Article Number : 976 |
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| Date | 4/9/2006 11:12:09 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=976 |
| Abstract | By Louis Iannaco Hicksville, N.Y.—Spring has sprung, and so too, it seems, has many hardwood flooring introductions... |
| Article | By Louis Iannaco Hicksville, N.Y.—Spring has sprung, and so too, it seems, has many hardwood flooring introductions. Manufacturers have recently launched dozens of new offerings and will by vying for the attention of dealers and distributors at several trade shows during the next several weeks, including the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) event scheduled for later this month in Baltimore. The following are some of the new products coming soon to a trade show near you. At Pollmeier Precision Crafted Flooring, what sets the company apart from other manufacturers is its dedication to one particular species. By concentrating only on the production of German beech flooring, the European-based company offers the customer—both the North American consumer and its own European market—an interesting array of options and ensures the standardized quality of its product. Some of the selections the company offers include: five different board widths; five varieties—Select, Pacific, Natural, Country, Antique and XL Planks; two different surface appearances, and natural or six different colored stains. Board widths include: 2-1/4-, 3-1/4-, 3-15/16-, 4-1/2- and 5-1/2-in. At Anderson, the focus is on exotics, as the mill has recently unveiled almost 30 new offerings. The eight-product, engineered Magellan collection (in the Anderson line) in 3/8- and 1/2-in. thicknesses has been enhanced with merbau, ipe and Brazilian cherry. The Appalachian brand has also been enhanced with the Port Royal collection. Five pieces are available—teak, tigerwood, jatoba, merbau and ipe—in the 3-5/8-in. wide, 1/2-in. thick products. The Coastal Art collection is a worn, handscraped, rustic antique, wide plank in 5-, 6-1/4- and 7-in. widths. Lighthouse is a new, distressed oak with a whitewash look. It was designed by Bridget Conway, another Anderson Design Council member, of Lighthouse Interiors. Mannington has recently come out with its largest product introduction—27 SKUs—since it entered the hardwood category, according to John Himes, vice president of marketing, wood. Recurring themes among the mill’s products are low gloss and cherry. In fact, Himes said more than 25% of the debuts are in cherry. Among them are a next-generation American Rustics item, Hamilton, a 5-in. distressed product that is more subtle than a typical handscraped product. A dramatically lower gloss level is also a hallmark. Stockbridge is even more subtle. It offers pillowed edges versus the traditional microbevel. Bennelong is a 5-in. product with character-grade veneers in two colors. And Andino cherry (Brazilian cherry) is a 5-in. exotic that resides in the Tradewinds collection. Tradewinds, which launched in 2002 as a 3-in. product, has also been enhanced with Canelo teak (Santos mahogany) and Magellan oak (amendoim). “We took our four best sellers in 3-in. and launched them in 5-in.,” Himes said. Two hickories recently unveiled are Highland Hickory from the American Rustics collection and Broad River Hickory, both more refined looks. Brazil-based Scandian has several new products out, including a line of 10 solid and 20 engineered products in seven exotic species: Brazilian cherry, Santos mahogany, tigerwood, timberana, amendoim, jequitiba and tauari. Engineered products come in both 3-1/4- and 5-1/2-in. widths. “Retailers and distributors are looking to align with a company that can provide different species of wood and will be in the game for a long time,” said John Patterson, vice president of sales and marketing. “The Scandian family has 33 years in the business, the resources and infrastructure, not to mention a brand new plant.” BR-111 has the Antiquity HandScraped Collection, a seven-SKU line of exotics in a 5-in.-wide plank. “We are showing much more wide plank,” said Jason Strong, vice president of sales. “If we show it, it will sell.” Antiquity also offers an aluminum oxide wearlayer and a non-repetitive handscraping technique. Species include cherries, walnut and angelims. Preverco has launched the engineered Engenius, which is built to withstand temperature variations, offering dimensional stability. Random board lengths create interest. The line concentrates on domestic species such as red oak, white oak, ash, maple, walnut and birch. Tarkett has introduced Crossroads Sedona. The engineered product combines distressed and handscraped looks and builds on the success of last year’s intro Crossroads. Also new from Tarkett is a pair of entry-level products: Amherst, with a four-sided bevel in 3- and 5-in. widths available in maple, oak, hickory and walnut; and Ovations, a longstrip product. Capella’s new American Exotic-Classic pecan has helped fuel the demand for more pecan. And pecan is also featured in its 3/4- and 3/8-in. Standard Series, its new Age-Crafted line and its unfinished line. The Age-Crafted line is hand-hewn featuring a distressed finish, and four pecan colors are available in the 5-in.-wide, 3/4-in. engineered floor. It comes in walnut and cherry as well. Company officials said what makes the floor unique is, the consumer gets the thickness of a solid coupled with the strength offered by an engineered product. Lauzon Distinctive Hardwood Flooring also has gotten in on the wide-plank craze, by introducing its NextStep flooring in a 5-3/16-in. width. The company said it offers the look of a solid-sawn hardwood surface combined with the precision of exclusive milling technology. What’s more, the wide planks can be combined with the company’s 3-1/4-in. planks to creature a unique installation. The new wide plank is micro-beveled with regular gloss, although a 30% gloss level is also available. Taking the branded route, Kentucky Wood Floors has launched the Mount Vernon Collection, drawing its inspiration from the first president’s historic home. The company is marketing Mount Vernon as an upscale, proprietary line that will differentiate a retailer from its competitors. A complete array of product is available, from planks to parquet to accents and borders in a variety of species—ash, cherry, maple, white oak and walnut—edges (square and eased) and textures (smooth and distressed). Armstrong World Industries has one of the largest new hardwood flooring product launches coming out this year. “We have large, cohesive collections of all types and styles coming out,” said Patrick Barnds, vice president of hardwood. In fact, for 2006, Armstrong will have 285 SKUs of real wood, including handscraped products, exotic species, domestic exotics, all in a host of styles and colors such as wide planks, strips and darker colors. “People are increasingly aware of the design element of a wood floor,” he explained. “That trend translates into high interest in distinctive floors, especially those which offer authentic and unique features.” Some of Armstrong’s new offerings include a line of “domestic exotic hardwood” under the Bruce banner. “Exotic species such as Kambala, Kempas and Brazilian Cherry continue to be an important interior look,” he explained, “but we as consumers are discovering domestic species other than oak; we like to call these domestic exotics.” The new Turlington American Exotics hardwood collection includes three “sought-after” domestic species—cherry, walnut and maple. Available in 3- or 5-in. widths, the five-ply engineered floors have micro beveled edges and ends and feature Armstrong’s Dura-Luster Plus low-gloss finish, a urethane with aluminum oxide built in. Artesian Classics Color-Wash has been added to the Robbins Fine Hardwood portfolio and “imparts the look of an antique floor with color-wash detail,” Babinski said, “adding an extra touch of unique elegance not seen in a wood floor.” Offered in birch, cherry, maple and walnut, the woods are first washed with a black stain, sanded and then stained again with an alternate color to finish it. “The result is a blend of two colors that enhance the texture and character found within the natural wood,” she noted. The engineered collection is 1/2-in.-thick and 5-in.-wide with micro-beveled edges and ends, and the mill’s ForEver II Satin finish. The company’s third hardwood brand, Hartco, has been restructured in that it is now called Armstrong Hardwood Flooring by Hartco and will be available only to specialty dealers. Joesph Guarino, general manager of residential products for the distributor channel, said this is the “most exciting thing we’re doing by making Hartco exclusive to retailers.” The name change is a result of Armstrong’s marketing research and takes advantage of the company’s strong brand image while maintaining the Hartco heritage as its name still resonates strength in certain markets. Century Farm is a floor that falls under the new moniker. Featuring hand-sculpting, including the beveled edges, it comes in hickory, cherry, birch, maple and walnut with a total of 20 colors. |