Chicago—For the first time in its history, Congoleum Corp. has partnered with another company to create a new resilient product—Xclusive. What makes this product and partnership special is that Congoleum teamed up with 3M to incorporate the chemical company’s Scotchgard Protector into the wear surface of the floor. “Congoleum has been a leader in research and development, new technologies and, most importantly, product innovation,” said Mitch White, vice president of sales, to the mill’s distributors and sales force, “and today we are ready to do it again.”

He pointed out how this introduction continues a recent trend with Congoleum in that it has helped put a spark back in the resilient category with such products as Concept, Prelude, Ultima, Dura-Stone, DuraCeramic, Utopia and Pacesetter. “Now, discover the impossible combination—Congoleum and 3M Scotchgard. This product will keep and even push the momentum we have at retail even higher.” Using a patented technology, the 20mil wear layer of Xclusive not only features Scotchgard for built-in stain and soil repllency, it is reinforced and strengthened with micro-sized nylon particles for authentic texture, superior wear and scratch resistance, and aluminum oxide, the third hardest material known to man and the same stuff used on today’s laminate and wood floors to help resist wear and perserve appearance.

Dennis Jarosz, Congoleum’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, said the Scotchgard is not simply applied to the wear layer, “it is built into it, through and through.” And, unlike in other hard surface flooring where Scotchgard has been attempted to be used, he said with regard to resilient, “it provides dramatically enhanced performance.” Indeed, tests confirm that while the wear layer on Xclusive holds up to the most rigorous of situations—such as dropping a 19-oz. can from a height of six feet to demonstrate impact and scratch resistance—it is the addition of Scotchgard that pushes the product to a higher level. From liquid spills to paint and permanent markers to duct tape, officials demonstrated the repellency effects of Scotchgard.

 “Fact is,” said Tom Carroll, Congoleum’s director of product development, “practically nothing sticks to the surface. Xclusive with Scotchgard Protector is sure to be a huge success with retailers due to its worldclass brand name, impressive overall construction and spectacular designs.” Because the wear layer works so well at repelling any foreign substance, Congoleum had to develop SU106, a special seam sealer to allow installers “to provide a virtually invisible seam,” he explained. “We had to develop a new installation procedure due to nothing really sticking to the floor.”

Since this is a new type of sealer specifically designed for this floor, Congoleum said it is committed to train and make sure people understand how to properly use it. In addition to the wear layer, Xclusive features a 48mil high density foam layer for comfort and warmth, and a 40mil underlayment of Congoleum’s highly rated White Shield II backing. In total, Xclusive comes in at 108mills thick from top to bottom, making it the thickest resilient sheet floor on the market—even over Ultima, which is 102mills thick. “This product has all the bases covered—from top to bottom,” said Jim Stevens, national sales manager for 3M/Scotchgard Protector. “It has great looks and benefits consumers want.”

Plus, as officials from both Congoleum and 3M noted, the Scotchgard name is one of the most highly touted among all consumer brands. In fact, in a recent survey of the top 1,000 brands, it came it at the top 4% with a 99% aided recognition and 60% unaided. “Consumers view Scotchgard as the dependable leader in protection,” Stevens said. “Key words they use are trusted, efficient, good value. When it comes to protection, they identify it with repellency, resistance, cleaning and durability. Put simply, it’s a brand the consumer knows and trusts when it comes to stain and soil protection. “And, unlike other flooring brands,” he added, “Scotchgard is in front of the consumer everyday.”

Stevens explained, besides the traditional products with which most people associate Scotchgard, 3M has undertaken an initiative to expand the reach of the label to products in which the brand’s benefits are readily apparent, such as with Xclusive. Some of the recent new products include paint, grout, concrete and sanitary wear. Ace Hardware introduced a new version of its private labeled brand of paint—Sensations—but with Scotchgard, he noted, “and it was the company’s most successful launch, beating expectations by three times. And, it was able to up the price from $19 to $27 for the same type of paint.”

Jarosz agreed, saying while the construction and styling of Xclusive “features the best technology and innovation a floor can have, 3M and the Scotchgard name will be the difference maker. In fact, it may even out perform Ultima and that was our most successful launch ever. And, the best part is, we have the exclusive on Scotchgard for resilient flooring.” Distributors agreed. “This is the best introduction from beginning to end,” said Don Wohlfarth Sr., chairman and CEO of Bayard Sales Corp. “It’s styled very high and features other benefits that meet the needs of the consumer. I think it will out do Ultima, which has done wonderfully. This is the upgrade we needed.”

Bob Weiss, president of All Tile, also felt sales of Xclusive “could dwarf Ultima’s, which has been our best performer. This is not only a natural co-brand as consumers perceive a real value-added benefit from Scotchgard. Anything with Scotchgard on it is an upgrade. When you buy a car or couch, what’s the first thing people do? Scotchgard it for extra protection. This will really help to drive sales.” The initial Xclusive collection features eight designs in 32 color-ations. It is a 12-ft. wide sheet product and will retail between $29.99 and $39.99 a square yard. And because of its overall thickness and high-performance backing, it has the ability to hide subfloor defects, meaning it is approved for the Your Choice installation system to help save time preparing an existing subfloor, or to save costs involved with installing a new subfloor.

Your Choice allows installers to lay the floor using either the perimeter-adhered or full-spread method using Congoleum’s 3044 Adhesive. Due to its unique construction and characteristics, Congoleum is offering a new Five-Star warranty which provides a lifetime guarantee against wear and manufacturing defects, along with 15 years against permanent stains (including asphalt) and scuffs; discoloring from mold, mildew or alkali; ripping, tears, gouges or indents, and that the floor will be easy to clean and will resist dirt and grime.” “This is the earthquake you’ve been waiting for,” said Leonard Ludovico, Congoleum’s vice president of styling and design. For more information, call the mill at 800/934-3567.