Hicksville, N.Y.—It is a good thing most adhesive producers did not jump on the laminate bandwagon in the mid to late 1990s. While many made private label glues for laminate mills, they avoided the costs to develop their own adhesive that would be accepted by a variety of manufacturers as well as the investment to market their products. Hindsight shows this strategy to be a good thing because in just eight years their investments would be virtually useless as the vast majority of floors are now being installed without the aid of glue. In fact, many industry executives believe that by the end of this year sales of glue-free laminate floors could reach 90% of the category’s total sales and it will only get higher. “That’s about in line with where we thought is would be a few years ago when we first came out with our glueless products,” said Bill Byrne, vice president of sales and marketing for BHK of America. “There is still some low-end products coming from Europe that require glue, but that number is shrinking,” said Claes Wennerth, president of Alloc. “Glueless floors will continue to gain marketshare.” 

His assessment, as well as that of other executives, appears to be right as even the segment’s two market leaders, Pergo and Wilsonart, long stalwarts against going glue-free have changed stances. For instance, at this past Surfaces, Wilsonart unveiled its new look of being 100% glueless, including its bread and butter product—Classic. Officials noted the line was completely re-engineered to incorporate the company’s pa-tented Tap-n-Lock installation method. “It has all the same de-signs and benefits as before, but now it can be installed quicker.” ‘Select’-ing Glueless As for Pergo, the company has been selling some glueless products in recent years, but this summer its most popular product at specialty stores—Select—will be converted to a glueless system. It will feature the mill’s SmartLock system, the same one used on its Accolade line except it is made for the thicker Select products. 

Why has the mechanical locking system phenomenon been just that? Simple, said Bob Weseman, vice president of hard surface for Mohawk Industries. “The tongue-and-groove glue process, in general, has been the leading reason for claims either because too much glue was used or not enough. What made it so complicated is that every manufacturer had a different way to apply the adhesive and it made it very hard for the installer. Plus, they needed to use straps and clamps, and if the glue wasn’t fully wiped from the surface it left a cloudy residue. “Then came glueless,” he added. “Typically they have a positive lock so there is no need to clamp the planks together and it also lends itself to a more consistent installation method for the mechanics.” 

Weseman predicts as inventories of glue-together goods are used up, that type of installation method “will become extinct. There may be some use in commercial jobs but it will be limited.” Wennerth added glueless has grown so fast because of its convenience and the significant influence of the big boxes which first took on these types of products and began driving a tremendous amount of volume. In addition, he noted, specialty dealers realized it didn’t take away from professional installations. “It actually made them more profitable because they could do more jobs and have less problems. They have been able to see the truth for themselves.” “The fear by the dealer is over,” said Weseman. “They recognize that a professional installer is still needed to lay the floor down properly because it’s not as easy as it looks on TV.” 

Steve Newman, president of Witex USA, said another factor has been the mills’ ability to create very technologically advanced products that allow for an easy installation while still maintaining their realistic looks. “Technology is better than it’s ever been,” he noted. “The locking mechanisms are very tight and moisture resistant, the core boards are better, etc. Overall, today’s locking systems do a great job; they answered the concerns.” Though most agree the joint strength in today’s products are exceptional, they say there will always be room for better systems, but they will now come is small steps and not the leaps and bounds the category has been seeing since it came into the market. (Editor’s note: In the next issue, we will look at new technologies and where the category is going.) 

Even though it is clear that glueless is the way to go, some companies have taken glue and glueless technologies and combined them for a pre-glued application. While a number of mills have publicly come out saying they do not put much stock in this method or feel it has only limited applications, two of the more prominent companies to promote this concept are Pergo and Mohawk. “We felt there was an unmet consumer need,” said Angela Scenna, director of brand marketing for Pergo, which has its CertainSeal pre-glue technology in Paradigm. “We received a great deal of feedback as to what people thought about glueless products. They liked the fact they are easier, cleaner and quicker but there was still a feeling that glue was better—it added security and was less risk. “So,” she continued, “we thought of a way to incorporate both. With glue, many times, there is either too much or too little used. Pre-glue eliminates that problem and offers the best of both worlds because it still has the ease and cleanliness of a glueless floor but has the added value of long-term confidence because the floor of the glue. It provides a benefit for both the consumer and installer. Mohawk’s Weseman agreed.

“Today, 90% of all laminate flooring has evolved to the point where no glue is needed, but glueless products lend to the thought of not being long-term. With the pre-glue there is the aspect of longevity and the integrity and strength not being compromised.” He noted what makes a number of Mohawk’s pre-glue products—Paramount, Laural Creek and Heritage—different is they can be installed with or without activating the factory-applied glue strip. “The tongue-and-groove configuration is the same as our straight glueless products so its works the same in both cases. This way people have the option depending on their desire.” “When you talk about glueless technology,” said Kevin Biederman, general manager of laminates for Armstrong World Industries, “it’s just one aspect of the total laminate system that increases the value proposition. So while there will be continued innovations in locking mechanisms the next place to go is in the design capabilities. Because, at the end of the day, I don’t think the consumer actually cares how it locks in, they’re more interested in a floor that looks great.

“So,” he continued, “you’ll continue to see the ability to provide a more customized looks such as borders, different sizes of boards, including narrow ones. Everything to make it look more like real wood or stone, depending on the design.” BHK’s Byrne, like others, said continued innovation and drive is just what the category needs so it does not sink to a commodity item. “The low end is not were we want to be. No one can make money at that level, the quality is not good, basically there are no winners.” He sees the industry pushing to create products suited for the mid to high end of the business with more innovation in embossing and bevels to create more realistic wood looks. “We have to push the wood industry and vice versa. Through technological advances and the consumer’s preference for wood looks each category can push the other to new heights. “They each have a distinct place in the market,” Byrne added, “but in some areas they will overlap, namely at the high end of laminate and the low end of wood. But that’s good because consumers need different options and advantages. That’s one reason why we have diversified our product offerings to include laminate ceiling planks, cork, etc., so as to give dealers more chances to make the sale.”

Witex’ Newman also feels advances in such things as surface visuals, embossing and bevels are necessary and will only get better, there is a need to raise margins and to do that you need to offer a mix. “You can’t just raise the price on an existing product for no reason. We need to keep coming up with new technologies and adding value to the product, but they need to be done in steps and in concert with other things to raise the selling level. One such avenue is brands, especially at the top end because they have certain built-in attributes of quality and value-added features. “But,” he continued, “they need to be attributes the consumer understands and accepts.” And that is one of the problems in today’s fast-paced world.

“The product life cycle is very fast,” said Weseman. “When a company introduces products with new technologies they should generate higher prices and sales. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long due to competition and ease of replicating.” Newman added, “We are not allowing a product to take hold in the market. Every type of product has a natural life cycle before it is made better or replaced. In the laminate industry, though, technology is moving so rapidly no product is given the chance to take hold so the consumer and dealer don’t understand all the new features. Right now, we have convoluted things with so many new innovations very quickly.” In the end, executives agree while technology and innovations such as the advent of mechanical locking systems, are important to drive the category and keep it from becoming a commodity, the most important aspect to keeping the segment viable is education. “The more people understand the benefits and features the easier it is to sell the product and the easier it is to buy the product,” concluded Byrne.