By Louis Iannaco
When it comes to commercial flooring, the first products that come to mind are usually carpet and resilient. However, just as it has on the residential side, hard surface products, especially laminate and hardwood, have been gaining in popularity with designers, architects and specifiers.

Reasons for this hard surface growth in the contract sector are many, including advances in technology and innovation, and the fact that more commercial settings have the look and feel of a residential area today.

“We see wood continuing to grow nicely within the commercial segment,” said Daniel Call, vice president, wood product management for Armstrong. “We see this being driven by commercial design seeking the luxurious beauty that wood brings coupled with the explosion of visuals that have been brought to the market in wood.”

According to Dan Natkin, Mannington’s director of wood business, in terms of the overall commercial market, “it’s a relatively small share but our commercial wood business has been expanding over the last couple of years.

In laminate, Randy Phillips, commercial sales manager, Wilsonart, said Wilsonart Commercial Flooring, introduced about one year ago, is well beyond what was planned for the first year. “The category remains strong and is experiencing growth.”

Mark Brunelle, Alloc’s national sales manager, commercial, said the contract business has been appreciating a healthy sales history. “With master plans and capital budgets in effect, the commercial business is faring very well in today’s economic challenges. Commercial laminates are continuing to take market share in addition to and along with preferred hard surface products.

“Laminate flooring is no doubt the most versatile flooring in the market today,” he explained. “Selling the technology, aesthetics and durability of commercial laminate flooring, it is apparent that it is thought by many to be the appropriate choice and is continually gaining in market share.”

Prior to 2005, Alloc had not actively sought commercial business outside of the retailer business, he noted. “Hiring a commercial specifier in 2005 and then an additional specifier in 2006, Alloc commercial laminate has continued to grow in the U.S. market— 10% in 2006 and 14% in 2007.”

Executives said laminate flooring is now regularly installed in a large variety of commercial settings— retail shops and boutiques; hospitality such as hotel lobbies, foyers and guestrooms, and restaurants; offices; healthcare facilities led by patient rooms and assisted living areas, and education, especially universities.

According to David Small, Pergo’s vice president of marketing, we’ve found that laminate is most popular with Main Street commercial retail businesses. This can be attributed to a variety of styles from which the end user can choose while being extremely durable and easy to maintain.

As far as styles go, it is completely dependent on the image the retailer is trying to project. “With that said, Main Street retailers seem to be more open to the niche colors than the design preferences found in the residential market. Carbonized oak from the new Pergo Commercial collection is a great example. Exotic décors like fruitwood and teak also are popular in this market.”

Phillips added retail remains the largest market segment for the category. “Hospitality, education and healthcare also continue to be strong. And, our product can be installed in certain healthcare/assisted living applications where glueless laminates can’t be installed due to the fact we glue our floors together with [proprietary] BlueFusion adhesive.”

Fast installation, high durability, low maintenance and long-term aesthetic retention are typical reasons why commercial laminate flooring is chosen over other floor coverings for some applications, he explained.

Brunelle agreed with Phillips that retail, senior living, healthcare and hospitality are strong venues for laminate. “Retail and hospitality design specifiers have an increased interest in more contemporary decors such as smoked finishes and variegated coloring. Alloc leads the trends with its Original product offering of Cappuccino Oak and Washed Oak and Trendline. Available in Trendline Light, Trendline Natural and Trendline Merbau, these finishes feature linear graining incorporated into popular wood shades. The overall look is contemporary, which creates an expansive effect for commercial interiors.

“In senior living and healthcare,” he explained, “specifiers gravitate from the richer, warm earth tones of the oaks to red tones in cherry and merbau for a more traditional ‘home like’ aesthestic. With high-pressure laminate construction, authentic surface finishes and appropriate plank widths, each product offers exceptional durability and performance for truly progressive alternatives in laminate flooring.”

Anthony Riggi, product manager for Abet Laminati, said, “The commercial market share is still tiny. There are many fears of product failure, particularly due to low-cost residential materials ending up in a commercial installation because of client ignorance. In commercial, selection is key. Trends move fast and interests are far more varied than in residential. Therefore, there is not one specific style that stands out to be the most popular.”

Nothing like the real thing

When it comes to wood looks, many commercial establishments are turning to the real thing. Noted Armstrong’s Call, excluding sports floors as a portion of education, wood is being used primarily in specialty retail, hospitality and multifamily residential (high-rise).

“Designers for these key commercial channels are selecting wood flooring for design and durability. At a broader level, many commercial designers are trying to capture a more residential feel, and wood flooring allows designers to select products that create a particular look or image while providing the durability needed for these spaces.

“Of course, there’s opportunity in corporate in public areas such as reception and conference rooms. Healthcare also has seen an increase, especially with the rise of healthcare/assisted living facilities that have a more homelike, warm environment.”

As far as the styles, Call noted, as in residential, the popularity of certain visuals depends upon the look the design community would like to convey in a particular setting as well as the rigors of the environment. “For example, the strong growth in distressed visuals is not only based upon their unique beauty, but their ability to help camouflage damage, such as dents and scratches. On the corporate side we’ve seen a move to dark, rich stains, again, similar to the trend in residential interiors.”

Regarding where in the commercial sector wood is being applied the most, Luc Robitaille, vice president of marketing for Boa- Franc, parent company of Mirage Hardwood Flooring, cited retail, hospitality and office areas. “This is because the basic characteristics of wood, namely look and warmth, lend themselves to the design needs of these areas of the commercial segment.

“The styles people have been looking for are mainly wide boards with a lower gloss level. The species and colors vary from region to region and from project to project. In some commercial projects, glueless wood has been asked for and will most likely become more popular as it becomes more readily available because of the ease of installation.”

Natkin noted styles are evolving, not just for Mannington but when assessing the commercial market as a whole. “On the corporate side, exotics have grown pretty significantly, although I expect that to curtail over the next couple years. On the retail side, the more rustic looks, similar to what they’ve done in residential, have begun to grow with the wider planks. The traditional looks have gone out. Gloss levels are lower. That’s a function of performance more than anything else.

“Healthcare tends to be very traditional,” he said, “as your oaks and maples tend to go there, if anywhere. And when it’s in healthcare, it’s typically in reception areas or in assisted living. Corporate exotics have been hot. If you take into account the Trump Tower as well as the New York Mets headquarters, exotics are being used very heavily in corporate locales. In retail, again, we see a move from the traditional stain and finish look toward more rustic and handscraped looks.”

In the end, Call believes there are great opportunities in the commercial wood market. “The biggest opportunity in wood flooring is around managing customer expectations. That means continuing to develop beautiful products that will perform within the demanding commercial environment, while helping to educate the wood customer that an effective preventative maintenance program is essential in these environments, and wood floors are not right for every commercial situation, such as areas with high moisture levels.”

Much like Call’s take on the wood segment, Phillips sees many positives ahead regarding the potential of commercial laminate. “We feel that the category will continue to experience commercial growth for many years as it provides solutions to challenges that end users, design professionals and contractors have been searching for.”