At The International Surface Event (TISE) 2026, WPC and hybrid rigid core suppliers leaned into comfort, performance and realism, bringing forward enhanced constructions and elevated visuals designed to meet evolving residential demand.
WPC reigns
WPC continues to gain share in the residential market as consumers seek comfort underfoot without compromising on performance or design. At TISE 2026, new WPC introductions highlighted enhanced constructions and trend-forward visuals.
With a whopping 60 new SKUs launched across its hard surface portfolio in 2026, Stanton Design is demonstrating its commitment to continue expanding beyond its soft surface roots. Even more telling is the fact that approximately 40% of those new launches unveiled at Surfaces target the WPC arena. “A lot of the business is shifting from rigid SPC product into a more elevated experience,” said Arthur Scheel, regional vice president, hard surface, Midwest.
Scheel cited a few standouts in Stanton’s WPC offering, including Summit. “The colors in this line are warmer, medium brown tones that are more indicative of a hardwood color palette,” he explained. “This platform partners really well with our hardwood program.”
Stanton’s growing WPC offering also features new formats. New this year is a half-inch-thick WPC alternative in 60-inch lengths but more narrow 5-inch widths. Additional options include a 7 x 60-inch product and a 7 x 72-inch product. “These are looks and sizes that are more suitable for that everyday home,” Scheel explained.
COREtec came to the show excited about Retro Revival. What makes the new line unique, according to the company, is its 9 x multi-length sizing. “It gives that realistic wood visual, and has had great market reception so far,” said Rod MacLeod, senior product director, Shaw Industries.
Lions Floor expanded its WPC offering with Ocean Crest, which is positioned to serve the middle of the market and support its higher-end offering. “We’re not only focused on the higher end because we understand the economy in recent years has been challenging, and we want to make sure that we are providing a product that’s workable and a value add to our current offering,” said Jerry Guo, CEO.
Ocean Crest features 8mm, 9 x 60-inch planks and a 20-mil wear layer. The line includes a pressed bevel and EIR for optimal realism.
Mohawk dipped its toe in WPC in 2025 with the launch of Ember Coast in its Karastan line of higher-end options, but this year they put their foot in it. The Pergo brand is where its 8mm- 10mm WPC lineup will sit.
Cue Sterling Cove and Hazelwood Drift— available in the Pergo Preferred tier. They are both 8mm, 22- mil in a 9 x 60 format. The Karastan brand will remain the premium brand for Mohawk’s WPC where thicknesses will sit at 12mm. That line was expanded to include Charlton Ivy, a walnut option, featuring a bold and unique color lineup.
Mannington redefined its Adura selling system this year and with it came the expansion of Adura Apex. This higher-end Adura line now includes new products like Antiquity, which turned heads at the show for the company’s achievement in realism. “It’s all about getting it as close to the real thing as possible,” said Al Boulogne, senior vice president, residential product & marketing.
Another detail is not only does it look real and feel real, but it also doesn’t capture dirt. “The cleanability on this is actually pretty amazing,” said Renee Cannon, manager, residential styling. “I think that’s important because you would think it would get stuck [in the veining, the texture.] It’s just a part of the way we make sure it’s great for the customer. Not only do we want it to look and feel real, but we also want it to perform the way the customer wants it to.”
Cali expanded its WPC product offering with the launch of Longboards Icon. “The legacy continues,” said Mike Belprez, director of product innovation. “As the industry and the market really embraces and is having a growing and greater affection for WPC, we [wanted to provide that in Longboards.] If SPC were to drop off the map tomorrow, Longboards Icons ensures that we have what they need. And now we have a good, better, best option in resilient as well.” Icons features an extra-thick 14mm plank with a 22-mil wear layer.
Eternity Flooring built on its growing WPC offering and moved away from the SPC arena with a new line called Ingraind. The 10mm-thick product boasts a 28-mil wear layer and comes in 9 x 60 planks. The line features an ultra-matte finish for a more realistic texture and overall visual. “We did really well in the WPC category when it first came out, and we’re investing and focusing more attention to it,” said Isaac Lee, corporate sales, marketing and product development manager, Eternity Flooring. Matching stair nosings are also available with the new line.
Johnson Hardwood expanded its Vortis family of WPC products with the Aspen collection. Measuring nearly 9.5 inches wide x 72 inches long, the new line comes in both 8mm and 12mm versions. The line debuts in 12 colors available in light, medium to dark wood-grain tones and features EIR for added realism and texture along with attached pad. “We’re seeing interest from a lot of builders or in some residential applications where the homeowner is looking for an alternative to laminate,” said Billy Ko, CEO.
IFC, while still a young company, has deep experience in WPC and continued to showcase its expertise at this year’s show. This time, with the unveiling of its new bevel system. “Ultimately, that consumer is coming in with that aspirational purchase of hardwood,” said Greg Wrenn, vice president, product and brand. “That’s what we’re trying to mimic. We’re trying to provide the most realistic solution to every single end consumer. So we’re going to continue to push the boundaries on that and make it as realistic as possible. And we think we’re getting closer and closer to that with this bevel system.”
The new bevel system, Natural Edge Plus, mimics hardwood better than its predecessors and focuses on a lighter pressed bevel up paired with a very subtle micro bevel.”
Southwind continues to make a strong push in WPC. Among the new offerings shown at Surfaces included Harbor Plank, an 8mm, 6 x 48, 20-mil wear layer offering with its Diamondized finish. “This is a floor that balances comfort underfoot, durability and timeless design appeal,” said Drew Hash, Southwind CEO. “We took the best styles and updated the colors.”
The offering also included Authentic Plank, featuring 8mm thickness, plank sizes up to 9 x 59, 20-mil wear layer with the Diamondized finish and Uniclic interlocking system; and New Traditions (9 x 60 planks) with embossed-in-register texture and pressed bevel edges.
Tarkett Home’s WPC offerings included EverGen Stone with HeritEdge that features an irregular bevel and integrated grout line. “You get true realism, something that isn’t available in any click format, except for here,” said Jason Surratt, president of Tarkett Home.
Tarkett Home also showed off Pietra, an SPC with a 20-mil wear layer featuring stone looks that was well received at the show, Surratt said.
TDG did not forsake WPC. A case in point is its TX101 collection, which is available in six colors, with a 5mm thickness and loose-lay format. “This product is going to be a monster for us,” said Doug Helmstaedter, regional vice president, Mountain West region. “We didn’t have loose lay in a meaningful way until now.”
One of the main highlights at the HF Design booth this year was the launch of the new Versa Core PureEdge line of Luxury Waterproof Floors. What makes it tick: The new line, a WPC product measuring 9 x 72 inches with a 28-mil wear layer, boasts an embossed-in-register, low-gloss finish for added realism. Another standout feature, according to Alex Shaoulpour, president, is its pressed, eased bevel. “The trend is moving away from the painted bevel; with this product you get more of a natural beveled look,” he explained.
Among its expansion in loose lay constructions and the launch of its Karndean Aesthetics platform (FCNews Feb. 2/9), Karndean also expanded its rigid core offering in 2026 via its Van Gogh collection. Retailers will see new elm-, oak- and pine-inspired designs. Van Gogh has a 20-mil wear layer, and every design is available in both glue-down and rigid core formats. The new designs will launch during the second half of 2026.
New hybrid vinyl constructions
Hybrid resilient constructions are carving out a unique niche by blending the performance strengths of various formats. At TISE 2026, new hybrid introductions showcased the ingenuity of the category.
Take AHF Products, for example. The company touted its High Density Polymer Core (HDPC) line. “What excites me is the value we’re bringing to our customers with our HDPC launch,” said Drew Wiley, director, product management. “With that, we’re focusing on three things: capacity, quality and brand.”
The company is now producing roughly half of the domestic rigid core demand out of its Cartersville, Ga., facility, which has more than 200 million square feet of annual capacity—an intentional move as demand for U.S.-made product grows.
Engineered for performance, the rigid core platform is designed to withstand temperature swings from 0 to 160 degrees, offering enhanced dent resistance through a denser construction than traditional rigid core products. It also delivers stronger locking systems for improved installation integrity.
Engineered Floors continues to tout the “PureGrain difference,” with new offerings from its PureGrain High-Def DLVT lineup. Antiquity and Divine, for example, aim to capture the authenticity of real wood, replicating unique grain textures thanks to a digitally printed décor that allows for high-resolution imaging and enhanced plank repeats.
Inhaus expanded its family of Ceramin-branded offerings with the introduction of the Nuva collection, an opening price point companion to the Icon and Gallery offerings, respectively. In the good/better/best tier structure, it’s the opening salvo. “It hits that price point [$3.99] where we can go after more of the builder and multifamily stocking dealers,” said Sean Landes, sales director, Inhaus.
LICO had on hand one of the most unique constructions in the industry: True Earth Floorworks. This line of luxury vinyl is a multilayer 100% organic modular plank floating floor. It is touted as waterproof, kid-proof and pet-proof while being composed of 79% recycled material. What truly stands out is the company’s commitment to recycling each floor for its “Second Life” strategy. The flooring can also be responsibly disposed of, where it is designed to naturally break down at the end of its life—an uncommon and forward-thinking concept within the category.
Nox’s latest addition to its LVT lineup is its new LDW+ or Luxury Design Wall. The product can be installed on both floors and walls and is going after the ceramic market. It features an affordable price point and True Texture technology, which allows for—you guessed it—realistic texturizing on the surface of the product. “You can see that this is exactly the same visuals and texture as ceramic tile, but this is much lighter,” said Joony Kim, director, product marketing & planning.
Forbo’s Flotex is a unique mash-up of vinyl and carpet tile to create a waterproof flooring product with infinite design options. “The beautiful part about this is we’ve taken a product that has pretty significant guts to it—meaning the 6,6 nylon, heavy duty, ready for wearability, waterproof textile product—but allows you to custom make designs and colors for the market that you’re going in—residential or commercial,” said Tim Donahue, U.S. residential national sales director, Forbo.
