National Floor Trends articles from July 2004

National Floor Trends archives from July 2004

Hooray for Hollywood's thumbs up for the salability of quality! Great idea for manufacturers.(INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES)
July 1, 2004... Hollywood has announced that it has rediscovered grownups, and that it's starting to acknowledge the salability of quality movies. My April column--Live by Price, Die by Price; Live by Fashion, Thrive by Fashion--drew a strong reader response...

What women want: Basic understanding of the female psyche can help you sell more custom flooring solutions.
July 1, 2004... For retailers, custom floor coverings represent an opportunity for higher margins, a break from commodity structure and a shorter replacement cycle. And fortuitously, flooring is poised to become the next bastion of customization for...

Taking the pulse of the industry; CEO viewpoint: Five minutes with Mannington's top executive.
July 1, 2004... Despite his busy daily schedule, NFT managed to corral Mannington Mills CEO Tom Davis long enough to elicit his thoughts about the near-term business outlook for floor coverings in general, and the steps his company is taking to address...

Contemporary styles are hot at the Atlanta Rug Market: Customers going for bolder colors, specialized sizes.
July 1, 2004... This summer's Atlanta International Area Rug Market, Scheduled for July 11-14 at AmericasMart Atlanta, will showcase small manufacturers' and prominent mills' latest area rug designs, from traditional rectangles to specialty squares, octagons...

It grows on you: Facts on mold and how to protect yourself against it.
July 1, 2004... Mold is with us now and always will be. There's no way of avoiding or, at least, not sometimes noticing it--especially since it has become the litigator's delight. At a recent lawyer's seminar held in Las Vegas, a banner across the stage read,...

Distributors enthused by Nafco's addition of new modular collection to PermaStone vinyl line.(NEWS)
July 1, 2004... Nafco by Tarkett has rolled out PermaStone Modular, a new 24-SKU extension of its successful PermaStone luxury vinyl tile line, to the enthusiastic reaction of several dozen distributors who gathered recently for the product's launch at the...

Koetter Woodworking acquires Kentucky Wood.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Koetter Woodworking Inc. has acquired substantially all of the assets of Kentucky Wood Floors Inc. Kentucky Wood Floors manufactures a variety of unfinished and prefinished hardwood flooring. Koetter Woodworking manufactures a range of...

Industry partners tile Orange County Habitat for Humanity homes.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Industry partners, working through Tile Partners for Humanity (TPFH), donated tile, installation materials and training to tile five Habitat for Humanity homes in Costa Mesa, Calif. The five houses included the 100th house built by Habitat for...

Pergo and Classen Group sign partnership agreement.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Laminate flooring manufacturers Pergo and the Classen Group have signed a long-term partnership agreement for all Western European markets with the exception of Germany. Through the agreement, Pergo will be given the exclusive right to...

Upcoming industry events.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
July 1, 2004... Atlanta International Area Rug Market -- Atlanta. (800) ATL-MART, July 11-14. ITSS 2004 -- New York, N.Y. (800) 564-5975, July 15-17. WSFCA Golf Tournament -- (425) 885-0012, July 22. CFA Fall Golf Outing -- Itasca, Ill. (630)...

Space Flooring moves to new headquarters.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Space Flooring and Supplies in Atlanta has expanded and relocated its headquarters into a new warehouse/office building. The company's base of operations has moved to 3500 Highlands Park in Smyrna, Ga. The facility encompasses 102,000-square...

Floor-A-Palooza to return to the Northwest.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... For the second time, six Seattle-area distributors will join forces to conduct simultaneous warehouse sales. Sound Floor Covering, Sea-Pac Sales, Floor Supply, T & A Supply, Wanke Cascade, and Cronin Co. will host the event on Thurs., July 15,...

ECOsurfaces wins top prize in StarNet Design Awards.(NEWS)(ECOsurfaces Commercial Flooring)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... ECOsurfaces Commercial Flooring is among the winning team to be awarded the grand prize in the annual StarNet Design Awards contest. The winning project, the City Hall Academy at the Tweed Courthouse in New York City, was contracted by...

APAC.(PEOPLE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... APAC has added three new sales executives. John Mitchell will expand the APAC line of adhesives and Premier tapes in the New England and Connecticut markets. Gerry Yates is responsible for selling APAC-branded adhesives and specialty coatings...

Armstrong Floor Products North America.(PEOPLE)(Ready, Frank)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Frank Ready has been named president and CEO of Armstrong Floor Products North America, effective immediately. He has worked in sales and marketing, with big-box customers, builders, and independent retailers. In addition, Jim Mathis has been...

Artistic Finishes Inc.(PEOPLE)(Archibeque, Derek)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Artistic Finishes Inc. has hired Derek Archibeque to serve as Southwest U.S. regional sales manager for the company. Based in Dallas, he will service accounts in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North...

L. Fishman & Son.(PEOPLE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Mid-Atlantic area distributor L. Fishman & Son has hired Gary Chierici to its sales team. A 30-year veteran of the floor covering industry, Chierici will represent all of Fishman's flooring products and supplies in the southeastern Pennsylvania...

Johnsonite.(PEOPLE)(Malmgren, Laurie)
July 1, 2004... Johnsonite has named Laurie Malmgren its solution development manager for the Pacific Northwest and California region. With a particular focus on the San Francisco and Seattle markets, Malmgren is responsible for helping architects, designers...

Mohawk Industries.(PEOPLE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... With the resignation of former chairman David L. Kolb, Mohawk Industries president and CEO Jeffrey S. Lorberbaum has taken on the additional responsibility as the company's chairman of the board. Lorberbaum will continue in his role as...

Mullican Flooring.(PEOPLE)(Mullican Flooring)(Wynn, Brandi)(Williams, Karen)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Brandi Wynn has been promoted to marketing coordinator at Mullican Flooring's headquarters in Johnson City, Tenn. Wynn came to Mullican in 2003 and had been serving as a customer service representative. In addition, Karen Williams has joined...

NOFMA.(PEOPLE)(The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association)(Locke, Timm)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... NOFMA has named Timm Locke, president of Locke Marketing Public Relations in Portland, Ore., as the association's executive vice president. Locke, who has served as NOFMA's marketing and public relations consultant since 1998, succeeds Stan...

Pergo.(PEOPLE)(Appointment of Tate, Diane as senior vice president)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Diane Tate, vice president of intellectual properties for Pergo, has been appointed senior vice president of technology and intellectual properties. In doing so, she will become a member of Pergo's global management team.

Porta-Nails Inc.(PEOPLE)(Appointment of Wheeler, Richard as national sales manager)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Porta-Nails Inc. has named Richard Wheeler as the company's new national sales manager. He is responsible for all aspects of the company's domestic sales, product management and customer service activities.

Zickgraf Hardwood Flooring.(PEOPLE)(Appointment of Bodenheimer, F.P. III as vice president)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Zickgraf Hardwood Flooring has promoted F.P. Bodenheimer III to executive vice president. He most recently served as the company's vice president of factory finished operations in Bryson City, N.C.

Witex USA acquired by investment group, senior managers.(NEWS)
July 1, 2004... Witex USA announced that it has been acquired by an investment group comprosed of senior management, Chatham and KCA Capital, and Bill Hamlin, who will serve as the company's chairman. The group has secured an increased line of credit from...

Mannington honors its outstanding distributors.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Mannington bestowed awards on several distributors who have shown strength and success in the areas of increased incremental sales, innovative product promotion and improved market share. Longust Distributing, based in Mesa, Ariz., won the...

Nora revamps its Web site.(NEWS)(www.norarubber.com)
July 1, 2004... Rubber flooring manufacturer nora recently redesigned its Web site, located at www.norarubber.com, to reflect the company's new corporate design and showcase its new product range. The new design emphasizes the nora brand name over the...

Floor Connections joins StarNet co-op.(NEWS)(Floor Connection Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Arroyo Grande, Calif.-based Floor Connection Inc. has been accepted as a member of the StarNet Commercial Flooring Cooperative. Family owned and operated, Floor Connection was founded in June of 1979. With 10 in-house employees and a number...

Futura, Blanke Corp. strike distribution pact.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Trim profile and underlayment products manufacturer Blanke Corp. has established a distribution agreement with floor covering trim provider Futura Industries. Under terms of the agreement, Futura will sell and market the complete line of Blanke...

Milliken names Bonitz Flooring Premier Dealer Partner of 2003.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The Greenville, S.C. office of Bonitz Flooring Group, a member of the StarNet Commercial Flooring Cooperative, has been honored with the 2003 Premier Dealer Partner of the Year award from Milliken Carpet. Bonitz Flooring Group, which marked its...

All Purpose Adhesive (APAC).(DISTRIBUTOR APPOINTMENTS)(Stanley Stephens)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... All Purpose Adhesive (APAC) has named Stanley Stephens as APAC's exclusive flooring and accessories distributor of adhesives, moisture emission surface coatings and specialty products in the Harrisburg-Philadelphia, Trenton-southern New Jersey,...

Sorce Inc.(DISTRIBUTOR APPOINTMENTS)(Kraus Carpet Mills)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Anderson Hardwood Floors has appointed the Sorce Inc. division of Kraus Carpet Mills to distribute Anderson products. Sorce, headquartered in Clarion, Pa., will distribute Anderson Hardwood Floors and Virginia Vintage in Pennsylvania, Maryland,...

Roppe Corp.(DISTRIBUTOR APPOINTMENTS)(Professional Flooring Supply )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Roppe Corp. has added Ft. Worth, Texas-based Professional Flooring Supply (PFS) to the company's distributor network. PFS maintains offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, as well as Oklahoma City, Okla.

For floor covering sales, branding spells competitive advantage.
July 1, 2004... Brands certainly aren't new, and brand management is not a new science. Marketers have long understood that brands facilitate the consumer purchase decision and that consumers develop a relationship--and even a bond of trust--with entrenched...

National Gypsum intros PermaBase cement board.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... National Gypsum now manufactures PermaBase, a cement board featuring Fiberglass mesh, a double-wrapped EdgeTech design and cementitious core. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PermaBase can be used in various applications including tub...

Multiply underlayment designed to resist moisture.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... Multiply underlayment, from Columbia Forest Products, is designed to resist moisture, control noise transmission, and exhibit strength and nail-holding power. The product boasts more than 35 years of proven performance, according to the...

James Hardie releases Hardibacker EZ Grid.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... James Hardie Building Products has launched a new generation of its popular Hardibacker Ultimate Cement Board with Hardibacker EZ Grid. Designed with a one-inch guide, Hardibacker EZ grid is designed to be easy to lay out, score and snap. ...

Masland offers two residential rug styles.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... Masland has introduced two new residential rug offerings, Bar Code and Bar None. Originally developed for corporate markets, the residential styles are streamlined and metropolitan, with clean, structured patterns and a tip-sheared surface. Bar...

Tecply ECO underlayment used for 'green' installations.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... Tecply ECO underlayment is designed for environmentally friendly contractors and installers. Tecply ECO carries the Pan European Forest Council (PEFC) logo, signifying that the product is manufactured using material from certified, managed,...

Quick-Step adds Oak design to its Elegance laminate line.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... Quick-Step has added a Red Oak visual to its Elegance line of laminate planks. Featuring individual random-length planks, four-sided micro-beveled edges and Quick-Step's Authentic wood grain textured finish, the Red Oak planks uses a matte...

NAC's ECB membrane comes in three roll sizes.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... National Applied Construction Products' (NAC) ECB anti-fracture membrane is a self-bonding, sheet-applied elastomeric product designed to bridge all existing and future movement of the subfloor. ECB uses a two-component, patent-pending design....

Cal-Flor rolls out its floor inspection kit.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... Cal-Flor Accessory Systems has put together a Floor Inspection & Insurance Remediation Kit that is designed to offer the tools needed for pre- and post-installation inspections and troubleshooting. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Complete with...

Protecto Wrap manufactures WhisperMat sheet membrane.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... Protecto Wrap now offers WhisperMat, a peel-and-stick sheet membrane designed to reduce floor noise. The product is available in two versions, WhisperMat-HW for wood and laminate floors and WhisperMat-CS for crack suppression and sound control...

MAPEI Ultrabond 990 developed for wood flooring installations.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... MAPEI's Ultrabond 990 is a wood flooring adhesive designed with several high-performance characteristics including a buttery consistency, a good open time, a strong bond, and a water- and solvent-free formulation, according to the company. For...

Midwest Padding's QuietWalk underlayment deadens sound.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... Midwest Padding's QuietWalk laminate floor underlayment is designed to smooth out subfloor imperfections while quieting impact sound and floor-to-ceiling noise. Not only does it dampen ambient sound in the room in which it's installed, but also...

Allstate Rubber intros Brasilia rubber tile line.(PRODUCTS)(Stoler Industries)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Stoler Industries, manufacturer of Allstate Rubber flooring products, has introduced its new rubber tile line, Brasilia. Made of 100 percent vulcanized rubber, the environmentally friendly tile is available in more than 100 colors in a...

Custom Building Products introduces ultra-lightweight backerboard.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... Custom Building Products recently debuted EasyBoard Ultra Light Backerboard which, as its name implies, is an ultra-lightweight backerboard. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Each 1/2-inch sheet consists of a thin, lightweight synthetic core,...

USG debuts new Fiberock Panels.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... Fiberock Brand Aqua-Tough Interior Panels from the United States Gypsum Co. (USG) are engineered to provide increased resistance to abuse. Because Aqua-Tough's formulation provides water resistance through the core, the panels are approved for...

Leica Geosystems' DISTO Plus offers wireless technology.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... Leica Geosystems' new DISTO Plus has all the power of the best-selling DISTO Classic, plus Bluetooth wireless technology. This allows users to send their measurements to a Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PC or laptop. The Bluetooth wireless technology...

Nafco debuts PermaStone, resilient modular collection.(PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2004... Nafco by Tarkett has launched PermaStone Modular flooring, a new resilient flooring collection within the company's PermaStone line. PermaStone Modular offers a variety of newly sized tiles that can be assembled into modular units. ...

Working displays and extras are traffic-builders for showrooms.(SHOWROOM MANAGEMENT)
July 1, 2004... Installing working displays that include all the "extras" represent an effective way to draw potential clients into your showroom. The magnetism of working models that are also priced and packaged creates practically unlimited sales potential...

Carpet shims.(PRODUCTS & LITERATURE ON DISPLAY)
July 1, 2004... CARPET SHIMS and UNIVERSAL SIDE SHIMS easily eliminate all your transition problems when installing carpet next to ceramic tile or hardwood. There is no need for double tack strip, building ramps out of VCT, shake shingles, or floating. CARPET...

Laser products.(PRODUCTS & LITERATURE ON DISPLAY)
July 1, 2004... Laser Products unveils FR-16 100-foot laser square Laser Products' new FR-16 100-foot laser square extends squaring 100-plus feet instantly, according to the company. The square uses two 1-milliwatt Class II lasers mounted to an aluminum...