Dalton—Installing attractive ceramic and stone tile flooring is now easier and more affordable thanks to an innovative new flooring product category, noted Katie McGrady, director of sales for Edge Flooring. Edge, which uses a patented interlocking system to install real tile flooring, allows do-it-yourselfers and professionals alike to create “high-quality floors with fewer materials, less time and less mess,” she said. “This revolutionary alternative to conventional flooring options joins authentic porcelain, ceramic, natural marble and granite tile with a pre-attached backerboard and a tongue-and-groove edge that allows quick, simple, lock-in-place installation.”

Many homeowners aspire to incorporate real tile into their home decor, but have opted to install laminate because of budget and time constraints, she explains. “According to Deep Blue Insight, a strategic market research firm, 59% of homeowners said the main reason they have chosen not to purchase conventional tile or hardwood flooring is due to the expense involved. Edge Flooring addresses these common concerns. Already having debuted in Lowe’s stores throughout the country this past spring, Edge Flooring’s executives are now planning to launch the new product category using flooring wholesalers starting in October. “We wanted to take our time and do it right. That’s why we started with a single channel first,” noted McGrady.

The wholesalers Edge has signed on so far include The Cronin Co., Inland NW Distributing, B.R. Funsten & Co., Tri-West, Jaeckle Distributors, CDC Distri butors, NRF Distributors, CMH Flooring Products, and, in Canada, GE Schnier. Edge imports its ceramic tile from all over the world. The management team of the company not only includes several veteran flooring industry executives, but a few individuals from outside the industry as well, including those with backgrounds in the computer and other high technology industries. “Our capital structure is also important,” she added. “We wanted to take the lessons from laminate and learn from them. We’ve improved and enhanced our product numerous times. We are trying very hard to listen, learn, grow and make good products.”

Two different display units are available, one holding up to 19 SKUs. Several tile collections, including Pinnacle and Expression, will also be debuting as part of the launch. “‘It’s not a ceramic and it’s not a laminate,” she said, “it’s really a product that gives you the best of both worlds. One of the things that we plan to do differently is, when we launch our product in October, we will ship product and displays, something that doesn’t often happen in our industry, but you lose the focus and momentum of the salespeople if you don’t do it that way. So, we’ve made that commitment to our distributors, and we will do that. We plan to have plenty of resources available to help them work with their dealers.”

Training plays a key role in the launch of Edge Flooring’s product. “It is so important to have thorough training in the marketplace with a new category,” explained McGrady, “so we have spent a tremendous amount of time preparing our training materials and state-of-the-art presentations. We can literally give the materials to distributor salespeople and they can go out and talk to the dealer and answer any question in a uniform consistent manner.” The days of purchasing 14 different materials needed for a tile project are gone forever, noted McGrady. “Now with Edge Flooring, only a few items are needed for installation: grout, saw blades and underlayment. The Edge system eliminates the high installation costs and traditional messy mixing and cleanup of mortar and grout while drastically simplifying the tiling process.

“Homeowners now can have tile installed in a fraction of the time of current options,” she added. “Within minutes of installation, homeowners can walk on Edge tile and, in just a few hours, can move furniture back in place. For professionals the new process cuts installation time dramatically, which means the ability to serve more customers in less time.” “Edge Flooring was created to allow homeowners to enjoy the natural beauty of real ceramic, marble and granite tile flooring without the mess of lengthy installation,” said Bob Miller, Edge’s president. “Edge has focused its product development efforts heavily on the needs of the consumer and professional contractor. During our first 30,000 plus installments nationwide, Edge’s Quality and R&D teams have re-evaluated and enhanced just about every component in our system. We are continually looking for ways to improve our products and make them easier and more user-friendly.”

An assortment of grout colors are pre-matched to specific tiles along with coordinated transition moldings, he noted, thus taking the guesswork and confusion out of the buying and color matching process. One of the ways Edge is getting the word out is with a mobile showroom that comes complete with several different collections of Edge flooring installed in it, half a dozen interactive TV screens which teach installation of the product and a small classroom for distributor personnel to become educated about the product. The trailer has been a big hit at several launch events that have taken place so far. Gary Garris, general manager of the Gerlinger division of CDC, recently helped host the Tournament of Values show in Traverse City, Mich., an event which introduced Edge flooring to more than 300 dealers from throughout the Midwest.

“We placed more than 70 displays, which is a pretty high close ratio for the first time around. It was pretty exciting for us. The mobile showroom Edge provided gave a history of flooring and how the Edge concept has evolved. Our dealers loved it. “I’ve been in the industry for 35 years, and I have never seen a response like we had from our customer base as we did with Edge Flooring,” he added. “Edge has really addressed the problems people have with installation, and all the down time you have with ceramic tile. Because the product simulates laminates, people can relate to it. It’s very installer- and user-friendly, and takes just a couple hours to install as opposed to three days.” Garris was also impressed by the product’s packaging. “It uses small palettes, 30 cartons on a palette. It’s very retailer-oriented, not only from a do-it-yourself standpoint, but from a professionally-installed standpoint. We see a great future for the product.”