By Sarah Zimmerman
Value seems to be fall’s buzzword in the resilient category. Balancing environmental goals with performance and aesthetics, leading mills are saying resilient flooring embodies and easily promotes all three. Experts agree that today’s end user is starting to look past price and more toward fashion, function and overall long-term measurable return. So, to entice this eco-conscious, fashion-savvy, function-forward thinking, manufacturers have stepped up to the plate with home-run hitting style, execution and strategies.

Armstrong

When describing product attributes or trends, Allen Cubell, vice president of resilient, said Armstrong has simplified the message to four key items: style, care, durability and installation flexibility. He noted all the features expected in a quality resilient floor— quiet and comfortable under foot, water-resistant, easy to clean and maintain, economical and environmentally friendly— can be categorized under one of these areas, “and so can our products.”

New to Armstrong this summer was StrataMax Hi-Performance Sheet Flooring, a uniquely layered product made to look and perform great while reducing installation time and cost by 50%. It also features the mill’s CleanSweep and ToughGuard II technologies.

On another note, Cubell said environment, technology and marketing are all spearheading the category’s advancements, again focused on value. “The economy has placed a new emphasis on products that offer value, and resilient falls squarely into this category.” And, making blips on the segment’s radar, Armstrong continues serving each area with new offerings such as CleanSweep Plus for advanced performance, Masterworks Technology for great visuals, VTx for increased texture and outside of the box marketing campaigns like “What’s the Big Deal?”

Karndean

Karndean International continues to grow this fall focused on providing aesthetically accurate and pleasing visuals and textures with advanced durability. “The fall trends for us really stem from our two new collections, which are both high-quality replicates— natural look and feel—of the products they are inspired by,” said David Bleivik, marketing manager. “Consumers are seeking designer floors that are affordable, great looking and easy to maintain, and we’re providing them with just that.”

The mill has introduced Oak Royale, a collection of hand scraped planks offered in four seasonal colors, and Island Limestone, a collection of random-sized tiles in a traditional Roman pattern and four colors.

LG Floors

Looking at overall industry trends as well as the category, Harry Brownett, vice president of sales and marketing, said LG is highlighting eco-friendly and fashion-forward practices and products. “While some styles such as wood and stone tend to be constants on the product scene, interior design trends are finding green living and environmentally healthy choices at the forefront. Genuine green products have become a mainstream staple of the building industry.”

But, he emphasized, this does not mean durability and style have been sacrificed, naming quality and color as two other key points of interest. Brownett offered three products as leaders offering aesthetics, performance and sustainability this fall: NatureLife, Deco Wood and Deco Stone.

Mannington

David Sheehan, director of marketing for Mannington Mills, said trends continue toward the “natural look. What’s really new though is the way those natural looks are being executed—all modular.”

To that end, Mannington is introducing Adura Elements, a program that allows the consumer to choose different sizes, shapes and layouts of her Adura flooring for “high-end, custom tile looks that provide all the advantages of luxury vinyl tile (LVT) floor.”

Sheehan also noted environmental sustainability as a key factor in today’s market. So, Mannington launched Jumpstart, the first residential sheet product to contain recycled content, he said. The mill also plans to introduce a locking LVT called LOCnGO and several new patterns in resilient sheet.

Metroflor

After great success with its Konecto luxury launch, Metroflor is looking to grow aesthetically and environmentally while maintaining its durability and quality, said Michael Raskin, president. With that, the mill has expanded its winning product in two new areas, offering Konecto Exotic Woods and Konecto Commercial.

Raskin noted previously, the company did not have a line devoted to exotics, a hot trend in the hardwood arena today. Konecto Exotic Woods comes in 15 SKUs, all 6 x 48 inches with a piano finish. Similarly, Konecto Commercial speaks directly to the commercial segment and features much “cleaner, less rustic visuals more suited for the A&D community.” It is available in 13 SKUs in 6 x 48-inch planks.

Raskin also mentioned sustainability, darker colors and delicate, refined textures and finishes as “in.” He said Metroflor is working on a full marketing package to educate end users on the mill’s green approach and is researching the possibility of cradle-to-cradle manufacturing.

Nafco by Tarkett

Erica Hubbard, director of marketing for Nafco, again pointed to value as a major trend this fall. She said the brand is focusing on its LVT and plank products “based on the strength of the category as fashion-conscious home decorators look to migrate to less costly, more practical simulation of stained concrete, hardwood, ceramic tile, stone and granite.”

In this regard, Nafco will again be participating in the Tarkett Cash Card program, giving registered dealers $2 per carton for all Nafco tile and plank products sold. Two new products under the program include Kyrah, a stained concrete look, and Classic Slate.