National Floor Trends articles from April 2004

National Floor Trends archives from April 2004

Live by price, die by price; live by fashion, thrive by fashion.(Industry Perspectives)
April 1, 2004... I can't figure out why anyone beats the price drum instead of the fashion drum. After all, we're a fashion industry. It's fashion that attracts customers and clients. The residential and commercial markets buy fashion, not price. So how come so...

NFT market study: imported products fueling growth & profitability for wood flooring.(National Floor Trends )(Cover Story)
April 1, 2004... Imports continue to garner an ever-increasing share of the wood floor products being sold to consumers, according to the just-completed 2004 Hardwood Flooring Market Study conducted by National Floor Trends magazine in conjunction with the...

Sales up but margins pinched: 2004 state of the wood flooring industry report.(NWFA Hardwood Dossier)
April 1, 2004... During the past decade, wood flooring has been one of the strongest-growing sectors of the U.S. floor covering market. Homeowners' growing preference for high-end hard-surface flooring has driven demand. Growth has been strongest in the...

Execution: the key to making your business plan succeed.(The Journal of a Start-up Flooring Retailer)
April 1, 2004... As I mentioned in my last article (NFT, February 2004), the execution of the retail business plan often is more challenging than one would expect and one learns quickly that change is the rule rather than the exception. My personal experience...

Solarbrite debuts full line of Luxury Vinyl Flooring.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Solarbrite manufactures a full line of Luxury Vinyl Flooring that combines premium-quality vinyl tiles and the most advanced techniques in manufacturing, according to the company. Solarbrite offers collections that encompass stone, marble and...

BurkeMercer LVT features stone look.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... BurkeMercer Flooring now offers a line of luxury vinyl tile. Stone luxury vinyl tile is offered in multiple colors and designs in six categories, including marble, solid, carpet, granite, pastel, and sand. Each tile is 18-by-18 inches in size....

Forbo introduces multi-colored Selling Center Marmoleum Display.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Forbo's Selling Center Marmoleum Display incorporates multiple product colors. Each color in this display has a removable sample that customers can see and touch. Behind the removable sample is a permanent sample so that the display unit never...

Nafco PermaStone expands into modular collection.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Nafco's PermaStone Modular offers a variety of newly sized tiles that can be assembled into modular units. In the collection, seven tiles--two 16-by-16-inch, three 8-by-8-inch and two 8-by-16-inch pieces--comprise one modular unit, all of which...

Mannington's Garden Linen is inspired by freehand brushwork.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Mannington recently debuted Artisan Collection includes three resilient patterns inspired by the time-honored methods of stenciling, block printing and resist dyeing. Garden Linen, one of these patterns, is reminiscent of a freehand sketch done...

Azrock's Plaza Marble available in five colors.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Plaza Marble is a new, premium homogenous marble composite tile offered in the Azrock Better Flooring Solutions line. Plaza Marble is available in five colors--Copper Vein, Granite Gray, Java Brown, Quarry Gray, and Crimson Lode. The tile is...

Parterre Flooring launches Compete Sports Floor line.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Parterre Flooring Systems recently introduced its Compete Sports Floor line. The primary application for the product includes all wood and solid-color visual resilient gym floors. Compete Sports Floor offers superior shock absorption and...

Flexco revitalizes its Contract Vinyls.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Flexco has introduced a revitalized offering of Contract Vinyls to further expand design options for its high-performance product. Contract Vinyl is a 1/8-inch gauge solid-vinyl tile engineered to combine the durability of homogenous vinyl with...

Linoleum tile option now available from Tarkett.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Tarkett Specialty now offers its Linosom Linoleum in a versatile tile format, providing additional design options for architects and designers. This homogenous, through-patterned tile is available in a nominal 20-by-20-inch tile and 0.100-inch...

Domco beefs up its Rustic line.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Four additions to Domco's popular Rustic line include a mix of contemporary and traditional looks that complement the existing collections. Springdale is a 9-inch-square, tooled-leather tile bordered on all sides by a single row of stitching....

EarthWerks releases two luxury vinyl tiles.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... EarthWerks has released two luxury vinyl tiles. Canyon Stone is a 16-by-16-inch, designer-dimension, luxury vinyl tile manufactured with EarthWerks' Tuff Shield finish. EarthWerks also offers its Carpet Tile, an 18-by-18-inch luxury vinyl tile...

Armstrong adds patterns to Destinations collection.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Four new resilient patterns, spread over 18 SKUs, have been added to Armstrong's Destinations line. These patterns include tumbled marble, rustic brick and sandstone offerings. Destinations features Armstrong's ToughGuard durability, the...

Amtico intros several new stone patterns.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Amtico has added several new stone patterns to its resilient flooring portfolio. Kasumi Stone, a Japanese stone, is replicated with a natural, cool gray tone. Both Australian Sandstone and Garcia Stone are contemporary stone looks with natural...

Spectrum Imports offers plethora of resilient options.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Spectrum Imports, a division of Gardner Industries Inc., now offers a wide range of resilient flooring options, including Sempresol, Euroflor and Eurotred vinyl-backed sheet vinyl, Peak Performance commercial vinyl tile and planks, Royal Court...

Congoleum creates Utopia sheet vinyl line.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Congoleum has introduced Utopia, a new sheet product that sports nine natural-looking designs in 42 colorations. Utopia features a 15-mil wearlayer, as well as the company's Scuff-Tuff natural gloss urethane wear surface, ArmorGuard product...

Centiva launches new granite tile collection.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Centiva by International Floors of America Inc. recently introduced a new resilient product inspired by true granite stones. The five new colors in this collection represent the trend for distinctive granite patterns. Centiva Granite is...

Johnsonite expands its color offerings.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Johnsonite has added 11 new hues to its spectrum of flooring colors. The new colors--Spa Blue, Citron, Daffydil, Dreamsicle, Mousi, Pansy, Raisin, Ocean, and three new metallics--bring the total number of Johnsonite's available offerings to...

Roppe debuts SafeTcork Tile and Tread products.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Roppe Corp. has unveiled SafeTcork Tile and Tread products, its newest addition to the SafeTmax Flooring System. SafeTcork Tile and Tread products, which are composed of a blend of cork and rubber, are designed for interior use in high-traffic...

Metroflor solidity features tough, ceramic-type finish.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Solidity by Metroflor is a heavy-duty solid vinyl tile with a tough, scratch-and stain-resistant ceramic-type finish. The floor is backed by lifetime residential and 10-year commercial warranties. For details, circle 161 on the Reader Inquiry...

Balta unveils new generation of Flexitec cushioned vinyl.(Resilient Floor Fashion Gallery)
April 1, 2004... Balta U.S. recently introduced its all-new Flexitec Generation II PVC cushion-backed sheet vinyl collection. The new Flexitec Generation II program builds on the first generation of Flexitec, but adds new styling and colorations aimed squarely...

Safety flooring: a sensible choice for commercial environments.(Don't Fall Prey to Slip-Fall Litigation)
April 1, 2004... Slip-fall litigation is on the rise across the nation. The statistics may surprise you. According to the National Safety Council, slip-falls rank second only to motor vehicle accidents for workers' compensation claims. In fact, slip-falls...

Mohawk showcases its latest products and services at Selections 2004.(People
April 1, 2004... In February, more than 800 dealers were treated to an up-close look at new Mohawk product offerings and turnkey programs during Selections 2004, Mohawk's annual ColorCenter dealer convention, in Orlando, Fla. At the convention, Mohawk...

Selections attendees offer opinions on consumer habits, current industry trends.(People / Places / Events)
April 1, 2004... Mohawk's Selections 2004 dealer convention in Orlando, Fla., offered attendees the latest information on products and services available to ColorCenter dealers. Attendees learned of new hard- and soft-surface assortments, the availability of...

Flooring America treats its members to 'Showtime' in Houston: host of new initiatives unveiled.(Flooring America)
April 1, 2004... During its Houston spring convention March 4-6, Flooring America unveiled a variety of initiatives mounted to build the Flooring America brand and differentiate members of the buying group from competing retail flooring operations. ...

Healthier Choice Flooring ceases cushion manufacture for Mohawk.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Healthier Choice Flooring has ceased manufacturing carpet cushion for Mohawk Industries. The company manufactured millions of square feet of residential and commercial carpet cushion for Mohawk per year under the trade name of Pristine Carpet...

RPA introduces regional RadFests.(News)(Radiant Panel Association)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The Radiant Panel Association (RPA) will host regional RadFests April 16-17 and May 21-22 in Madison, Wis., and Loveland, Colo., respectively. RadFests are radiant heating get-togethers hosted by the RPA for contractors, builders, installers,...

World Floor Covering Association names WSFCA its Affiliate of the Year.(News)(Washington State Floor Covering Association)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Based upon the Washington State Floor Covering Association's (WSFCA) strong programs of industry training and education, social events and contributions, the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) named the organization its WFCA Affiliate...

Kraus Carpet Mills subsidiary acquires Royal Scot distributorship.(News)(WG McMahon)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Canadian distributor WG McMahon, a subsidiary of Kraus Carpet Mills, has acquired a majority interest in Lemont, Ill.-based Royal Scot Floorcovering Distribution. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The two full-line...

Siemerling tops Witex USA's restructured executive team.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Hartwig Siemerling, former chief operating officer of Witex USA, has accepted the roles of president, CEO and board member of the company. Siemerling has been leading the operations of Witex since its doors opened in the United States in 1994....

Arson suspected cause of C & C Wholesale blaze.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The head of Dallas-based C & C Wholesale said arson is the suspected cause of a blaze that gutted the Houston branch of his 11-location distributorship in the late hours of Feb. 12. Company CEO Blake Christian said a break-in at the Houston...

Wanke Cascade begins new educational seminars.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Portland, Ore.-based distributor Wanke Cascade has begun conducting "First Tuesday" educational seminars at its three branches in Oregon and Washington on the first Tuesday of each month. Inaugurated in February, the seminars highlight one new...

Former DuPont execs launch Inside Edge.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Several former DuPont Flooring Systems executives have launched Inside Edge Commercial Interior Services, a commercial flooring services company headquartered in Minneapolis with an operations center in St. Louis. Inside Edge offers a...

Shaw to inaugurate semi-annual regional dealer networking events.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Plans are underway to institute semi-annual regional dealer meetings of Shaw Flooring Alliance, an association of select Shaw Industries dealers. The regional meetings, which this year incorporate the theme of "Envision," are designed to forge...

Unilin Flooring to construct new plant in North Carolina.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Unilin Flooring, parent company of Quick-Step Inc., announced that it plans to build a 600,000-square-foot laminate flooring manufacturing plant in Thomasville, N.C. The new facility represents an $80 million investment and a further commitment...

Flexco.(People)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Flexco has appointed former sales manager Dave Przyborski to serve as Eastern regional sales manager. He now oversees territories in Washington D.C., Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania....

Impronta Italgraniti Ceramiche SPA.(People)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Impronta Italgraniti Ceramiche SPA has promoted Jerry Joyce to vice president/general manager of its United States division headquartered in Springfield, Va. Joyce, who joined the firm one year ago, is now responsible for all of the company's...

Todd Barton has been named West Coast sales manager for Penn Wood Products Inc.(People)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Todd Barton has been named West Coast sales manager for Penn Wood Products Inc. Barton is responsible for sales and marketing initiatives for the company's Pennwood-brand thin strip and custom plank hardwood flooring, as well as architectural,...

VPI.(People)(VPI's Floor Products Division)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... VPI has appointed Wes Hoover to the position of Southwest sales manager. Hoover, who has a strong background in sales and sales management, oversees all Southwest region sales for VPI's Floor Products Division. Prior to joining VPI, Hoover...

Mattsson quits as head of Tarkett.(News)(Ulf Mattsson)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Sixteen-year company veteran Ulf Mattsson has resigned his positions as president and CEO of Tarkett Inc. to pursue other interests. Though his resignation is effective immediately, Mattsson will remain with Tarkett during a transitional period...

Tight races, dead heats highlight NFT Supplier Service Awards results.(News)(National Floor Trends, floor covering industry magazine)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... In a hotly contested race even tighter than the nail-biting U.S. presidential election of 2000, Mannington Mills and Mohawk Industries finished in a 1st place tie for coveted Best Service--Overall Best Product honors in the 2004 NFT Supplier...

Alloc.(Distributor Appointments)(NRF Distributors Inc)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Alloc has appointed Augusta, Maine-based NRF Distributors Inc. to serve as its latest distributor in the New England sales region. NRF now represents Alloc's entire family of laminate flooring products throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,...

Tarkett Commercial has added Hoboken Floors--New England Division, of Stoughton, Mass., as a distributor of Tarkett-label linoleum and Tarkett-label commercial luxury vinyl tile (LVT) for the Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island markets.(Distributor Appointments)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Tarkett Commercial has added Hoboken Floors--New England Division, of Stoughton, Mass., as a distributor of Tarkett-label linoleum and Tarkett-label commercial luxury vinyl tile (LVT) for the Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and...

Alloc awards event recognizes its top-performing distributors.(News)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Alloc Inc. honored its distributor customer base during a recent awards ceremony. Distributors that earned accolades were Medallion Distributing for Best Overall Performance, Royal Scot Distributing Floorcovering LLC & Sorce Inc. for...

CARPET SHIMS.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2004... With CARPET SHIMS and the NEW UNIVERSAL SIDE SHIMS easily eliminate the transition problem between ceramic tile or hardwood floors and carpet. No more double tack strips or floating floors with fillers. No need to build cardboard/VCT ramps or...

Mullican Flooring: Mullican offers hand-sculpted Chatelaine Collection.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2004... Mullican Flooring's new Chatelaine Collection is hand-sculpted from solid, 3/4-inch hardwood and is available in 4- and 5-inch widths of autumn maple, provincial hickory, golden maple, colonial walnut and ebony oak. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Tembec.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2004... The Muskoka Architectural Collection was launched at Surfaces 2004 and is available now. This new collection consists of a 7-ply engineered product that is being offered in Maple, Ash, Oak, Brazilian Cherry, Merbau, and Doussier. The flooring...

Basic coatings.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2004... The Best Just Got Better with StreetShoe XL! Basic introduces a new technology in water based finishes. The new StreetShoe XL is easier to apply and it is the toughest, most chemical resistant and fastest curing finish on the market. Only Basic...

Artistic Finishes: Artistic Finishes intros 8-foot nosings with Tri-Guard Finish.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2004... Artistic Finishes has introduced a full line of 8-foot stair nosings designed to accommodate most 3/4-inch floors. The new stair nosings are 3 1/2-inches wide, with a full 1 1/16-inch-thick nosing. They initially will be available in eight...

DuraSeal: DuraSeal[R] introduces QuickCoat Penetrating Finish for wood floors.(Products & Literature)
April 1, 2004... DuraSeal now offers QuickCoat Penetrating Finish, an oil-based stain that provides exceptional durability and a 2-hour recoat time. Available in all existing DuraSeal colors and certified Minwax[R] shades, QuickCoat can be inter-mixed for...

The well-planned showroom: what I learned from you at Surfaces 2004.(Showroom Management)
April 1, 2004... For the past few years, I've been asked to present seminars at Surfaces, Coverings and numerous other trade shows. While that puts me in a teaching role, it's not unusual for me to learn during my seminars too. This year's Surfaces show...

Johnsonite launches Recess wall base line.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Johnsonite recently introduced Recess, a rubber contoured wall base designed with a recessed groove along the top. Available in more than 130 colors and finishes, Recess requires no painting or staining, according to Johnsonite. ...

Waverly Lifestyle Collection features a range of area rugs.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Waverly's newly unveiled Waverly Lifestyle Collection was made possible through a licensing partnership with Nourison. Each rug in the line features a solid or color-pointed jute ground coordinated to the Waverly design and color palette, with...

Engineered Wood offering is Kronotex's new laminate.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Kronotex's new Engineered Wood collection of laminate flooring is designed to mimic the look and feel of solid wood. Engineered Wood features an embossed-in-register surface with micro-bevel edging on all four sides. The backside features the...

American Safety Razor debuts SmartEdge Smart Change knife.(Products)
April 1, 2004... American Safety Razor manufactures the SmartEdge Smart Change, a fully retractable utility knife that cuts and trims, and includes a refillable dispenser that holds as many as five blades. The SmartEdge Smart Change knife, part of the...

Progress Concepts Group is 'Sure' about its sealants.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Sure Seal Sealants, a product line from Progress Concepts Group LLC, has been developed so that it can be applied with a pump sprayer or simply sprayed onto grout lines 20 minutes after installation. Sure Seal dries invisibly and allows the...

Dependable presents new line of hot-melt carpet seam tapes.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Dependable Chemical Co. presents a new line of hot-melt carpet seam tapes produced in 3- and 4-inch widths. These new tapes feature smoke-free and nearly odorless hot-melt technology, according to the company. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

The new Red Label Collection is Wilsonart's high-end laminate.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Wilsonart Flooring has introduced the Red Label Collection, a high-end laminate product line encompassing 15 patterns divided among three main categories--planks, woods and stones. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] All designs in the line have...

Franklin International presents Titebond Moisture Control System.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Franklin International's Titebond 531 Moisture Control System has been developed to solve the problem of moisture transfer from concrete subfloors to wood flooring. It is designed to reduce the vapor within any concrete slab (up to 12 lbs.) to...

Parkway hardwood new from Shaw Hard Surfaces.(Products)
April 1, 2004... The Shaw Hard Surfaces Division has introduced Parkway, a 3/8-inch engineered floor that features sliced-face veneers, micro-beveled edges and square ends. Parkway is backed by a 15-year warranty and is offered in five oak colorations plus...

Durabond underlayment suitable for featheredges.(Products)
April 1, 2004... The Bostik Findley Flooring Group's Durabond Duralevel 83P is a self-leveling underlayment that features an extended flow/heal time and high compressive strengths. Suitable for underlayments requiring featheredges up to 1-inch thick, Duralevel...

Mercier introduces Exotic Hardwood line.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Mercier Wood Flooring recently debuted its new line of Exotic Hardwoods. These exotic woods from South America feature long-lasting durability and rich colors, according to Mercier. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Offerings include Brazilian...

PacifiCrest introduces two coordinating carpet patterns.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Aspect and Perspective are two coordinating, large-scale (12-by-12-inch repeat) patterns from PacifiCrest Carpets that can be used independently or in companion applications. Invista XTI nylon fiber is used with a solid-color yarn and barber...

Mullican's Chatelaine Collection features hand-sculpted hardwood.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Mullican Flooring's new Chatelaine Collection is hand-sculpted from solid, 3/4-inch hardwood and is available in 4- and 5-inch widths of autumn maple, provincial hickory, golden maple, colonial walnut, and ebony oak. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Karastan pushes stripes in Cabo del Sol collection.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Karastan has applied stripes in seven lively color combinations to the company's new Cabo del Sol broadloom collection. A sibling series of area rugs has also been developed. Cabo del Sol is woven of 100 percent New Zealand wool and features a...

MeadWestvaco adds six variations to Lustralite line.(Products)
April 1, 2004... MeadWestvaco Specialty Papers has unveiled six decorative paper products from its new Lustralite line. All six products feature both natural and synthetic materials. The six designs are Coconut, Straw & Coconut, Silver Granite, Silver Granite...

Petra glazed porcelain is Esedra's latest tile.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Petra by Esedra is a high-end glazed porcelain tile suitable for classic and modern interiors. The strong shade variation, as well as the wide range of available decors, mosaics and specialty pieces, ensures a large number of tile patterns....

Mirage adds exotic species to its engineered wood line.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Mirage flooring, a product of BoaFranc Inc., now offers the Merbau and Sapele exotic wood species in its engineered hardwood line. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Merbau is characterized by its distinctive contrasting grain and color, which...

Shaw Fibers intros EverTouch SD nylon.(Products)
April 1, 2004... Shaw Fibers, a division of Shaw Industries Inc., offers its newest branded soft fiber in Ever Touch SD solution-dyed nylon. EverTouch SD carpets offer colorfastness, enhanced stain and soil resistance protection from Shaw's patented R2x system,...

APAC's Ecoprotek promises total antimicrobial protection.(Products)
April 1, 2004... APAC's Ecoprotek is a unique blend of antimicrobial preservatives that is incorporated in all APAC preferred environmentally friendly adhesives. Ecoprotek protects APAC adhesives by inhibiting the growth of fungi, mold and mildew. ...

What you need to know: defining misunderstood tile installation concepts.(Ceramic & Stone Close-up)
April 1, 2004... Certain tile installation concepts are not well understood even by members of the trade. So in this month's column, I thought I'd discuss three topics--deflection, vapor retarders and expansion joints--that frequently cause problems for dealers...

Installation productivity: the fine line between profit and loss.(Wood or Wood Knot)
April 1, 2004... There are three key components to becoming a successful hardwood flooring dealer/contractor. Creating a satisfactory bottom line requires shrewd purchasing, a realistic margin or "markup," and a level of installation productivity that exerts...