When debating the merits of real hardwood vs. today’s incredibly realistic look-alike products, wood flooring enthusiasts often cite a familiar irony: the vast majority of LVP/SPC/WPC floors—as well as laminate—are actually designed to replicate real wood. This not only applies to the visual aspects of hardwood but also the texture and heft of the genuine article.
But it’s that desire to mimic the real thing, proponents say, that in fact demonstrates that hardwood remains the most aspirational flooring product today. As Michael Martin, president and CEO of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) put it: “We know wood floors are the most durable, attractive, easy to maintain and sustainable option, and no other surfaces can bring added value to a home.”
While it’s true that replications are getting closer to the real thing, the trained eye will know the difference. “True hardwood floors can be easily differentiated from wood-look products by the variation in wood patterns from one plank to another,” said Brad Williams, vice president of sales and marketing, Mirage. “What’s more, true wood floors, when maintained properly, can even last longer than some wood-look products. Hardwood is a natural choice.”
Dan Natkin, chief commercial officer, Boen Hardwood Flooring, agreed. “There really is no substitute for the real thing and recent environmental studies in wood have proven that,” he noted.
Following is an overview of some of the latest products that reflect hardwood flooring’s strengths across areas such as visuals, performance and margin opportunities.
AHF
AHF is expanding its popular Dogwood Densified Wood product portfolio with a Bruce-branded Dogwood collection, while the Robbins brand gets a boost with Timber Legends, which boasts eye-catching rustic visuals, including a heart pine offering. On the solid side, AHF Products showcases its Prime Harvest Elite collection, which allows consumers to select the desired product based on color as opposed to construction type.
ANDERSON TUFTEX
Anderson Tuftex, the high-end, high-style brand from Shaw, expanded its hardwood portfolio with the addition of Regatta Teak. According to Kyle McAllister, category director of hardwood, Regatta Teak is a sub-species of the teak that was used in decking on ships and yachts and high-end furniture. “The exotic space is something we’re starting to embark on,” he explained. “We’ve had some Brazilian cherry and acacia in the past, but we really haven’t dabbled with exotics much. There’s only so much you can do with domestic species, so we have to step outside the box to offer unique visuals for our customers. We’re really focusing on building a good, curated exotics assortment.” MSRP is $5.49 to $6 per square foot.
BJELIN
Bjelin puts the spotlight on its signature Woodura Hardened Wood line featuring technology patented by Välinge Innovation. The latest addition to the line is the Contrast Collection, which boasts an engineered structure featuring a sliced face, high-density fiberboard core and two distinct tones on the top color. “With this line we’re trying to pick up on the liveliness and the natural aesthetics of wood to offer a product that is more design focused,” said Hannes Lindblom, director of sales and marketing, surface technology. “The Contrast Collection, which is focused on the architectural community, is designed for those applications that call for more vivid colors.” Five colors are available across this oak collection.
HALLMARK
Clean, modern, yet minimal. That sums up Serenity, the latest eye-catching hardwood flooring collection from Hallmark Floors. Sourced primarily from North America’s New England region, the new line features slow-growth hardwood that’s not only more durable but also conveys unique visual appeal. In fact, the collection got the attention of the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and Metropolitan Arts Press, which cited the Serenity collection as a winner in its annual Good Design Awards Program in the Floor+Wall covering category.
HF DESIGN
A player across multiple hard surface categories, HF Design offers Brentwood Hills XL, a wider/longer “big brother” version of its standard Brentwood offering. Also available in Creekside View, 8.5-inch-wide European oak product, and Victoria Manor, Del Mar and Sea Cliff—a series of good/better/best offerings. “We work with the suppliers to make sure we have the traceability and make sure all the European oak logs and everything we procure in advance,” said Alex Shaoulpour, HF Design CEO. “We also work with them on the colors and styles for their markets.”
JOHNSON HARDWOOD
Johnson Hardwood, a player across multiple hard surface categories, has not forgotten about its roots in genuine hardwood flooring. To that end, the company is test driving new products it has been working on to gauge retailer and distributor interest before finalizing spring launches. “Our intention this year was to bounce around some ideas for our dealers and distributors to see what they would respond to,” said Jon Ousley, vice president of sales and distribution at Johnson. Based on the initial reaction at Surfaces, which he called “extremely positive,” dealers can expect a robust product expansion.
LAUZON
Lauzon showcases the unique visual and performance aspects of its Hard Maple series—regarded for its clean, clear characteristics as well as its durability. “With hard maple there’s the absence of a heavy grain,” said David Lauzon Jr., director of sales. That’s literally the opposite of many traditional oak products. “We’re finding that people want more of a cleaner look—more of a select type of maple species without a lot of variation in it.”
MANNINGTON
Mannington took the wraps off Monogram, a 9/16-inch-thick European white oak product with a 3mm sliced face veneer. “With this product you get nice, wide boards that are 8.5 inches wide and 87 inches long,” said John Hammel, senior product director, wood and laminate. “We also incorporate a fuming/smoking technique, which draws out more of the natural variation within the plank.” MSRP: approximately $7.99–$8.49 per square foot.
MIRAGE
Mirage has expanded its popular DreamVille, Flair and Herringbone collections with several new colors. The latest additions include Bow Valley, Loveland and Tofino, which have been added to the DreamVille Collection to offer a nine-color palette of natural tones that provide a distinctive look. All three colors come in a 5-inch width (Engineered Series) as well as a 4 ¼-inch width (Classic series). The Flair collection gets Patina, a new color in keeping with today’s design trends. Patina is available in maple and features Mirage’s TruBalance technology across 5-, 6 ½- and 7 3/4-inch widths. All feature the DuraMatt finish.
MOHAWK
Mohawk’s popular TecWood line is getting a refresh for the new year. New additions include trendy colors and species reflecting the attributes consumers crave in real hardwood. “Consumers want the beauty of wood with the durability that can withstand their family’s everyday lifestyle,” said David Moore, Mohawk’s senior product director. “While there are many alternatives to wood on the market, nothing looks more like wood than wood itself. We are updating messaging this year to focus on the product’s features and benefits while offering key differentiators that RSAs can highlight to set TecWood apart from other wood products and wood alternatives.”
MSI
MSI’s new “W” luxury engineered series features 100% genuine hardwood from top to bottom. The new line, which is influenced by lush woodlands and treetop canopies, consists of two collections: Ladson and McCarran. The former features a sliced-face veneer while McCarran is a sawn-faced product. Both lines feature cutting and precision staining techniques and include MSI’s signature CrysaLux Ultra finish for surface protection and ZeroSlip technology for added safety.
RIVA
RIVA Spain, the designer-oriented hardwood flooring brand that first made its mark in the U.S. at Surfaces 2023, took the wraps off a new collection called Tierra, a European white oak product. It comes in five trendy, character-grade colors on an 8-inch-wide platform and varying lengths ranging from 6 to 8 feet. Tierra will retail for about $6.99 per square foot. “When you look at the project, you would think that it costs much more than that,” said Borja Iglesias, RIVA CEO.
SOUTHWIND
Initially known for its soft surface offerings, Southwind gave Surfaces visitors a glimpse of its capabilities on the hard surface side. This included a sneak peek of a new hardwood flooring collection—the first such launch in the history of the company. Dubbed Franklin Hardwood, a 9/16-inch-thick x 7 ½-inch-wide board in lengths ranging from 48 to 75 inches. “It’s a high-end grade that has a beautiful finish we call Diamondized,” said Drew Hash, president and CEO.
TRIANGULO
The Brazilian Teak engineered Hardwood from Triangulo Hardwood Floors offers nine layers of transparent polyurethane, aluminum-oxide finish. Brazilian Teak is one of the hardest species grown in Triangulo’s privately owned, sustainably managed Brazilian forest with a Janka hardness rating of 3,540. Triangulo offers Brazilian Teak in ½-thick x 3 ¼- and 5 ¼-inch-wide boards as well as 5/8-inch-thick x 7 ½-inch widths. The warm neutral coloration and slight graining allows Brazilian Teak to coordinate with any decor.
URBANFLOOR
Urbanfloor takes the wraps off Prima Lusso, billed as premier, prime-grade oak flooring. Available in extra-wide, 9.5-inch-wide x 7-foot-long boards, the product conveys a dramatic presentation, especially in open room floor plans. “It’s a very designer look that’s designed for upscale applications in residential remodel or high-end homes,” said Jimmy Setiawan, CEO.
WICKHAM HARDWOOD
Wickham is taking a page out of the “KISS” playbook by keeping it simple for retailers and distributors to promote its new products. The focus at Surfaces this year was its new line of unfinished solid and engineered products. “What we’re seeing in our market is greater demand for a cleaner, unfinished look,” said Paul Rezuke, vice president and director of sales, U.S.
