Article Number : 5330 |
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| Date | 2/26/2010 9:42:10 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=5330 |
| Abstract | By Emily Hooper Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) has been hotter than habañero ever since the economy began to plummet. Arresting visuals at reasonable price points have changed the way resilient flooring is viewed within... |
| Article | By Emily Hooper Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) has been hotter than habañero ever since the economy began to plummet. Arresting visuals at reasonable price points have changed the way resilient flooring is viewed within the industry and at home. New visuals and new players have brought mimicry to new levels, especially in stone and wood visuals. As many suppliers now offer, optional grouting lends additional authenticity. Traditional resilient products still abound at Surfaces, though more for the commercial segment. In this area, color is the game changer with functionality still remaining the key to success. Amorim A newcomer to the category, the company that has built its reputation in cork brought out Vinyl Comfort, a unique LVT click system. With vinyl on top, an HDF core is sandwiched between cork, offering the best of both worlds. Highlights of the line include six wood visuals, micro-beveled edges, and 25-year residential and 15-year commercial warranties. With easy, glueless installation, consumers can take the new product home at a suggested price of $5.50 per square foot. On the cork side, a new merchandising system was also on display. “It’s meant to bring cork into the end user’s radar,” said Ronit McGuthrie, marketing manager. “It shows cork as fashion forward yet functional.” Armstrong Surfaces was the official coming out party for Luxe Plank, said Allan Cubell, vice president of residential resilient. With its unique Lynx installation technology, an application can be corrected without breaking the bonds of the floor. Available in a good-better-best system, it retails from $3.50 to $6 per square foot. Alterna LVT has also garnered success since its introduction. Oversized stone-look tiles with color-coordinated grout present convincing visuals, and with customization options and ease of install, it’s also easy to sell. Armstrong is also excited about its fiberglass manufacturing capabilities in Lancaster, Pa., in which it invested $25 million. Cubell anticipates cushion-backed products from the facility will be available mid-year. CBC Opting to show its products in a downstairs ballroom, CBC showcased its Toli, Salto, Ceres and Indelval brands. “With mostly commercial customers, this is a good set-up for private meetings,” said Jeff Collum, director of flooring. The company used the show as a chance to focus on education of its products and brand recognition, positioning each brand in its own corner of the room. Highlighting Uniqua and holding its annual awards ceremony during the show were also good ways to generate exposure for the company, said Chip Braulick, senior marketing manager. Centiva Reporting it weathered the storm as well as anyone, Leigh Wright, senior designer, said Centiva is broadcasting its green story this year. “People are getting to know the benefits of vinyl, even that it can be recycled.” The mill’s three collections— Wood, Stone, and World Options—were coordinated into one floor for the first time at this market. With ultra sonic cutting technology, custom designs with contemporary and structural details are achievable and can be seen in notable places like the Empire State Building and Mayo Clinic. Congoleum Returning to Surfaces for the first time since 2003, Congoleum exhibited in a ballroom outside the hall. Traffic was good, said Dennis Jarosz, senior vice president, noting the company had mailed flyers with notices and location maps to dealers prior to the show. The new Ovations, a faux ceramic 14 x 14 tile with a satin sheen and thickness of 140mil, is available in 15 SKUs and retails between $3.79 and $4.49. “We held nothing back developing this product,” Jarosz said. “This is our fighter product to fend off price competition while protecting our flagship DuraCeramic brand.” Earthwerks “The economy has affected an overall increase in the category’s sales,” said Amy Sadler, national sales manager. The supplier came to the plate with the Legacy collection, a 48-inch-long vinyl plank. With a 5-inch width and beveled edges, it features a 4mil tough shield of aluminum oxide for optimal wear. Also new this year was the product’s lifetime residential limited warranty. In LVT, the mill released Impressions, an 18 x 18 tile with subtle metallic finishing in six colors with heavy texturing for tone-on-tone matching. Estrie Aimed at the commercial segment, the company showcased Advantis rubber flooring, available in 5 x 30 sheet or 2½-square-foot tile. “It’s easier for the installer to do his math,” joked Charles Lamoureux, marketing director. Affirmed by architects and designers, the line has a tone-on-tone speckle that is best suited for healthcare applications. For a greener choice, StoneScape and Viera are offered in 12 x 12 and 18 x 18 tiles with a more speckled visual. Zero PVCs and VOCs make it attractive for the education segment. IVC Opportunists of the economic slump, Xavier Steyaert, CEO, said its products are perfect replacements for more expensive materials. “For the upswing, we’ll continue to innovate and develop.” Shown was Flexitec, a fiberglass-backed sheet product that included Inspire, a collection in 32 SKUs. In travertine and wood visuals, distributors can target higher-end users, said Stefaan Debusschere, vice president of sales and marketing. Under the Global brand is Moduleo, the manufacturer’s LVT collection. Ten wood looks in 6 x 36 planks and 10 stone looks in 16 x 16 and 12 x 24 tiles have optional faux grouting strips to achieve a more authentic tile look. Mannington Commercial A new display extends sales possibilities for an easy foray into Main Street. The stand-alone unit is supplemented by a small, portable $50 display that can be used as a standalone or add on. Audio Spectra is new to the Spectrum collection, the first design-focused launch in the premium rubber line, said Natalie Jones, vice president. This year, 15 colors were added to the line for application in healthcare, education and retail. Spectrum Imports A Surfaces rookie, emailing customers before the show yielded an impressive turnout, said Glenn Gardner, president and CEO. The most exciting new product he said was Texline, a textile backed sheet vinyl product. Made from 90% PET, it is perfect for uneven subfloors by absorbing imperfections and preventing telegraphing. An added bonus is the mold- and mildew-resistant waterproof layer just above the polyester textile base. Tarkett Returning to the show after a two-year absence, Tarkett reemerged here in a 2,000-square-foot booth, part of which was a model home with its flooring throughout. The company has been working to align its Johnsonite, Domco and Nafco brands under the Tarkett name, said Gary Finseth, director of marketing. “We were a house of brands rather than a brand house.” Showcasing its LVT collection, Permastone was installed in Groutless, GroutFit and GroutFil formats. Also new were color-coordinated grouts and faux grouts to match the 19 SKUs. Classic Tiles recreate ceramic, slate and stone visuals, while Classic Plank shows wood grains, both in good-better-best offerings. RoomVue was also on hand, enlarged with tutorials and assistance by Tarkett staff. A feature of its Web site, it allows product previews in most rooms of the house with an option to download pictures from the consumer’s own home. Connecting the dots outlines floor space to visualize Tarkett floors in the home. |