Hicksville, N.Y.—As the hard surface segment continues to grow and retailers add more wood, laminate, ceramic tile and resilient flooring to their product mix, the choices they are being offered in each category increases as well. In the wood flooring segment, where oak may still be the staple, an ever expanding range of darker, more exotic offerings are becoming increasingly available to dealers as the consumer’s desire for “something different” heightens. Whether its Brazilian cherry, merbau or even bamboo, what’s being laid on the floor reflects a refreshing, dare-to-be-different attitude among consumers that a growing number of retailers are educating themselves as to what is available and how to best show them.

“There certainly is a growing trend among consumers who want a different look,” said Chris Thompson, vice president of sales and marketing for Mirage. “Some exotic species certainly are different and offer new looks, colors and styling than the traditional species. That’s why we have them in our line.” Thompson, who noted while more is still being done with exotics in residential applications, more and more commercial jobs are using these unique species. “At Surfaces, we just introduced a new herringbone pattern in our engineered floors. We offer it in oak and maple but we also offer it in Brazilian cherry primarily because we have many customers asking for that look in light commercial applications.” “We’ve had so little to offer for so long that now there is so much, everybody is interested, including those involved in the commercial end,” said Bill Clossin, vice president of marketing for Harris Tarkett.

“In commercial, there is a big interest in using species that are naturally harder, such as Australian woods.” For retailers, Thompson noted, “all of our displays now include Brazilian cherry and Santos mahogany. We explain to them the hardnesses and the fact that they will darken over time. It’s a natural part of that type of wood. “There are some unique properties in these species that people—dealers and consumers—need to be aware of,” he explained. “As education is still key in getting involved with these woods, we try to do our best to let the retailers know what to expect so they, in turn, can let the consumers know what to expect.” Steve Bunch, director of business development for Columbia Flooring, whose Out of Africa collection was a big hit at Surfaces, said it only behooves retailers who sell hardwood flooring to expand their horizons. “If you are in the hardwood business, the reason you want to get into exotics is that everybody is on an equal footing on oak. Nowadays, if you are trying to appease a very tough consumer, it becomes extremely difficult to do that with just oak. The opportunity is there to show her exotics, for two reasons.

“The first is, you just might have to hit the look and the color she likes and, in that, make a better sell,” he explained. “The other reason is, you have now distinguished yourself as a real hardwood supply house. Those are the two reasons we talk to retailers about selling exotics; because it’s a good thing even if you don’t make the sale. “So, if you show her a jatoba or if you show her a merbau or if you show her some of the African products we now have,” he added, “even if she says, ‘I don’t like them,’ in her mind, she is shopping at the right place.” Clossin agreed with Bunch and said, “By getting into exotics, retailers can decrease the amount of competitive pressure on their opportunity to make the sale. If you are selling an entry level oak product that everybody in town has, it’s going to be very difficult to differentiate yourself and make money.

“One of the reasons we push for promoting different high-end products which obviously, exotic woods fall into, is that if you are successful in making a sale, you’ve limited your competition and increased your chance of making a better profit,” he added. “Many people are looking for different and unique,” said Thompson. “That’s why more of the exotics are being displayed, talked about and shown. For the most part, consumers aren’t shopping for a particular species but when she sees that exotic look, she figures out if that’s what she really wants to fit in her own decor.” Stuart Beattie, senior vice president of style and design for Mannington Mills, agreed with Thompson on the importance of offering items which fit into a home’s design scheme. In the hardwood category, he noted, which creates a feeling of warmth and elegance in any home, “we have taken it one step further by introducing our Trade Winds Collection. This group features such exotic looks as Canelo Teak, Island Chestnut and Audina Cherry.”

Another look becoming increasingly available to dealers are rustics, including handscraped floors. “The new handscraped floors in our American Legacy collection are just that—handscraped,” explained John Himes, Mannington’s director of marketing, wood and laminate. “Each floor board is passed through several scraping stations where it receives attention to detail that can only come from a true craftsman,” he added. “The character of each wood is further enhanced during this process and brings out the wood’s grain visual as well as any knots and pinholes.” The American Legacy collection includes two species: hickory and walnut. The hickory line includes colorways such as Saffron, Topaz, Hazelnut and Expresso.

Other companies making headway in the exotic arena are Nudo with such offerings as Plantation Teak Nature, Merbau and Cherry Nature in engineered longstrip; Harris Tarkett with its exotic Passport: Australia and rustic Crossroads Distressed collections; and Junckers with its Jatoba (Brazilian cherry) and Beech Unique. Mohawk has expanded its longstrip offerings, and laminate producers BHK and Alloc have also entered the wood flooring arena. Bamboo manufacturers who continue to penetrate the U.S. market include U.S. Floors; Moso with bamboo flooring and veneers; Hawa Bamboo Flooring, Timber-Grass and Bamboo Flooring. “Many people shopping for wood floors today are looking for everything but oak,” said Clossin. “it just helps you in your product mix to be able to offer different colors and visuals, as well as the hardness of the woods. —Louis Iannaco