Breaking Flooring News

March Housing Starts Rose 1.6% from Feb., Down 0.2% YOY

Washington, DC, April 17, 2025— Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,482,000, 1.6% above the revised February rate of 1,459,000 but 0.2% below the March 2024 rate of 1,485,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Remodeling to Rise 2.5% by Q1 2026

Cambridge, MA, April 17, 2025--The Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) projects that year-over-year spending for home renovation and repair will increase by 2.5% to reach a record $526 billion by the first quarter of 2026, according to the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

Jobless Claims Declined by 9,000 in Week Ending April 12

Washington, DC, April 17, 2025— In the week ending April 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 215,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level, according to the Department of Labor.

Shaw Moves Operations & Manufacturing Under Business Unit Leaders

Dalton, GA, April 16, 2025-Shaw has announced organizational changes to further align its structure with the company’s customer-centric strategy.

NWFA Expo Underway Now in Charlotte

Charlotte, NC, April 16, 2025-The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) expo kicked off yesterday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Builder Confidence Rose 1 Point to 40 in April

Washington, DC, April 16, 2025— Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was 40 in April, edging up one point from March, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI).

March Retail Sales Up 1.4% from February, 4.6% YOY

Washington, DC, April 16, 2025-Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for March 2025 were $734.9 billion, up 1.4% from the previous month and up 4.6% from March 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Mortgage Applications Declined 8.5% in Week Ending April 11

Washington, DC, April 16, 2025—Mortgage applications decreased 8.5% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 11, 2025.

Industrial Production Rose 5.5% in Q1

Washington, DC, April 16, 2025—Industrial production (IP) decreased 0.3% in March but increased at an annual rate of 5.5% in Q1, according to the Federal Reserve.