Hicksville, N.Y.—Since laminates made their splash in the North American marketplace seven years ago the product category has been heavily concentrated on the residential segment. Up until this point, mills participating in the laminate category paid little to no attention to the contract market as they focused their merchandising and marketing efforts on gaining the trust of the residential consumer and retailer. This push has certainly worked with laminate sales accounting for as much as 7% of all residential floor covering sales. FCNews research indicates more than 95% of the laminate products sold in North America today are used in non-commercial settings. In fact, sales in the contract area make up less than 1% of the entire flooring industry. Volume has been so infinitesimal the North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) has yet to officially track sales on this segment of the industry.

“Right now we still do the overall category in terms of residential and commercial sales combined,” said Bill Dearing, NALFA’s president. “We’ve just started to breakout how much of the overall sales are for glueless floors as demand for this type of product has skyrocketed in the last two years and people are starting to request this type of information.” Things are starting to change as a number of major players in laminate flooring are setting their sights on the contract market. This was most evident during last month’s 34th annual NeoCon World’s Trade Fair in Chicago as manufacturers such as Alloc, Mannington Mills and Wilsonart used the market to officially step into the contract arena with laminate floors specifically designed and engineered to meet the demands of commercial applications. “NeoCon was the official launch of our commercial products,” said Mark Kieckhafer, marketing director for Alloc. “This was the start; a way to let architects and designers know we have a product they can use with confidence in their projects.” The mill was showcasing its Alloc Commercial line which retailers were given a preview during Surfaces (FCNews, April 15/22). Initially available in 12 colors and designs, the high-pressure laminate collection features Alloc’s patented aluminum locking system with the edges of each plank sealed with wax for added moisture protection.

In addition, Commercial is constructed with the company’s Aqua Resist high density cored which was developed to keep moisture absorption to a minimum, and Silent System, a specially engineered sound absorbent underlayment that is factory-attached to the individual planks. To show designers how durable its Commercial line is as well as how large amounts of it can be installed without problems, Alloc’s marketing materials proudly highlight the product’s successful installations, such as in the check-in areas at London’s busy Heathrow air terminal. Along with brochures, Alloc has developed a user-friendly commercial binder, giving designers a quick and easy reference guide for specifying its laminate floors.

Since entering the floor covering industry six years ago, Wilsonart is one of the laminate companies that have dabbled in the commercial marketplace with a number of high-profile installations. Despite having limited success, the mill used NeoCon to let designers know it is serious about giving them specific products and services. First off, Wilsonart Flooring leased a separate exhibit booth as opposed to sharing one with the company’s solid surfacing division. Secondly, said Rob Tarver, national marketing manager commercial flooring, the manufacturer took the knowledge it has learned over the last six years and put it in Wilsonart’s new Velocity and Velocity2 lines featuring the patented Trac-Loc installation system. “We learned so much about what is important, especially on the installation side. And, this is a result of that experience.” The high pressured groove-only product features a special “gray core” plus an added moisture resistant seam sealer on the edges.

Velocity is installed with Wilsonart’s Trac-Loc which uses a separate aluminum tract onto which the product’s grooves are inserted. Each plank has been specifically engineered to allow the tract to precisely fit into the groove and “lock” the pieces together without the aid of glue. Velocity is packaged as the core product, featuring top-selling patterns, namely woodgrains. “These are the drivers,” Tarver said. Velocity2 is the designer- oriented part of the collection with more abstract designs. “Together, the specifier has a plethora of design options—from the tried and true classics to the bolder more avant-garde styles.”

At Mannington, the company has formally introduced its iCore technology to specifiers. Originally introduced at Surfaces 2000, primarily to the residen tial market (FCNews, Jan. 4/31, 2000), the patented product is being repositioned to where it belonged from the beginning—in the hands of architects and designers. At the time of its launch, John Himes, marketing manager of wood and laminate, said “while we are introducing this to retailers, it is perfectly, if not more suited for commercial applications. In addition to be more durable than any laminate floor on the market, it has built- in features the contract market wants.” The advanced composite flooring system with micro-beveled edges is constructed with a water-proof, extruded synthetic core, thereby eliminating the need for a moisture underlayment. This core also features Mannington’s I-beam construction which creates unique sound dampening chambers, thus eliminating the need for a sound barrier.

The 6-ft. long, 5-in.wide planks are installed without glue. Instead, they use a special 7-ft. long extruded spline for a “Snap&Fit” lock. The sides and ends can be secured even further using a specially formulated CoreWeld. “This is the right product at the right time for the commercial environment,” said Andrew Walker, iCore’s national business development manager. “End users are asking for an easy-to-install floor that is durable and easy to maintain.” It is that easy-to-install concept that all the latest products have in common. While each features a variation on the “click” system, they all allow mechanics to lay them down without using glue and to do so without causing a major disruption to a working environment. “The biggest thing we have learned is,” Wilsonart’s Tarver said, “speed of installation. The faster a floor can be installed and walked upon the more desirable it is because in most commercial settings, down time means lost dollars.”

Now that mills are making a concerted effort with products and services for the commercial market, the next biggest hurdle to clear is getting designers comfortable with the idea of using laminate floors in their projects. “Whoever wants to be successful in this end of the business will have to take the lead in education,” Tarver said. “From explaining the benefits, including life-cycle costs, installation time savings, performance compared with other products, to where and how it can be used. Designers realize it is a durable product from the residential side, but they still do not fully understand it.” Alloc’s Kieckhafer agreed. “More education and getting the word out, that’s what we need. There are so many un-tapped areas, the growth opportunity is still unlimited. But, we need to show them that their concerns, such as the hollow sound, have been listened to and corrected. The category has spent a great deal in research and development and now it’s time to tell the world.”