DARIEN, CONN.—Metroflor, the company that took the resilient floor covering market to another level with Konecto, the first floating luxury vinyl tile (LVT), is rolling out the latest in innovative installation solutions. The system is called Grab-Tak and is exclusive to Metroflor, specifically its Solidity Ceramic line.

The thought behind Solidity Ceramic with Grab-Tak is simple: a resilient ceramic tile (as it is marketed by Metroflor) with a professional-grade adhesive pre-attached to its back. Yes, the concept is similar to the peel-and-stick tiles sold primarily by home centers, but rest assured, Solidity Ceramic with Grab-Tak is a completely different animal. The product is 3mm thick–50% greater than traditional self-stick vinyl tiles. Thus, it competes against high-quality LVT like DuraCeramic from Congoleum, Alterna from Armstrong, Adura from Mannington and Permastone from Nafco, to name a few.

“[DuraCeramic, Alterna, Adura and Permastone] are set with traditional installation systems where you need adhesive that requires spreading, setting time, etc.,” said Michael Raskin, president, Metroflor. “With Grab-Tak, the adhesive is already pre-applied, so installers can complete a job in less than half the time of traditional installations. All you do is remove the release paper and apply the tile to the subfloor.”

Subfloor prep basically mimics a traditional glue-down installation in that it needs to be smooth and debris free. “There is some forgiveness because the tile has more vinyl content than other products, which lends itself to flexibility,” Raskin said.

Aside from the thickness of the tile, something else that separates Solidity Ceramic with Grab-Tak from the lower-quality peel-and-stick tiles is the actual adhesive. “With our extensive experience with Konecto, we have been able to design and develop high-grade adhesives, so instead of a low-cost glue that would be found on a low-cost tile, we use a professional-grade adhesive with a stronger tack that, once applied, will adhere securely to the subfloor.” Formulation of the adhesive is patent pending, he noted.

Raskin believes the many advantages of Grab-Tak will have a significant impact on the company— and the industry. “First of all, installation is much faster. Saving time means saving money. And there is an environmental story. Aside from the obvious, the ceramic finish is embedded into the wearlayer. The advantage to that is that many products have a topcoat, and when that wears off a new finish needs to be applied.”

But possibly most important in today’s challenging economy is the cost advantages associated with Grab-Tak. “Without sacrificing aesthetics, we have been able to pass our cost advantages onto our customers, creating greater margin opportunities,” Raskin said. “In addition, because the adhesive is already pre-applied to the tile, there is no need to purchase glue, which amounts to around 25 cents a foot.”

Herregan Distributors, Eagan, Minn., is the first wholesaler to take on the product. Craig Folven, vice president of sales and marketing, told FCNews it was a no brainer. “First of all, the popularity of all LVT products across the channel is revitalizing vinyl. And anything that solves installation or job site issues has been very popular for us. We jumped on the chance to be first out with it.”

Although the product was shown to distributors earlier in the year, Herregan only started shipping displays in the last couple weeks. And retailer response as been overwhelming. “We’ve already placed more than 150 displays,” Folven said. “It’s been pretty easy to get people to take it on. In fact, hardly anyone has turned us down.” He added retailers may initially perceive it as a peel and stick product, but once they see it and feel it, they realize it is LVT with the glue pre-applied.

Retailer response has been strong for a number of reasons, Folven said, not the least of which is greater margin opportunities when compared to traditional LVT. “It has to do with having no callbacks, having the product readily available and ease of installation—no adhesive, less labor, shorter installation time. So a retailer can offer a valuable product at a higher margin because added costs are taken out of the equation.”

Folven believes the product will find favor both residentially and commercially. “The ability to grout two-thirds of the line makes it appealing residentially, and the thickness of the product and wearlayer make it a fit for commercial. We are marketing it heavily to both segments.”

Raskin noted that Grab-Tak continues the trend to take adhesives out of the installation process. It started about 10 years ago with click laminate, and that extended to wood and then resilient via Konecto, the groundbreaking 2006 launch.

“As much as we talk about anything else, it always come back to Konecto because the enthusiasm for that product has not wavered since its introduction three years ago,” Raskin said. “To a fault, it has overshadowed our other products, even though LVT is a growing market.”

However, Raskin believes Grab-Tak will give Metroflor’s LVT sales a shot in the arm because “it is clearly innovative and groundbreaking, just like Konecto. Our position is Metroflor is one of the oldest LVT brands and we think Grab-Tak will help drive the brand.”

Folven agreed. “Konecto has been a phenomenal product for us. But Grab-Tak is another example of how Metroflor continues to bring innovation. It’s rare to be first with something, and it’s done it two or three times in a row. We’re proud to be a partner .”