brian Carson, president and CEO of AHF Products, parent company of the Raintree brand of hybrid flooring. “Last year the industry was dealing with $22,000 freight charges in the first part of the year, and wood flooring with rigid core is so heavy vs. regular engineered. So it became a cost disadvantage compared to many traditional engineered products, especially during the first half of last year. As a result, many retailers chose to de-emphasize the product because it was so much more expensive to move.”
Still, the nascent wood/rigid core hybrids category is nothing to scoff at. Estimated at roughly 4% of the wood flooring market in 2021, followed by 6% this year, the sub-segment is expected to rebound in 2024 to account for roughly 7% of the total hardwood flooring market when all is said and done. Prospects are improving especially now that many issues surrounding the astronomically high freight charges that retailers and distributors had to contend with have largely abated.
“It’s not a sea change in terms of the growth, but it’s encouraging,” Carson stated. “In general, the locking joint of an SPC/wood hybrid is a little bit better; it locks together easier than a product that’s milled out of plywood. I don’t think it’s going to knock plywood construction out of the mix, but I think it’s going to outperform plywood a little bit and become a bona fide platform.”
Other major manufacturers of hardwood/rigid core hybrids see the sub-category building momentum. “We’ve had very good results with our wood products, including our HDPC Waterproof wood,” said Dick Quinlan, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Wellmade Performance Flooring. It’s a category that has grown by triple digits for the company. “The growth percentage is great because it’s such a young category. One of the big barriers has been the extra 25% tariff loaded on top. On the plus side, it is a part of the market where there’s not a lot of others doing this.”
Outside of providing waterproof benefits, Quinlan said the hybrid format is also a boon for installers. “A big advantage of this product is it’s on an HDPC core with a pad and advanced locking system. So, unlike wood products today where you’ve got to nail them or glue them, or if you float them, you have to buy a separate pad. The installation of other real wood products is you can install it as easily and quickly and have the same kind of waterproof qualities that come with vinyl waterproof products, but with the added appeal of having a real wood floor. It’s just going to perform better.”
Hybrid floors also excel in other areas, proponents say—namely dent resistance. “Even though the wear layer is only about a 1.2mm, the hardness of the rigid core actually makes the wood harder,” Quinlan explained. “It actually has greater dent resistance than a traditional solid hardwood floor. So, the consumer gets all the benefits—extreme durability and a beautiful-looking floor that’s easy to install with a pad already on it. Oh, and by the way, it’s waterproof.”
Winning attributes
All these characteristics, producers of hybrid hardwood/SPC suppliers agree, give consumers more options from which to choose when researching flooring. At the same time, they give specialty retailers products to position in that sweet spot between entry-level and mid-range hard surface options. To that end, suppliers are enhancing their hybrid offerings to target that untapped consumer segment.
Take MSI, for instance. The company is aggressively promoting its Everlife Woodhills collection, a product with a hardwood veneer, a traditional SPC core and a closed-cell attached pad for a total thickness of 7mm. “The key to Woodhills performance is a patent-pending technology called Dryluxe that incorporates non-PVC polymers and resins into the hardwood veneer, making it waterproof,” Smith explained. “Combined with the waterproof core and attached pad, it offers consumers a waterproof hardwood floor.”
MSI first introduced Dryluxe technology with its Smithcliffs line, another hybrid rigid core product, which preceded Woodhills. According to Smith, Woodhills takes the Dryluxe technology to new heights. “It offers a true hardwood flooring product for the traditional hardwood buyer with 100% waterproof performance that today’s flooring consumer has come to expect.”
Another wood/SPC hybrid that’s been gaining momentum in the market is GeoWood from Cali. According to Doug Jackson, president, the collection boasts the durability and visual appeal of real hardwood combined with the waterproof qualities of SPC. GeoWood offers three wear layer options—oak, maple or bamboo—bonded to a 100% waterproof limestone composite core. This combination, according to Cali, makes the product exceptionally strong and dimensionally stable. “An SPC hardwood hybrid like GeoWood is as close to a truly waterproof wood floor as you can get,” Jackson stated. “It’s the happy, innovative middle ground between LVT and real wood, and serves a category of customer who still wants a natural product.”
