By Emily Hooper
With the end of the year fast approaching, manufacturers looked back at some of the year’s best sellers in the hardwood category. Oak remained a constant and was more commonly sold in fashionable wider planks, updating the look of the traditional hardwood option. Domestic exotics were also popular, answering the call for enhanced and varied visuals, following the fall season’s trend predictions, ( FCNews, Aug. 31/ Sept. 7).

Armstrong

Turlington oak and domestic exotics led sales in engineered wood. Launched six years ago in oak, the collection expanded to include a range of colors and species to keep up with market trends, said Daniel Call, vice president of wood product management. “Consumers continue to choose Turlington products over others in the market for its superior quality, varied style and species options and competitive pricing.”

Turlington provides an aluminum oxide finish on 3- and 5-inch planks. It also features Lock&Fold technology for fast and easy installation, appealing to installers and do-it-yourselfers alike, Call added.

Century

Oak and domestic exotics are also the best sellers for Century with the Lucerne collection. Tried and true oak flooring makes up the largest amount of sales—up to 65%, said Donnie Bower, brand business unit manager. With oak so popular and buyers focusing on price to differentiate products, many retailers are seeking ways to position themselves apart from the competition. “Century rises to the challenge with value-addedfeatures to capture sales.”

Domestic exotics found its place in the residential replacement niche, where the bulk of hardwood sales have been seenlately. Features such as the CenturySeal Advanced Finish, a surface seal from 3M, recreates the impenetrability of foreign exotics. “This new finish, whichis added to the wood during the curing process, helps repel grime and stains, ultimately making Century products much easier to clean and maintain,” said Bower. He finished by saying all Lucerne domestic exotics and oak products feature CenturySeal.

Both components of the Lucerne collection feature 3/8-inch thick engineered planks, kissed edges, stable photosensitivity and a 25-year wear warranty. The oak collection is available in five colors and the domestic exotics are available in four shades.

Columbia

With character woods and domestic exotics setting the trend in hardwood, the Chatham collection tops Columbia’s list with unique and attractive aesthetics. “Special finishing effects give the appearance of a floor worn to a perfect patina, and authenticity is found in the subtly contoured surface and lightly scraped edge,” said Dewevai Buchanan, vice president of hardwood.

Chatham comes in walnut, cherry, maple, ash and hickory, in ¾-inch solid and ½-inch thick engineered planks. Thirteen matte, 5-inch SKUs feature high shade variation and are all Lacey and CARB 2 compliant, as well as FloorScore certified, he noted.

Mirage

The high-end line, Sapele, tops the list at Mirage. Since its introduction in early 2009, Sapele with Mirage Lock technology has done well for the company, said Luc Robitaille, vice president of marketing. “This exotic species is definitely a key trend driving the market right now,” he explained. “It offers all the benefits of an exotic species, including their legendary hardness and trendy colors.”

Sapele provides superior performance with a Janka rating of 1,500, and the color variation and depth hides wear marks well, Robitaille elaborated. The species, found in western and central Africa, is manufactured in a plank style up to 5-inches wide to meet the current consumer demand (FCNews, Aug. 31/Sept. 7). It is available in both cashmere and semi-gloss finishes.

Mullican

Oak attracts builders with St. Andrews, a ¾-inch solid hardwood. Of the available seven colors, four—red oak natural, oak saddle, dark chocolate and oak gunstock—come in 2¼- to 5-inch widths. Builders prefer the line because the difference in color and widths provide versatility that is generally unavailable, said Brian Greenwell, Mullican’s vice president of sales and marketing.

“St. Andrews was the first pre-finished flooring we manufactured,” he explained. “Builders like it because it’s easy to install, and we have very few call backs for problems.”

In an economic climate that shapes consumers to seek the best bang for their buck, value is a another draw of the St. Andrews line as well. “It truly is a quality product for a reasonable price,” Greenwell concluded.

Shaw

Pebble Hill from the Epic collection, has taken the crown as the company’s best seller, reported Kevin Thompson, Shaw’s hardwood manager. He added the 5- inch handscraped engineered planks in three shades of hickory offer several advantages, such as harder, denser, tougher and greener construction over many other brands on the market. Little argument can be made against Shaw’s commitment to environmental stewardship, with the Epic line’s recent silver level cradle to cradle certification driving the point (FCNews, Sept.28/Oct.5).

Green benefits are an added bonus to the visuals the hickory plank achieves. “The unsurpassed authentic handscraped visuals and leading edge colorations are only available through Shaw’s U.S. operations,” said Thompson. He continued that the unbeatable style and performance of Pebble Hill comes at a value oriented price point, reflecting buyer’s demand for lower price points without compromising quality.

USFloors

Oak is also the best seller at USFloors with its wide plank, engineered Navarre line. The tongue-and-groove construction is available on three widths and two thicknesses, in 24 different shades, and features a natural oil finish, Natural E.

The proprietary finish in clear and a variety of tints penetrates the fibers of the wood, providing a natural protective layer that enhances the natural grain and beauty of the floor, said Phillippe Erramuzpe, COO of USFloors.

Perceived value and authentic aesthetics are some of the foremost features of the flooring. “This is one of the only floors that actually gets better looking the longer it is down,” said Erramuzpe. “The pairing of a rustic wood in a grandiose board format with the natural patina of an oil finish creates a sense of warmth and elegance in the room that cannot be replicated with any other flooring product,” he finished.