National Floor Trends articles from December 2006

National Floor Trends archives from December 2006

China sets its sights on flooring (and what it means to you).(Editorial Comment)
December 1, 2006... The hour was twilight and the swirl of bicycles was maddening. Red light. Green light. Nobody cared. The bicycles poured through the Shanghai intersection like a cresting river of tires and handlebars, each with a sullen face at the helm. If...

Fear! A salesperson's worst enemy.(High-Impact Retailing)
December 1, 2006... A current project has given me new respect for elite salespeople and a whole new perspective on professional selling after 47-years of experience and teaching. My observation is that the best salespeople have an aura of self-confidence. This,...

With fashion-forward floors, Surfaces '07 to lure designers.
December 1, 2006... In an industry that increasingly favors fashionable looks over cookie-cutter designs, it is no surprise that Surfaces is aiming to draw more designers and architects to the show. To that end, show organizers are offering a focused slate of...

NFT tile and stone market report: rock steady and ready to roll.(Editorial)(Survey)(Statistical data)
December 1, 2006... The use of either tile or stone as a highly reliable flooring option may date back many centuries, but the segment in recent years has been getting an image makeover. Hard surfaces once lauded as highly practical and durable are increasingly...

What retailers need to know about stone tile.(Guest Column)
December 1, 2006... The beauty and performance of stone tiles is prized by many homeowners and builders, leading to its use in more projects than ever in both residential and commercial settings. This, in turn, has led to more questions about the techniques and...

Invest in training rather than complaints.(Focus on Resilient)(Personal account)
December 1, 2006... After 40-plus years in the flooring business, I have come to the conclusion that our industry is not really interested in the development of the installer. Sadly, most view installers as a liability and have no interest in seeing them grow to...

NAFCD honors young exec, elects new leaders at conference.(News)(North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors honors Jan Clinite with Future Leader of the Year award)(appointment of Christophe Freed, Al Maghes, Jack Lindenschmidt, Fred Reitz, Stephen Johnson, Tom Giancani, Steve Kerr, Brad Vollrath, David Williams, Art Layton, Steve Rosenthal, Jim Sturla, Robert Wagner, Daniel Kahn, Ray Mancini, Charlie Martin, Dennis Mohn and Terry Moorhead)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Jan Clinite, director of marketing and development for St. Louis-based Interstate Supply Co., was honored recently by the North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors. At its 35th annual meeting in Palm Springs, she received the...

Outlets team-up for 'store within a store'.(News)(Color Tile Inc.'s partnership with Big Bob's Used Carpet Shops of America Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... With a plan to offer hard surface products at discounted prices, Alliance Flooring's subsidiary Color Tile Outlet is partnering with Big Bob's Flooring Outlet. Color Tile has offered to sell their hard items such as laminate and ceramic...

Mannington recognizes three women who 'Stand On a Better World'.(News)
December 1, 2006... Mannington says that its 2nd annual Stand On a Better World Awards program aims to recognize women who make a difference. With the announcement of this year's winners, it is hard to dispute that claim. Among the recipients of this year's awards...

New company UFloor plans surfaces unveiling.(News)(UFloor Systems Inc.'s office in north carolina)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... UFloor Systems Inc., the North American subsidiary of German-based installation products maker Uzin-Utz, has recently opened its doors in Greensboro, N.C. Plans call for the company to launch three wood flooring installation product ranges at...

Domotex show features international businesses.(News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... A dedicated slate of flooring events is planned for the 2007 edition of Domotex, scheduled for Jan 13-16 in Hannover, Germany. Among the highlights are the Contractworld international architecture and design conference, the Floorforum showcase...

Hot topic: free Dec. 13 'webinar' to probe radiant heat flooring.(News)
December 1, 2006... How hot are electric floor warming systems? Amid growing interest in radiant heat flooring systems, National Floor Trends is presenting an exclusive, on-line forum that will explore this potentially high-profit category. A web-cast seminar, or...

Preverco and Valinge click with partnership.(News)(Preverco Hardwood Flooring's licensing agreement with Valinge Innovation )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Preverco Hardwood Flooring announced it has signed a licensing agreement with glueless click installation system maker Valinge Innovation for a new line of hardwood flooring. Using a customized piece of manufacturing equipment designed by...

Bona's 'logical next step': new Spanish tech support.(News)(BonaKemi USA Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Hardwood floor finish maker BonaKemi USA has launched a technical support line for Spanish-speaking users. According to Todd Schutte, Bona's director of training and contractor sales, the new feature is in keeping with BonaKemi's efforts to...

Details on product lines available at Loxcreen site.(News)(Loxcreen Flooring Group)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... In what the company calls "a complete overhaul to keep its luster," Loxcreen Flooring Group has revamped its website at www.loxcreenflooring.com. The redesigned site includes streamlined menus, crisp graphics and an appealing new user...

Upcoming webinars.(Calendar)
December 1, 2006... "Selling/Installing Underfloor Radiant Flooring Systems" Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. in the west coast). (Free to those who register at http://webinar.ntlfloortrends.com.)

Kronotex USA's.(People)(appointments)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Several staffers have joined Kronotex USA's sales team. Shane Carpenter has been welcomed as director of national sales, Paul Zagorski as southeast regional sales manager and Ray Johnson as western regional sales manager in building Formica...

Beaulieu of America.(People)
December 1, 2006... Beaulieu of America has named Mark C. Clayton exec vp marketing. Clayton will head the total marketing effort for the company and will be responsible for creating an integrated company-wide marketing strategy. Additionally, Mike McAllister has...

John T. McGrath, Jr.(People)
December 1, 2006... John T. McGrath, Jr. has been appointed as the new director of INSTALL. McGrath replaces James P. Schmid, the group's first director, who recently retired. A 24-year veteran of the flooring industry, McGrath will be responsible for expanding...

Mercier Wood Flooring.(People)
December 1, 2006... Mercier Wood Flooring has added Ron Miller to its sales representative team. Having worked in the wood flooring industry for 20 years, Miller will be responsible for sales in Washington, Oregon and parts of California.

Amtico International.(People)
December 1, 2006... Amtico International has appointed David Voll as senior marketing manager for the North American market. In his new role, Voll will be responsible for the development and execution of Amtico's global and local marketing strategies.

Floor To Ceiling.(People)
December 1, 2006... Floor To Ceiling has announced Robert H. "Bob" Kilbury as the company's director of marketing. Kilbury will be responsible for the expansion of Floor To Ceiling's Kitchen & Bath and Decorative Products business, in addition to enhancing the...

Wood Flooring International.(People)
December 1, 2006... John Himes has been named as president of Wood Flooring International. Himes comes to WFI with 17 years of industry experience in both sales and marketing at Armstrong World Industries, Wilsonart International and most recently as director of...

Congoleum 'dares to be different' with new products, new markets.
December 1, 2006... A greater focus on emerging markets topped the agenda at Congoleum's recent distributor meeting in Princeton, N.J. With the theme "Dare to Be Different," the annual event drew more than 30 representatives from 12 distributors across North...

Invista to buy Honeywell's nylon 6 business in Asia Pacific.
December 1, 2006... With the goal of making locally produced nylon 6 fiber more widely available to Asian mills, Invista announced it will purchase Honeywell's Asia Pacific bulked continuous filament (BCF) fiber business. The deal includes the purchase of...

Distributor appointments.
December 1, 2006... Kronotex has named two new Formica Flooring distributors: William M. Bird Co. and Darant Distributing Co. William M. Bird, based in Charleston, Ill., will serve the Southeastern United States. Denver-based Darant will cover its home state of...

Lifetime Achievement Award: Smyth recognized by TCAA.(News)(Tile Contractors Association of America honors Robert L. Smyth with the Giacomo DeLazzero Lifetime Achievement Award)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Tile Contractors Association of America recently honored Robert L. Smyth with the Giacomo DeLazzero Lifetime Achievement Award at TCAA's 98th annual convention in San Francisco. Smyth, who founded Western Tile and Marble with his uncle 50...

Marmoleum Click flooring to be viewed in D.C. exhibit.(News)
December 1, 2006... Caption: Forbo Flooring's Marmoleum Click resilient flooring (inset) is featured in a major exhibit at the DC National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Called "The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design,"...

Hunter Douglas honors its own.(News)
December 1, 2006... Caption: Hunter Douglas recently recognized close to 30 of its employees for 20 years or more of service in the company's Window Fashions Division. Among those honored were top executives Hurley Mitchell, president of the Hunter Douglas...

Upcoming industry events.(Calendar)
December 1, 2006... Domotex 2007--Hannover, Germany. (609) 987-1202, Jan 13-16. Atlanta Rug Market--Atlanta. (800) 285-6278, Jan. 18-21. Cevisama 2007--Valencia, Spain. 34-902 74 72 55, Feb. 6-10. Surfaces 2007--Las Vegas. (972) 536-6323, Feb. 7-9. ...

NFT's Prefinished Wood Floor Guide.
December 1, 2006... Prefinished products continue to take a greater share of the wood floor segment with the expanded variety of wood species and factory applied finishes. Following is a list by manufacturer of the products available. Use the Reader Inquiry...

They just don't make flooring like they used to ... (they make it better).(Resilient Answer Man)
December 1, 2006... I had a lot of great responses from the "mailbag" columns earlier this year, especially my comments on my favorite resilient floors of all time. I mentioned a couple of great old time resilient products, and I think it took a lot of you down...

Products.
December 1, 2006... (1) Fabrica focuses on Shandur carpet In the tradition of Tibetan and Nepalese color variations, Fabrica has rolled out its Shandur carpet. The product is available in 17 color options, including 12 earth tones with overtones of yellow and...

Carpet Shims.(Products & Literature on display)
December 1, 2006... Discover The Underlying Difference! Carpet Shims are available in 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" x 8" x 32", and 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" x 12" x 48". Add a Universal Side Shim to each end of the installed Carpet Shim to eliminate the drop off, which...

Thermosoft.(Products & Literature on display)
December 1, 2006... Thermosoft offers radiant floor heating direct from the manufacturer. The system has zero EMF and offers a lifetime warranty. Thermosoft's 1/8-inch construction-grade heating mats are designed to minimize floor height and lay flat for...

Starline.(Products & Literature on display)
December 1, 2006... Starline Associates, Inc. delivers the best value for the money with SILENT BLUE[TM] Laminate Underlayment. SILENT BLUE[TM] combines closed cell construction, IIC 72, STC 73 Ratings and Waterproof Technology, eliminating the need for film and...

W.F. Taylor.(Products & Literature on display)
December 1, 2006... Koester and Taylor intro Platinum product Koester America and W.F. Taylor Co. have launched the 1410 Platinum MAC (Moisture Alkali Control System). The two-part system can be applied in one coat to help reduce moisture vapor. MAC will also...

Custom Builidng Products.(Products & Literature on display)
December 1, 2006... Lightweight Mortars from Custom Building Products Deliver Heavyweight Performance Custom's new MegaLite[TM] Crack Prevention Mortar and ProLite[TM] Tile and Stone Mortar deliver exceptional performance, yet weigh 40 percent less than...

Tiles of Spain.(Products & Literature on display)
December 1, 2006... 100% Ceramica. 100% Creativity. At Casa Decor Miami '06 (http://www.casadecor-usa.com/), all ceramic tiles have been exclusively selected from manufacturers from Spain. From the standpoints of creativity and versatility, no other finish...