Article Number : 1949 |
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| Date | 5/2/2007 9:03:51 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=1949 |
| Abstract | By Matthew Spieler It is no secret laminate flooring mimics the most popular trends seen in wood and tile products. At the same time, though, the category’s uniqueness, such as its surface visual... |
| Article | By Matthew Spieler It is no secret laminate flooring mimics the most popular trends seen in wood and tile products. At the same time, though, the category’s uniqueness, such as its surface visual being a photo, allows it to actually jump ahead of its counterparts to either take advantage of trends at their early stages or advance emerging fashions. “The laminate industry has shown a great ability to be pretty quick with getting on board with trends,” said Milton Goodwin, general manager for Armstrong World Industries’ laminate and ceramic products. “We haven’t lagged. In fact, the nature of laminate allows us to produce what are typically very expensive looks and styles at affordable prices.” Al Boulogne, manager of Mannington Mills’ laminate business, noted a key reason laminates are able to do this comes directly from consumers and their desire to have upper-end styles, “especially when it comes to wood plank visuals. This demand actually drives the trend, which is a continued move toward increased realism.” In terms of wood visuals, the two biggest style factors continue to be the handscraped or distressed look and the desire for hard-to-find exotic species. “The darker and richer colors—Brazilian cherry, merbau and jatoba—continue to be the hot species,” said Tim Tipton, Formica Flooring’s director of national sales. “Marketing has been a major fuel for this surge as people are always looking for something different. If you can purchase a product from another country, it definitely romances the product and adds some value to the flooring. It definitely becomes a point of conversation amongst the homeowners.” Roger Farabee, vice president of marketing for Unilin Flooring, parent of Quick•Step and Mohawk Laminate Flooring, feels “these looks are still gaining traction with consumers and will continue to grow in popularity for the next few years. Remember, handscraped hardwood is a relatively new phenomenon, so laminate handscraped looks will grow in parallel with the hardwood versions.” Juan Flores president of Faus Group, added these trends will eventually morph into mainstream products, “especially softscrapped textures and exotic designs. As far as they stay [popular] with hardwood flooring, they will remain in laminate.” While companies such as Faus “have been building our collections with these trends in mind,” he added, “we have also done design diversification with exotics and ceramic.” Wood species such as tigerwood, ironwood, walnut—the European version as opposed to the North American type—mahoganies, Acacia and Sapele, are just some of the exotics executives mentioned as the hottest consumer styles. Bill Byrne, vice president of sales and marketing for Moderna by BHK Flooring Systems, went so far as to add kempas, jacaranda and morado to its SoundGuard product line. “Consumers want a unique look, but they still want their floors to be warm and inviting. These new products meet both desires and at an affordable price.” Goodwin said though these species are desired among consumers, many have a hard time purchasing them due to their expense and/or hassle installing them. For example, he pointed to ironwood, “which is very hard to cut and is an extremely expensive product.” Reproducing this look in laminate, he noted, eliminates both the difficult installation process and higher costs associated with it. “Ironwood is new for us, but we expect big things from it. So much so we see it in our top 10 SKUs after one year.” Along with exotics, the move toward creating a more realistic wood visual continues as mills are offering wider and longer board planks to better capture the trend toward reclaimed woods from old barns. “As the wood industry continues to struggle with supply and consistency of product,” Tipton said, “and the laminate manufacturers continue to produce more realistic product, I see this offering continue to grow. You will see thicker product in various sizes, not just traditional wood plank visuals. I also see laminates tapping into other floor covering categories”. Even though wood visuals account for approximately 75% of the styles featured in laminate, executives are quick to point out tile looks are on the rise. “Consumers are more interested in stone and ceramic tile looks than they were a few years ago,” said Farabee, “driven by better looks than those of the past.” Mannington’s Boulogne added, “Historically, most of the laminate tile product was in traditional square layout. Now, we are able to offer consumers more options with modular formats, various grout line thicknesses and more eclectic patterns. As a full line hard surface provider, we are very quick to recognize trends in other categories like wood and porcelain and translate them into laminate.” Armstrong’s Goodwin concurred, noting the company’s laminate division continually “borrows” the most popular looks in both wood and tile, which is one of the reasons the mill offers a wider selection than most when it comes to the tile side. “We really believe in it, and some of our top-sellers are tiles. Plus, we have the ability to offer larger format products, such as 16 inches, while most are still on 12 inches.” Having the ability to produce the latest looks as well as being able to capitalize on emerging trends boils down to technology, which executives note is advancing at breakneck speed. “Manufacturers will need to make investments in equipment as well as think out of the box,” Goodwin said, “but within three years you won’t be able to tell the difference between a laminate and its counterparts.” Boulogne concluded, “Technology is critical in every category, but particularly in laminate. The category is driven by technology, and manufacturers design patterns around current innovations. For example, years ago we couldn’t produce individual planks, beveled edges or handscraped texture. Today, because of technology, we can achieve those looks and they are the hottest trends. Tomorrow, another innovation will allow us to produce even more realistic looks, and manufacturers who don’t invest in that technology will lose ground because they can’t produce the realistic looks consumers want.” |