Mountville, Pa.—AHF Products is bringing back the venerable Hartco brand as it transitions away from the Armstrong name. Hartco will be exclusive to independent flooring retailers and will feature a broad, refreshed portfolio as well as new designs and collections. The Hartco name will be in the market this spring and merchandising is being rolled out to transition from existing Armstrong hardwood display modules and inventories.
AHF has launched refreshes to several of the existing products now under the Hartco line including the Prime Harvest and American Scrape collections. In addition, due to the capabilities brought to AHF with the LM Flooring acquisition, the company will be launching new sliced face product in Q2 2020.
“This is good news for customers,” said Brian Carson, president and CEO, AHF Products. “We are delivering more choices across the spectrum—from premium hardwood floors to more affordable, high-quality floors to help those pinched by higher costs. We will continue to innovate products that are relevant to the market and in character with the brand. It means a deeper, far more targeted portfolio than before, stronger sales and merchandising support.”
With the new Hartco brand launch, the company is presenting a completely refreshed portfolio, updating popular core collections, and launching new lines at competitive prices with a Good/Better/Best architecture to help retailers grow sales. More than 90 new choices across six collections are set for launch in 2020, including selections in red and white oak, ash, maple and hickory with refreshed designs in line with today’s décor aesthetics and colors.
In addition to new looks, the brand’s domestically produced engineered hardwood will be manufactured with the new Densitek core. It comes complete with a water-resistant story, delivers increased performance and faster installation than traditional plywood.
New products include:
- American Scrape Hardwood: The popular line provides the highly-desired look of hand-scraped floors, and has been updated with a softer, finer scrape, designed for lasting beauty. The hardwood collection is inspired by the diversity of the American landscape, where every board is one-of-a-kind and features authentic American visuals in both solid and engineered hardwood. Made in the USA, these floors use domestically sourced lumber, a naturally sustainable resource.
- Prime Harvest Elite: Prime Harvest is known for sophisticated and versatile hardwoods. Brand new to the collection is a sawn wood visual with a straight grain pattern that lends itself to design. With a thick veneer, smooth traditional finish and a selection of colors, these floors complement traditional, contemporary and urban décor styles. In addition to new colors, crossover colors to the current Prime Harvest product assortment also are available. With a range of colors, Prime Harvest can easily coordinate with furniture, wall colors and other décor elements. Whether solid or engineered, these premium grade American hardwoods are crafted to the highest quality standards.
- TimberBrushed hardwood collection: Coming to retail this summer is the newly enhanced TimberBrushed hardwood collection, which has been reimagined to offer an array of visuals and price points into distinct Silver, Gold and Platinum collections. The Silver level is offered at a strong price point, in a 1.2mm European white oak with an oiled finished look, UV Performance in a low-gloss, matte finish. TimberBrushed Gold offers the line’s top-selling seven colors in wide and long boards. Eight new colors with reactive stains are being added for a striking, individualized style statement. At the premium level, TimberBrushed Platinum is a 3mm European white oak, featuring extra wide planks – 9/16 x 9-inch engineered – in 84-inch fixed random lengths, featuring unique reactive and fuming effects. In one technique, the hardwood is textured by gently removing the soft portion of the wood to expose the grain and bring enhanced definition to each plank and add color effects with dimension. Another fumed effect creates an eyecatching visual that appears dark and dramatic on the wood.
The new Hartco website, hartco.com, showcases the muted colors and glosses, staining and layering techniques used to create Hartco’s striking visuals. The redesigned site is a clear expression of AHF Products’ commitment to inspiration and education for all Hartco customers.