Laminate Report 2025: How innovation, education and resilience are fueling growth – Aug/Sept 2025

This resurgence, however, remains tightly bound to the nation’s housing market. With many homeowners holding onto low mortgage rates and postponing moves, remodeling activity-and by extension, laminate sales-has slowed. But as the Federal Reserve signals potential interest rate cuts, pent-up demand is poised to be unleashed, setting the stage for more activity, more remodels and renewed momentum for laminate heading into late 2025 and beyond.

How we got here

Laminate’s journey has been a rollercoaster. It burst onto the U.S. scene in the 1990s and boomed in the early 2000s as a durable, affordable wood-look solution. By the mid-2000s, laminate represented over 5% of total U.S. flooring sales. But its momentum began to falter during the housing crisis as it slid toward commoditization. It took another hit from the rise of rigid core LVT in the mid-2010s and again with the damaging Lumber Liquidators formaldehyde scandal, which eroded consumer trust and pushed buyers toward vinyl.

Then came Covid-19. Lockdowns spurred home renovations, and laminate briefly rebounded with double-digit growth. Kyle Brown, executive vice president of Swiss Krono, sums it up, “All of us, whether it was me, my peers, sort of said 2023 was the correction year. In 2024, we made a lot of advancements around stabilizing the supply chain, and we went into 2025 with a lot of optimism. Then it just didn’t go anywhere.”

The housing market continues to be the main driver. “It seems like there is a lot of pent-up demand out there,” says John Hammel, senior director of hard surfaces of Mannington. “Most of it has to do with people who still have those 2% and 3% interest rates and are hesitant to move,” adding that those who do move are downsizing but still paying more. 

David Moore, senior director of wood and laminate at Mohawk, links laminate demand directly to home turnover. “You’re twice as likely to remodel a floor or to redo your floors if you’re moving versus if you live in a home,” he says. “We’re on the wait-and-see side. There’s a consumer confidence kind of question mark, and no one really knows where that’s going to go. The economy seems to be doing okay, but the tariffs haven’t actually hit yet.”

The category’s past is defined by boom-and-bust cycles, and executives note that market visibility remains murky.

Brown adds, “We’re paying closer attention to market indicators than ever. We’re watching tariffs and interest rates, as well as new home starts and land acquisitions for builders, because if builders stop buying land, construction slows dramatically a year later. We also keep an eye on component prices like wood, resin and energy every day, but the leading indicators are really tied to the housing market: homebuilders, interest rates, land purchases and home starts.” This hyper-vigilance reflects the uncertainty facing manufacturers as they navigate unpredictable economic and geopolitical factors.

Challenges and headwinds

Laminate continues to contend with a host of headwinds. Rigid core LVT remains firmly in the driver’s seat, propelled by relentless waterproof marketing and deep channel penetration. “Laminate is kind of the unicorn,” observes Jamann Stepp, vice president of hard surfaces for Stanton. “It’s had these moments where it seems poised for a breakthrough, only to fade again.”

David Moore, senior director of wood and laminate at Mohawk, frames the challenge bluntly: “Why is LVT five times as big as I am, right? LVT really thrives when you’re talking about water and water resistance and waterproof. Laminate has its stories to tell as well around scratch and dent.” While laminate excels in scratch and dent resistance, it still struggles to shake the perception that it falls short of LVT when it comes to moisture protection.

Pricing pressure is another persistent obstacle. As vinyl prices have dropped sharply to spur sales, laminate has held relatively steady, making it more difficult to compete on price-sensitive projects. Brown notes that this dynamic puts additional stress on laminate’s value proposition.

Tariffs-both current and looming-add another layer of complexity. For some laminate manufacturers, these trade policies represent a double-edged sword, threatening supply chains but also presenting opportunities to gain ground against import-heavy competitors. Because LVT is heavily dominated by imports, tariff increases could disrupt supply chains and slow LVT market growth, potentially benefiting domestically produced laminate flooring, according to Market Insights.

Laminate production for the U.S. market is a blend of domestic and international sources. Significant supply still comes from Asian plants in Vietnam and Thailand, as well as European factories in Germany, Belgium and Spain, alongside domestic producers like Mohawk and Swiss Krono. This global manufacturing footprint brings both opportunity and vulnerability-exposing the category to shipping delays, geopolitical instability and fluctuating freight costs.

Moore points to a domestic advantage for U.S. producers like Mohawk. “We are sitting in an advantageous place from a manufacturer’s perspective, because our products are produced domestically,” he says. “If there is a tariff situation that could impact products that are sourced, that would be a tailwind for us from a cost perspective.” For dealers and distributors, this means that domestic laminate can offer more stable pricing and faster delivery versus import-heavy competitors when disruptions hit.”

Opportunities in consumer education and storytelling

One of laminate’s biggest opportunities is in consumer preference and the education of RSAs. The legacy perception of laminate as noisy, hollow or low-end persists with some in the trade, even as today’s products have vastly improved.

Moore notes, “You’re interfacing with a new set of consumers that don’t have that negativity. They’re really just looking for a product that’s easy to clean, easy to install, easy to live on, easy to maintain.”

RSAs are the bridge to shifting that perception. Hands-on experiences and clear marketing messages make a difference. “For us, it’s the interaction with the products,” Moore explains. “When someone interacts with the products from a texture perspective, this is almost indistinguishable from engineered hardwood.” He adds that experiential demos and storytelling campaigns build trust, but “the trust comes from the experience with the product.”

Hammel reinforces that retail partners continue to ask for visuals and textures that impress: “[They] look for beautiful visuals and textures in the laminate category.” He notes that the biggest mistake is failing to update the narrative, adding, “Today’s laminate is not the laminate of yesteryear. Today’s laminate includes both a high level of realism and high level of performance.”

Educating RSAs on laminate’s durability and modern waterproof capabilities is critical. Scratch, dent and stain resistance remain laminate’s key talking points, and top-down waterproof systems now give RSAs a marketing hook to counter vinyl’s long-standing edge. Stepp highlights the need for this narrative: “We sold ‘waterproof, kid-proof, pet-proof’ so hard that now every consumer asks for it-even in wood or carpet.” Retailers must be ready to explain that laminate meets lifestyle demands in a different, equally compelling way.

This educational effort is where manufacturers can best support dealers. Hammel is direct: “We must continue to support RSAs in telling the story of the category.”

Trends driving engagement in 2025

Innovation continues to refresh the category. Ultra-matte finishes, embossed-in-register (EIR) textures and sculpted edges create what Hammel calls “meaningful realism.” “The sharpness of the imagery, the sharpness of the textures, the bevel, it just continues to get more and more realistic.”

Everyone is trying to offer the most realistic and authentic visual that they possibly can, while still actually solving for the problems that the customer wants but doesn’t understand that they want, which is durability,” Moore says.

Hybrid resilient products represent the next frontier. Brown notes: “Hybrid resilient is still going to be the advancement, truly how waterproof laminate is now defined. We will have a hybrid resilient in North America, made in Barnwell, South Carolina by summer of 2026.” These products aim to combine laminate’s durability with the moisture tolerance that consumers have come to expect.

Design trends continue to lean into authentic wood looks, with a rise in wider planks and longer boards. One newer trend Moore says he has seen emerging are specialty patterns like herringbone. 

Moore adds, “At the end of the day, it has not changed yet that the consumer still comes in wanting a wood look. Everyone is trying to offer the most realistic and authentic visual that they possibly can.”

Hammel notes that continued innovation is crucial, “The laminate category will continue to evolve in meeting the needs of the consumer and retailer. There is a lot of momentum for new innovations coming in the category that I expect to continue.”

The road ahead

The outlook for laminate is one of cautious optimism, underscored by a consensus that the coming years will be defined by steady, incremental gains rather than explosive growth. As retail sales associates (RSAs) rebuild confidence and consumers become more aware of laminate’s improved technology and value, the category is poised to gradually regain share.

Stepp envisions 2026 as a breakout year, “2025 will close out seeing laminate still, I think, on that upward trajectory. Some key accounts think 2026 is going to be the year laminate becomes a much larger percentage of their overall business.”

Hammel also looks ahead optimistically, “That consumers and retailers continue to see the unique value of the category.” His bold five-year prediction: “The laminate category will continue to evolve in meeting the needs of the consumer and retailer. There is a lot of momentum for new innovations coming in the category that I expect to continue.”

Still, Brown offers a pragmatic reality check: “If the market breaks free and we start to catch up on houses, it’s going to be amazing for all of us. If that doesn’t happen, it’s going to be tough sledding.”

Ultimately, laminate’s next chapter hinges on effective storytelling and education, making sure RSAs and consumers alike see laminate as a durable, realistic and increasingly water-resistant wood-based flooring option that stands out in a crowded LVT market.”