By Matthew Spieler
Laminate manufacturers were not about to let a tough economy get the best of them at Surfaces 2008. Instead of putting on a doom and gloom face, exhibitors put on their brightest faces—literally— when it came to this year’s product introductions.

Booths were gleaming with the latest surfacing innovations that gave their products the type of high-gloss shine so popular and prevalent in today’s furniture and cabinet offerings. Adding a new level of shine to their products was just one of the latest advances mills brought out for the market as many also focused on technologies that helped in such areas as making the installation process easier and more creative, and making seams nearly invisible. Overall, though, the one thing everyone emphasized was how this year’s intros mimic their natural counterparts better than ever.

Al Boulogne, Mannington’s laminate product manager, pointed to the company’s new product in its Revolutions Plank line, Time Crafted Maple, as an example of how far the visual has come. “It offers the most unique and most realistic hardwood visual in the laminate category today. Thanks to the next generation in flooring technology, Mannington has been able to create a ‘truly irregular’ bevel with new patent-pending technology.”

When it comes to shine and clarity, he said the new Diamond Bay brings the beauty of a high-gloss hardwood look to laminate. “It beams with a unique luster” thanks to Mannington’s exclusive, Optic-Edge. Two years in the making, this patent-pending technology “allows for superior styling and a higher level of pattern realism.”

Ken Peden, COO of Kronotex USA, parent company of Formica Flooring, said the company’s two newest lines, Bellafina and Bellezza, are examples of “our commitment to be a leader in style, and the reaction we are getting has been fabulous.”

The high-gloss collections feature an exclusive “mirror finish that creates an unmistakable elegant brilliance,” he noted.
Bellafina comes in four wood designs, “characterized by detailed grain patterns and textures that create the look and feel of exotic timbers,” Peden explained. Bellezza also has four patterns that “accurately portray the authentic look and feel of natural stone.”

Around the corner at its parent company’s booth, Peden said the new Amazone collection “rounds out the Kronotex product offering very nicely.” The 10mm product is characterized by extraordinarily narrow yet long planks—4.45 x 54.33 inches—and is the first Kronotex offering with microbeveled edges.

Continuing to push the realism envelope was Faus’ Fausfloor division, which was highlighting its “precision surface technology” in creating not just the mill’s newest products but an overall sense of luxury “that can’t be duplicated,” noted Ken Freedman, director of sales. “This is the culmination of a whole package we launched but in a coordinated effort.”

Faus now offers products at five different price points in order “to offer every customer an option in quality laminate flooring,” noted Juan Flores, president.

Steve Ehrlich, director of marketing, added the new products in the high-end Cosmopolitian Collection bring “unmatched sophistication and style with stunning wood patterns, rich tile designs and a glamour all their own.”

New technologies

At the Quick•Step booth, Roger Farabee, vice president of marketing, said a host of new technologies helped the company complete a two-year project to not only fill out every collection but gear the styling to North American preferences.

Under the company’s new slogan, “Amazing what a floor can do,” Quick•Step unveiled Linesse, “an innovative, industry-first collection,” Farabee noted, “that allows the consumer to customize the stagger of a 3-strip plank. Up to now, strip products have had a uniform end. This new technology allows for a pure random look, thereby achieving a beautifully realistic hardwood strip look.”

Utilizing the new UniLink technology, Linesse is composed of three strip planks in which two of the strips slide, allowing boards to be staggered as they are installed onto the floor.
To complement the design, Linesse features the new Uni Softboard attached underlayment, which helps create a solid hardwood sound. “All elements work together,” Farabee said, “to create the perfect foundation for any room.”

The combined Alloc and Berry Floor booth was buzzing with excitement over two technological enhancements: Laser Cut High Precision Edging and HydroPlus. “No one cuts it closer than Alloc and Berry,” said Cindy Thornton, marketing manager. New, advanced laser cut technology ensures perfect plank edges.”

She said products featuring the innovation are cut with laser-guided precision “for the most pristine, authentic looks. Flawless edges create beautiful finishes. Laser Cut is offered on many new products and will be incorporated into new production on existing ones based on the finish and style of the product,” adding that darker finishes benefit the most from the technology, “and, thus, will come standard with Laser Cut.”

HydroPlus, Thornton noted, “is the ultimate water resistant barrier for laminate flooring.” Indicated by a thin blue stripe on the locking lip of select products, “the HydroPlus technology is the guarantee against water, moisture and humidity. The impervious stripe keeps moisture out and reduces chance of plank swelling.”

Even those relatively new to the U.S. market understood the need for innovations that add value to their products. At Lamipro, which made its official U.S. debut at Surfaces, industry veterans Pete Ciganovich and Gordon Lundee were showcasing their “high-quality, highly competitive” laminate flooring and accessories to a receptive audience.

“We’re writing lots of business,” Ciganovich said, “and with some of the industry’s largest and most sophisticated dealers. By early summer we expect to have 700 storefronts carrying our products.”

Making the most waves was Steinway, Lamipro’s high-end product line featuring an exclusive piano gloss finish done at the company’s wholly owned plant in China. “We control the entire process and utilize the newest equipment and latest technologies, which is why these products are styled for the American consumer,” Lundee said.