Article Number : 2419 |
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| Date | 9/11/2007 9:00:33 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=2419 |
| Abstract | By Sarah Zimmerman Today’s resilient segment offers an array of looks to consumers while keeping cost low and efficiency high... |
| Article | By Sarah Zimmerman Today’s resilient segment offers an array of looks to consumers while keeping cost low and efficiency high. With such versatility, the category lends itself to almost any project, residential or commercial, including bathrooms, kitchens, living areas, schools, stores and health facilities. So what’s driving this readily accessible arena? What’s selling in 2007? Today’s industry leaders say realistic looking floors that are durable and easy to maintain continue to be the cash crops of the category. Armstrong’s two top sellers include a sheet product, Memories, and a softer option, CushionStep. According to Allen Cubell, vice president of product management, Memories has several appealing attributes. “It hits price points very well and lends itself to the builder market, as it’s the first product in the line to include the CleanSweep wearlayer.” CushionStep, on the other hand, brings an unusual combination of features to the floor covering market: superior underfoot comfort, wide selection of realistic designs and textures, quick and easy installation, and easy care and durability. Cubell said the product keeps growing because it can be installed without adhesive but doesn’t curl, so customers’ options are never ending— over an entire floor or use as a vinyl area rug. CushionStep is available in three collections—Stone, Impressions and Wood—and three price points. Don Evans, vice president of sales and marketing for EarthWerks, said the company’s best sellers in the luxury vinyl line are Montana Luxury Vinyl Plank and Innsbruck Plank. Montana has ribbed embossing and a square edge with eight natural colors. He noted the embossing and colors give the product an exquisite traditional look popular in both residential and commercial arenas. Innsbruck attracts mostly new home construction and multifamily housing, Evans said. “Many dealers stock all three colors to give their customers a choice to have a great looking product.” Congoleum’s Pat Buckley, vice president of product management, listed DuraCeramic and Flor-Ever Plus as top sellers. DuraCeramic, launched in 2003, is an engineered ceramic product, which is an offshoot of the luxury vinyl tile (LVT) category. The main difference is DuraCeramic has rounded edges, giving it a lot of installation flexibility—edge-to-edge or grouted. “This product has a huge appeal to retailers because it is an extremely viable alternative to ceramic tile with many enticing attributes—it can be customized, installed and grouted in the same day, has a low claim ratio, is very durable and brings warmth underfoot,” Buckley explained. The line currently includes 53 colors but is continuously evolving. Flor-Ever Plus is a recent re-introduction of a commercial product. Launched at the end of 2006, he said the new and improved version includes silver in its wearlayer for ecofriendly anti-microbial protection, which guards against mold and mildew naturally. “It’s a commercial product that sits on the residential fence because it embraces and includes the residential look, straying from the cold commercial feel. The collection offers 30 colors, including slate, stone and wood. Nafco by Tarkett’s top two tickets are both LVTs—Natural Slate and Bombay—said Pierre Lefort, general manager. Both are 16 inches and feature patterns in the Perma-Stone collection. Each product also features the company’s hallmark Grout- Fit system, achieving the look and feel of a grouted floor. “This detail and the natural look of the two patterns account in part for their popularity,” said Lefort. He noted both products appeal to the renovation/remodeling market because along with the qualities of being softer underfoot and easy to maintain, Nafco’s luxury tiles cost much less to install than ceramic, stone or slate. According to Mannington, nature-inspired looks resonate with today’s customer. The company’s most popular resilient looks are part of two upper-end collections—New Naturals and Realistique—which include designs such as slate, stone, marble and wood. David Sheehan, director of resilient and laminate business at Mannington, attributes much of the products’ success to the company’s NatureForm Optix technology. “We ascribe the success of these collections to their incredibly realistic look and texture. Consumers can use these colorations as a palette for their decorating schemes, and they work well with almost any décor, from European Contemporary to Country French.” |