Danville, Va.—At Surfaces 2006, Columbia Flooring will introduce six new products and 25 new colors within its range of prefinished engineered hardwood flooring, as well as two new products to its high-end Echo Palisades laminate flooring collection. The manufacturer has also reached an agreement with Laura Ashley to manufacture a line of hardwood and laminate flooring un-der the designer name.

“This is the largest single engineered hardwood flooring launch we’ve ever undertaken in our company’s history,” said Steve Bunch, Columbia’s director of sales. “And it was made possible because we have doubled the size and capacity of our Danville engineered plant.”

Columbia’s new engineered products include Lewis Walnut and Smith Cherry, 5-ply, 5-in. wide planks with rolled edges and ends. Also new are McKeon Oak and Floyd Oak, which are 3-ply planks —3-in. wide and 5-in. wide respectively. And Wolcott Pecan and Nelson Maple are 3-ply, 3-in. wide planks with eased edges and square ends.

Supporting the Columbia hardwood range is a complete line of matching moldings and installation tools as well as accessories.

On the laminate side, Cascade Clic is a new slate tile offered in four colors and a registered-embossed surface texture. Castille Clic is a new handsculpted plank with Columbia’s proprietary SculpTex structure, which includes an embossed texture and sculpted edges and ends.

Finally, Columbia has also reached an agreement with Laura Ashley Inc. to manufacture a line of hardwood and laminate flooring under the designer brand. “Laura Ashley is one of the most recognized names in the world,” said Columbia’s president, David Wootton. “It is a name associated with quality and integrity.”

At Surfaces, Columbia will show more than 50 SKUs of hardwood and laminate under the Laura Ashley Home label. Wood will include both solid and engineered in traditional and exotic species, as well as handsculpted and wider plank designs in several finishes. Laminates come in both 8mm and 9.5mm thicknesses, and are offered in various strip styles, slate, and handsculpted designs.

For additional information on Columbia, call 800/654-8796.
—Louis Iannaco