By Matthew Spieler
Despite the fact winter continued into spring across most of the country, the new season has officially arrived and with it a host of new laminate products and technology as mills seek to help retailers regain the enthusiasm once afforded to the category.

The recession may have put a crimp on sales, but it hasn’t stopped manufacturers from investing in technological advancements to create products that look more realistic than ever before, perform better than their predecessors and even install quicker and easier.

The following is a roundup of what some mills will be shipping out in the coming months:

Alloc
Utilizing two locking systems, the new Prestige collection is being hailed as a line that will revolutionize the business, said Bengt Rasin, CEO. Alloc is the first laminate producer to use Välinge’s new 4G aluminum locking on the long side and new 5G-S (side-push) locking system on the short side. Constructed using high-pressure laminate (HPL) technology, Prestige comes in two formats: a 5-inch-wide plank and an extra wide 12-inch plank.

Cindy Thornton, U.S. marketing manager, said the handscraped embossed narrower product features an authentic looking natural wood floor with micro-beveled edges, while the 12-inch product is showcased in both stone and wood visuals giving it a “new design perspective to the entire industry.”

Berry Floor
The company has enhanced its Lounge collection while adding a wider Lounge-Plus line and more designs to its Tile offering. Bengt Rasin, CEO, said along with adding 11 designs to complete the original 3.3-inch-wide Lounge collection, the mill included micro-beveled waxed impregnated sealed edges to the product. Lounge now “hosts the high-end design embossed-in register (EIR)/hand-scraped finishes with the strength of laminate floors.”

Available in 10 colors the new Lounge-Plus is equal to the original line except it is a 4.7-inch-wide plank.

Both collections feature an enhanced drop-lock installation system. “We thickened the short end drop lock for ease of use,” Rasin explained. “No longer do you need to angle/angle your plank in the installation process. No need to tap or pound your ends together; simply slide to the past plank and drop down tight.”

Berry is also launching three random 16-inch-wide designs into its existing Tile collection. The random-format profile features an EIR finish to capture the texture of real tile, he noted.

Eternity Flooring
Eli Shawat, president, said the company is adding the Impeccable Collection to its “long list” of products. The line features five oak colors with a micro press bevel and, according to Shawat, a special finish that makes each product look as authentic as possible.

“I feel these products will be as close as any have ever been to real wood,” he said. “We anticipate this will be a very popular collection and definitely be our attention grabber. As we have done since day one, we will continue to introduce new trends and value in the laminate industry to our customers.”

Lamett
While the company was concentrating its introductions on the expansion of its offerings into luxury vinyl tile (see Domotex asia story on page 1 print edition), Perry Coker, president, North America, said it had not forgotten its laminate products. As such, the mill continued to focus on its extra long, 7-foot planks by filling out the collection with a hickory look. “It’s something we didn’t have last year and have seen become popular on the wood side.”

Mannington
To help “restore” excitement in laminates, the company is introducing the Restoration Collection, a line “that uses the technology of today to achieve the beauty of yesterday,” noted Besty Amoroso, director of corporate communications. Available in Historic Oak and Black Forest Oak with a total of seven colors in a 12mm construction, she said the products are geared toward consumers seeking products that provide value. This is a thickness that “appeals to consumers because it provides a quieter floor.”

Historic Oak features “unique embossed in-register technology giving it all the character and depth of a reclaimed wood floor with realistic saw marks and nail holes for a one-of-a-kind feel,” Amoroso noted. It is available in three colors.

Black Forest comes in four hues and has a unique surface texture that creates a 3-D effect, she explained.

Along with Restoration, Mannington is introducing Jakarta Teak, the first product in its Coordinations collection to feature the company’s proprietary NatureForm embossed-in-register technology.

Mohawk
Kincade is the latest laminate offering under the Mohawk brand to hit stores this spring, noted Nicki Osborn, director of public relations. The 5/16-inchthick floor comes in four colors— two rustic maple finishes, plus a rustic American cherry and jatoba, and has an authentic looking oil-rubbed finish that offers an alternative to high gloss products, she explained.

Kincade also features Mohawk’s GenuEdge Technology. “This is a revolutionary development that delivers the most realistic hardwood edge visual ever seen in laminate flooring,” Osborn said. “This technique allows the plank’s surface design and color to literally “roll over the edge,” creating the same edge visual found in a real wood plank.”

By incorporating this edge treatment to the “already authentic” surface designs, she said Kincade achieves a level of realism that is “unmatched” in the industry today.

Quick•Step
As a result of the success of its GenuEdge Technology and recognizing that consumers will continue to be price conscious, Roger Farabee, senior vice president of marketing, Unilin, said the company has expanded the innovation to its Veresque Collection. Two maple and two cherry smooth furniture finish designs make up the initial offering.

“Veresque’s new products provide a lower gloss that is reminiscent of traditional furniture-finish hardwood, lending a high-end, refined look to a room,” he explained. “Furniture-finish products are becoming the logical successor to high-gloss finishes.”

In addition to expanding the use of GenuEdge, the company launched the Modello Collection, which includes both exotic and traditional designs. The exotic side features wengé and merbau looks while five traditional rustic oak designs ranging from light to dark along with two decors with slight metallic accenting make up the rest of the collection.

All Modello designs are 6 1/8-inches wide by 54 inches long, single and constructed on a 8mm HDF platform. They feature “authentic surface texturing that mirrors the pattern of the floor’s woodgrain,” Farabee said.

Lastly, Quick•Step’s Sculptique Collection is getting two hickory products that “provide style that is unique at the midrange price point.” He said the French bleed on these new decors set them apart from the rest of the Sculptique Collection.

Shaw
OptiGuard, a new, high-gloss, durable laminate finish, is being included on the company’s latest products, which include a range of hickory designs in Timberline and three birch decors in Plaza. Scott Sandlin, Shaw’s vice president of hard surfaces, said OptiGuard is highly scratch resistant and “will dramatically increase detail, beauty and realism in laminate floors.”

Eric Erickson, laminate category manager, added, “Consumers often shy away from high-gloss laminate fearing marring and scratching. OptiGuard is pliant and adaptable, guarding against blemishes in even the toughest environment, offering quality and value that consumers can see.”

To back up its claims, Shaw tested products with the OptiGuard finish against an 18,790-pound forklift. “The laminate endured 1,500 passes,” Erickson said. “The OptiGuard technology represents innovation that takes our laminate offerings to the next level. And, the high-gloss, realistic visual and unmatched durability is a true differentiator for retailers.”