All of Formica’s new collections are showcased in the Spacesaver display.

Barnwell, S.C.—One of the best consumer brand names will be making its return to Surfaces when Kronotex USA premiers the new Formica Flooring product and merchandising lineup in booth 8738 from Feb. 7 to 9.

“The only thing about the new Formica Flooring collection that is the same as the previous Formica laminate line is the brand,” said Tim Tipton, director of sales for North America. “The Formica Flooring collection is made up of all new designs, a new clicking system and, most importantly, our products are manufactured by one of the largest laminate producers in the world—Kronotex.”

Ken Peden, Kronotex’ executive vice president, noted, “Exhibiting at Surfaces is an excellent way to jump-start our year. It gives us the opportunity to substantiate our positioning as a premium laminate flooring brand.”

Five products lines and nearly 40 decors will be on display along with the complementary merchandising system and communication tools developed specifically for specialty retailers.

Peden said the Formica booth will feature interactive elements, including live demonstrations of the company’s new FormLock Plus mechanical locking system.

Tipton added that this is a combination system, meaning the long side utilizes the angle-to-angle clicking method and the short ends are joined with the tap-and-lock system. “It allows the simplest glueless installation.” “In addition, we have taken the proper steps to ensure our locking systems are free from any patent infringements.”

Product lines are broken into different price points and styles. For example, Quintessa is Formica’s super premium collection “designed to capture the look, feel and sound of some of the world’s most exotic hardwoods,” Tipton said. With a suggested retail of $4.99 a square foot, it features 12mm planks, each finished with hand-scraped textures and natural grain patterns. Carrying a lifetime warranty, the line contains six exotic designs: Hawaiian Koa, Zebrano, Rosario Palisander, African Wenge, Dalarna Birch and Valhalla Birch.

Down the line a bit at $3.99 is Marcella, Formica’s premium flooring line. The 10mm planks come in three sizes—short (17.91), medium (36.02) and long (54.33)—allowing for an endless number of layout possibilities that “are a great way to add personality to any room,” Tipton noted.

Sienna represents the company’s tile looks. Each 51.26 x 12.84 plank features four tile patterns with highlighted grout lines and natural finished textures. The collection contains eight slate and travertine designs and, like the other collections, is installed with the FormiLock system.

Peden said these lines along with Delanna and Arianna will be launched at Surfaces with immediate availability.

All new collections are showcased in Formica’s 6-foot, fully lit Spacesaver display. “We set out to create a compact, fully integrated selling system,” Tipton explained. “One aspect of our merchandising system is the various sized samples. Depending on the quality and design of the product, we have used different sized and configured samples. This helps the customer quickly identify the different offerings versus having different headers or colored labels distinguishing the price point or features and benefits. For example, our super premium product, Quintessa, is prominently positioned in the center with full- length panels clicked together.”

“The superiority of our product styling and design,” Peden concluded, “combined with the powerful brand-name recognition associated with Formica Flooring guarantees storeowners a significant increase in retail traffic. Our Surfaces presentation will either show them or reassure them of this fact.”