By Matthew Spieler

HICKSVILLE, N.Y.—One year after announcing its intention to package its emulsion polymers and plastics businesses into a standalone company known as Styron, The Dow Chemical Co. announced it has sold the newly formed unit to Bain Capital Partners for... more

Not unlike flooring’s other categories, ceramic tile experienced a significant double-digit decline in 2009. In the minds of many ceramic executives, it was a year to forget. And while the economy played a prominent role, with the usual suspects being... more

Hammered by the recession and pressured by competing products, the U.S. laminate flooring market dropped for the third consecutive year. But just how much is largely debatable. Many factions have the category down significantly to the tune of 20%. Others peg the drop in... more

While the new home construction standstill has affected every flooring category, hardwood flooring has inarguably been the most negatively impacted along with ceramic tile. While these two segments enjoyed meteoric rises throughout the last decade, the recession has... more

By Louis Iannaco

When it comes to floor covering software, the buzzword is user friendly. Anything a dealer or distributor can use to make his business run more smoothly and efficiently in an easy-to-understand format can greatly impact profitability. The following covers just some of the latest offerings available... more

By Louis Iannaco

With all the state-of-the-art technology available today, hardwood flooring producers can manufacture just about anything they want. But it seems what many consumers want these days is a return to the basics, and that means oak. The latest trends... more

The way you look at the resilient industry in 2009 is consistent with whether you look at the glass half full or half empty. On one hand, the category was off double digits in both sales dollars and volume, between 15% and 20%, with the declines a bit worse on the... more

A critical component to the success of any floor covering installation is what lies underneath the product. Industry experts say a properly prepared subfloor will help prevent costly and time-consuming... more

By K.J. Quinn

The plethora of green building materials is impacting product choices in the residential and commercial markets, and underlayments are no exception. By lowering the environmental footprint, vendors claim they are helping reduce global warming emissions, consuming less... more

As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining and this rings true in floor covering. A decidedly negative economic state found a ray of light in the resurgent sales of resilient flooring and carpet. On the decline for much of the early 21st century, these two categories have been... more