By Matthew Spieler
What are the best sellers when it comes to laminate flooring? It depends on which company you ask. Unlike other product categories where one or two trends dominate sales, with laminate’s ability to mimic just about any décor there are more opportunities for the consumer to find the product that meets her styling, performance and budgetary needs.

With that in mind, FCNews asked some of the category’s leaders what their best sellers this year have been. The idea is to give retailers inspiration on products that have been proven winners around the country and can help boost sales.

Alloc

Domestic Traditional Oak is the leader for the brand, noted Cindy Thornton, marketing manager. “This particular finish is vastly popular because of its versatile, authentic wood appearance.” She said the Domestic line as a whole is popular because of its “appealing price points for a wide range of homeowners.”

Another successful proposition Thornton pointed to, is Alloc Original, particularly Antique Oak. “The Original line is commercial- grade, so this tried-and-true look is well suited for an array of installations, both contract and residential.”

For more on Alloc, call 877.362.5562.

Armstrong

Milton Goodwin, vice president of laminate and ceramic products, said the Grand Illusions collection has been “a runaway success. Consumers want realism and this is most realistic-looking laminate today—one that is easy for the dealer to sell.”

He said Grand Illusions is noteworthy for its exceptional piano finish that replicates filled-face wood for a luxurious look. “The floor’s realism is enhanced by a ‘kissed-edge’ bevel—half the size of a standard micro-bevel—which helps accentuate each plank, emphasizing grain and texture. Wider, real wood width planks also bolster the illusion.”

How successful has the line been? “We had such a positive reaction from our retailers that we have added more SKUs. New premium floors with very unique, white-washed and hand-scraped visuals—exact replicas of unique looks borrowed from our premium wood flooring line—have been added. These include Cherry (Bronze) ‘for a Cherry color palette that saturates any room with ambience,’ and Cherry (Natural) ‘with deep rich Cherry tones for a warmth and beauty that will be appreciated in any space.’”

For more on Armstrong, call 717.397.0611.

Berry

When it comes to best sellers for Alloc’s sister brand, Thornton said the top two come from the company’s Lounge collection, specifically Oxford Oak and Swiss Maple. The styles, she explained are “a result of a thorough product development process that blends a knowledge of true wood looks with an understanding of what style the market desires.”

Using Oxford Oak as the example, Thornton added, “This finish is just warm enough to go traditional, rustic or modern.”

For more on Berry, call 877.362.5562.

Bruce

As with its sister product, Grand Illusions, Goodwin said Bruce’s Park Avenue has been a homerun. “These are products consumers want to buy.” He noted the collection is filled with realistic looks and texture; an easy installation system, and “there is the credibility and quality inferred by the brand itself.”

Because of how well the line has done, Goodwin said Park Avenue’s initial offering of five visuals—Ironwood in two colors, Pradoo, Makore and exotic walnut—has just been expanded with three new looks. Fruitwood Select “will give any home an uptown chic appeal with planks of fine-grained wood, each with a unique visual; rare Wenge is luxurious and dramatic, in deep chocolate tones with near-black veins; and Mocha Maple’s carefree café au lait flair stands up well to spills and scratches.”

The company is also adding a new premium hand sculpted look to its popular Reserve Collection. “There is an emphasis on the hand-scraped look” he explained, “one of the best-selling visuals in the wood category.

For more on Bruce, call 717.397.0611.

Faus

“Our top sellers this year are two of our latest introductions— Rusted Porcelain from the Cosmopolitan collection and Pear Tree from the Really Exotic collection,” said Steve Ehrlich, director of marketing.

While each has its own appeal, he said a common trait that had helped make them successful is “they offer consumers innovative alternatives to common stone and wood patterns.”

Rusted Porcelain has Faus’ patented Embossed In Register and DualFinish technologies, and offers a realistic, industrial appearance, Ehrlich explained. “It’s perfect for someone wanting an edgy, modern look.”

Pear Tree, he noted, offers a rare exotic wood not available in other areas of the hard surface industry and features the company’s patented InterPlank Design and LongStrip technologies for added realism.

“What makes these top sellers,” Ehrlich said, “is that they are not your typical looks. We’ve introduced two decors not seen before in the laminate industry to give consumers looking for something unique a choice.”

For more on Faus, call 888.231.3287.

Formica

Ken Peden, COO of Kronotex, Formica’s parent, said the Mirabella collection is “an all-around fantastic line of flooring.” Each long, narrow 10mm thick plank features an elegant, semi-piano and random pitted finish with micro-beveled edges.

“This collection has every feature the consumer is looking for in a laminate,” he said. “And, at a suggested retail price of $3.99 a square foot, Mirabella is unlike any other product in the marketplace.”

Another big hit for Formica is Quintessa, which Peden said has a number of stand-out qualities, such as being 12mm thick and coming in six-foot long planks. It also features an AC 5 rating, an easy installation system and 10 SKUs.

“Quintessa is the very top of the line,” he added. “It embodies luxury and style, without skimping on any details. Quintessa continues to attract customers who seek the very best in high-end laminate flooring.”

For more on Formica, call 800.777.5145.

Mannington

In discussing the company’s top sellers, David Sheehan, director of laminate and resilient, points out one of them—Time Crafted Maple—was introduced this year, meaning the mill was able to hit on the right look and performance attributes consumers are seeking in today’s economy.

He attributes the product’s rise to the top because of “its incredibly realistic styling. It has a unique, irregular edge treatment and rustic timeworn wood plank look—two things that set it apart from ordinary laminate.”

Not only is Time Crafted Maple a distinctive product that consumers can relate to, Sheehan said it “gives the salesperson a logical trade-up story to use at the point of sale.”

Mannington’s other top laminate seller, Adirondack, is a modular slate-look that, as part of the mill’s Revolutions Tile collection, “offers a distinctive visual with the affordability, durability and easy maintenance that consumers crave,” he noted. “The modular look is a hot trend today in real tile, in LVT and in laminate, and Adirondack is one of the leaders of that trend.”

For more on Mannington, call 856.935.3000.

Pergo

“High-gloss, lacquered looks are among Pergo’s top-selling decors, said David Small, vice president of marketing. “Pergo has offered these glossy looks for several years, and they are just beginning to emerge as a widespread trend in laminate.”

In fact, this type of look is currently “very in demand among consumers,” he added.

To make sure it continues to meet this demand, Small said Pergo made certain that when it streamlined its collections earlier this year (FCNews, May 5/12) it kept these best-selling looks in the line-up.

One example of a popular high-gloss floor, he said is Salted Lapacho, now found in the new Pergo Commercial collection. In addition, Palissander from the new Elegant Expressions by Pergo collection “demonstrates how lacquered looks can be given an exotic twist.”

For more on Pergo, call 919.773.6000.

Quick•Step

At Quick•Step, Roy Foster, vice president of sales, said, “Our premium Country Collection is the top-selling line, with Rustic Hickory Planks being the top-selling individual product.” Inspired by the great estates of Europe, he noted, “every detail has been carefully crafted to recreate the hand-scraped and soft-scraped details of wood floors that have aged beautifully through centuries of living.”

Foster noted consumers get a truly authentic look and feel of time-worn floors that have withstood decades of wear due to the company’s state-of-the-art technology which allows for unique imperfections to be handcrafted into each board.

Following the Country Collection, he said Quick•Step’s Perspective line comes in as the next best seller, specifically the Santos Mahogany style. This particular design, “adds the bold and beautiful look of exotic wood to a home without harvesting one tree from the rainforest, and at a price that is realistic in today’s economy.

For more on Quick•Step, call 866.220.5933.

Shaw

Costa Rica, a beveled edge, 4-inch plank available in five colors has risen to the top of Shaw’s laminate offerings, explained Jean Pinson, hard surface marketing manager.

“The collection is an exotic wood visual that offers popular deep, rich, dark colors in the successful 4-inch beveled plank,” she explained. “It looks incredibly smooth and realistic, and consumers appreciate the exotic, upscale visual at an incredible value in comparison to authentic exotics.”

Right behind Costa Rica, Pinson said is the “upscale, glossy and gorgeous, Safari. It has a lustrous high-sheen finish, yet is very durable.”

With colors such as Victoria Cherry, Cherry Woodlands, Buffalo and Riverbed Teak, she noted “Safari looks almost identical to authentic wood. The visual and grain are very clear and the dramatic 5-inch width is beautiful. The product has been very well received.”

For more on Shaw, call 800.441.7429.