Springfield, Mass.—The North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) has launched an initiative to define and develop performance standards for wood-based hybrid flooring. The effort aims to establish consistent testing methods and performance requirements for the emerging hard surface flooring category.
As manufacturers introduce new material technologies, hybrid flooring products continue to evolve in durability, water resistance and overall performance. However, the industry lacks consistent terminology and established benchmarks for evaluating these products.
“As hybrid flooring continues to evolve, the industry needs a clear and credible framework for understanding what these products are and how their performance should be evaluated,” said Tom Wright, president of NALFA. “Our goal is to apply NALFA’s established expertise to wood-based hybrid flooring, developing consistent testing methodologies and measurable performance expectations that build confidence throughout the marketplace.”
NALFA plans to address those gaps by defining the category, developing testing methods and establishing measurable performance expectations.
The initiative follows the association’s October strategic planning discussions in Savannah, Ga. During those meetings, NALFA leaders identified wood-based hybrid flooring as an opportunity to expand the organization’s technical expertise.
The effort will focus on hybrid flooring products that incorporate wood-based core technologies.
Next steps
NALFA will initially focus on defining eligible product constructions and determining the scope of future standards. Potential testing areas include scratch resistance, moisture and swell performance, dimensional stability and other durability characteristics.
The association will determine specific testing methods, performance thresholds and potential certification requirements through its technical evaluation and review processes.
NALFA said its experience with independent, third-party testing will help establish credible product performance standards. The initiative also aims to give manufacturers clearer technical guidelines while helping retailers, specifiers, installers and consumers evaluate hybrid flooring products.
The association is inviting manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, installers, testing laboratories and other industry stakeholders to participate in the initiative.
NALFA plans to take a phased approach and will release additional details about the technical scope, participation opportunities and next steps as the initiative progresses.