LVT Report 2024: The biggest piece of the pie, rigid LVT, continues to evolve – Feb 2024

By Darius Helm

The rigid core category is in the midst of its most significant transformation since it was first introduced to the market 11 years ago. In terms of flooring sold in the U.S. market, seismic shifts in Asian manufacturing partnerships have channeled volume from China to neighbors like Vietnam, Cambodia and South Korea. And in terms of the product itself, the commoditization of SPC has created a secondary trend elevating better goods, new technologies are also adding value, and perhaps most significantly, hybrid and PVC-free products are popping up everywhere, using all sorts of materials and chemistries.

MARKET OVERVIEW
According to Market Insights LLC, the U.S. LVT market contracted by about 10% last year to a preliminary estimate of $5.8 billion (of mill sell)-final estimates for the category will be published in the May issue of Floor Focus. Imports were down 33% in dollars and 10% in volume. China remains the top exporter of all types of LVT to the U.S. market, residential and commercial, with a 58% share, and Vietnam is second at 22%. Other significant exporters are, in order, South Korea, Mexico (largely due to Mohawk’s new Mexicali facility), Taiwan, Thailand, India and Cambodia.

Most manufacturers report that builder and multifamily sectors were strong for LVT last year, bucking the market as the category continues to take share from hardwood, but multifamily started to taper off toward the end of the year. The weakest segment was residential remodel. Commercial business kept up a healthy pace, and that has continued into 2024, though there are concerns about a slowdown later this year. However, the residential market is poised to strengthen around the same time, assuming no unforeseen and unexpected events.

That being said, just about the only thing that has been reliable in the last few years is the emergence of unexpected events-Covid and its impact on the economy and inflation, war in Ukraine, war in the Middle East, political havoc on the home front, unanticipated weather events…and next, who knows?

“In the current market landscape, several factors have introduced uncertainty,” says Tom Van Poyer, CEO of CFL. “Geo-political tensions, such as conflicts in the Middle East and fluctuations related to the Panama Canal, have impacted the market. Additionally, the upcoming presidential elections, in the U.S. but many other countries as well in 2024, and ongoing challenges with inflation will likely continue to contribute to this uncertainty.”

It is a troubling fact that both of the global shipping canals, Suez and Panama, are facing major obstacles. The Suez Canal has seen reduced shipping volumes due to the dangers of navigating the Red Sea because of Houthi aggression. And the Panama Canal is suffering a severe drought, reducing crossings by over a third.

The vast majority of imported LVT doesn’t use these canals. Most of the LVT imported from Asia crosses the Pacific to California ports, with the exception of Asian products destined for East Coast ports like Savannah, Georgia, which must pass through the Panama Canal, or the growing volume of products coming from India, which navigate through the Suez Canal. But the real impact is container costs, which had normalized following the huge increases during Covid, and now they’re going up again, maybe not doubling or tripling, but going up by $2,000 to $3,000 in recent months, according to Russ Rogg, president of HMTX’s Metroflor.

“When you have a major thoroughfare being completely disrupted,” explains Yon Hinkle, AHF’s vice president of product management for resilient, “it impacts everybody…how many containers are available, the cost.”

Van Poyer adds, “Fluctuations in shipping costs are likely to continue, affecting the overall cost structure of products. It’s essential to monitor and adjust to these cost dynamics.”

The Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act (UFLPA), which was signed into law just over two years ago, continues to disrupt supply of LVT from Asia to the U.S. market. Customs enforcement at U.S. ports has significantly impacted imports for many U.S. firms, including most of the market leaders, forcing them to scramble to find alternative sources. And this has, in turn, led to the creation of new partnerships, mostly in Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, Thailand, and more recently, India.

UFLPA could also be responsible for some of these new PVC-free products coming into the market. Referencing a proliferation of PVC-free choices coming out of Asia in the second half of last year, David Sheehan, Mannington’s senior vice president of residential marketing and product, says, “There are Asian suppliers saying that the way the law is written focuses on PVC products, so they’ll get around it by going PVC-free.”

Van Poyer notes, “Striking a balance between local and Asian supply sources is becoming increasingly crucial. It’s not merely a matter of nationalism but a strategic move to ensure stability and mitigate risks associated with overreliance on a single source or geography.”

Steve Ehrlich, vice president of sales and marketing for Novalis, notes, “The more [container] rates go up, the better it is for production in Mexico and the U.S.” And the same can be said for the impacts of UFLPA and other global challenges. All of these barriers to international trade can potentially drive the demand for domestic products.

When it comes to domestic production of rigid core, which is much more automated than Asian production models, the products don’t tend to have all the bells and whistles of the more advanced Chinese producers, but they make up for it in quality control, faster service and steadier supply. They tend to be priced higher than entry-level, imported SPC and lower than the top-tier Asian imports. Higher PVC raw material prices out of Texas are one factor.

Looking ahead, opportunities look strong in both the residential and commercial markets, says Bill Blackstock, president and CEO of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute. On the commercial side, which is mostly flex LVT, he anticipates steadiness in the institutional markets throughout 2024, noting, “Resilient usage in institutions has been strong and will continue to gain marketshare.” And in terms of the corporate sector, he adds, “I believe the strength of resilient in home offices during Covid will further strengthen resilient in real offices.” He also points to hospitality as a market segment that is rapidly adopting LVT.

And on the residential side, he notes that, even though 2024 may be sluggish, another major renovation wave could come in 2025 and 2026. And he says, “One other factor to consider is those who are currently sitting on low-interest mortgages who have money. The longer they sit, the higher the odds that they will renovate.”

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTS
While China has traditionally been the source for higher quality LVT products, in the last couple of years domestic rigid LVT producers have been stepping up their game, investing in cutting-edge technologies like Hymmen’s digital direct printing and embossing machinery. Engineered Floors is already producing rigid LVT using Hymmen, and CFL isn’t far behind. HMTX also has the technology, though its using it on its PVC-free products made in China, at least for now. And because it’s direct printing, Hymmen technology obviates the need for a vinyl cap on the rigid core, reducing material use and carbon footprints.

The other big trend has been the use of new materials and constructions, including magnesium oxide replacing vinyl in rigid cores, the introduction of polyurethanes and other polymers to replace PVC, and even bio-based alternatives. “We are seeing growth in other polymers as our diverse overall offering continues to grow its now very wide bandwidth,” says Blackstock.

Many of the leading U.S. producers now offer some alternative to PVC-based rigid core flooring. Nevertheless, PVC-free flooring’s share of the U.S. market is still paltry, with barriers in terms of both price and performance. There’s currently much more demand on the commercial side, though it’s worth noting that, over the last decade, more commercial PVC-free products have flamed out than have flourished.

One of the firms leading the way is Germany’s Windmöller, which has been supplying U.S. and European markets with PVC-free products for several years-it’s been in the U.S. market for about a decade. Examples include Purline, sold by Matter Surfaces and Purpose Flooring with Spartan Surfaces, along with several other private label programs. Its bio-based polyurethane replaces petroleum-based polymers with castor oil. Its business is bigger in Europe, but the U.S. market offers greater opportunities for growth.

According to Tim Cole, director of sustainability and technical services, Windmöller has honed its polyurethane-based flooring over the years into a high-performance product and tests have shown it to outperform typical 20 mil LVT products. And in terms of sustainability, Cole says, “The only resilient flooring product with a lower carbon footprint than our polyurethane products is linoleum, but it can’t give you all the looks.”

Another significant trend is the development of hybrid products, generally a hybrid of LVT and laminate, and these are also largely PVC-free. The products are thinner than laminate boards, sometimes using modified high-density fiberboard, like AHF and Mohawk, and sometimes using unique proprietary formulations.

Germany’s Classen, for instance, just won a sustainability award at last month’s Domotex expo for its Ceramin PVC-free flooring, made of recycled polypropylene and abundant minerals. According to Moritz Menier, CEO for Classen Americas, its European laminate facility is the largest in the world, with a capacity of about 800 million square feet and its Ceramin facility has a capacity of 200 million square feet. Classen serves the U.S. market through its Inhaus brand, whose Sono line has used Ceramin technology for several years.

Another product trend worth keeping an eye on is the balance between SPC and WPC. Rogg notes, “The last five years saw a rapid shift toward SPC, based mostly on price, and WPC declined while SPC rose. But now there’s a resurgence of interest in WPC, and a big part of our launch plans this year surround WPC.”

The consensus is that product failures from low-end SPC are driving renewed interest in WPC, which is a thicker product with a foamed core that offeres enhanced insulation, warmth and sound abatement. “We’re seeing a fair number of retailers that have had bad experiences with entry-level SPC,” says Sheehan. “Some are going back to WPC because of that.” Many of the leading firms, including Shaw, Mannington and HMTX, are focusing heavily on their WPC offerings.

PRODUCER UPDATES
Shaw Industries has a particular position of prominence in the rigid LVT arena, since its portfolio includes Coretec, the first rigid LVT flooring brand, originally introduced to the U.S. market at Surfaces 2013. Since then, the firm has vastly expanded its offering (in both the Coretec and Floorté brands) from the original cork-backed WPC into a range of WPC and SPC constructions, along with PVC-free magnesium-core products.

At the firm’s Ringgold, Georgia facility, which has been augmented through $160 million worth of investment since 2019, the firm makes SPC and flex LVT. WPC is sourced from Asia.

Josh Martenn, vice president of hard surface products and TotalWorx, expects that SPC will continue to grow faster than WPC. “There is significantly more volume, capacity and momentum in the market with SPC,” he says. “However, both SPC and WPC provide distinct benefits and solutions tailored to customers’ preferences and needs.”

Martenn anticipates a sluggish market for the first half of this year, largely due to not just impacts from housing affordability and elevated interest rates, including low turnover, but also geopolitical uncertainties.

On the commercial side, the firm’s resilient tile offering includes rigid and flexible LVT, along with some bio-based and PVC-free products. In 2022, the Shaw Contract and Patcraft brands introduced Rigid Mineral Core, a PVC-free construction with a core of wood fiber, magnesium oxide and magnesium sulfate. And last year, the brands introduced bio-based products made in Germany in both sheet and tile formats. Martenn says, “These PVC-free products perform in high-demand environments, including healthcare settings where they can stand up against most medical stains,” adding that they don’t require a finish, waxing, buffing or stripping to perform, and can be cleaned with bleach.

Shaw sees demand for these products not just in healthcare but also in K-12, higher education and some corporate applications.

Shaw has also formed a partnership with the Classen Group, an innovative German hard surface producer, to distribute its new commercial products in North America and Australia. The PVC-free products feature Classen’s Ceramin technology, a fusion of polypropylene and ceramic powders, introduced to the U.S. residential market seven years ago under the Sono line of Classen’s Inhaus.

Another market leader is Mannington, which manufactures WPC and gluedown flex LVT in its domestic facilities and it sources SPC. Its Adura Selling System offers all styles across the three constructions at a range of price points, and this has kept flex LVT relevant in the residential market. Many domestic players shifted their residential flex LVT offerings to rigid over the last decade, leaving Mannington with the largest share of the residential flex market.

As is the case with many manufacturers, the enforcement of UFLPA at U.S. ports has been a major challenge for Mannington, leaving gaps in its Adura offering-at one point it didn’t have access to 60% of its product line. It leaned heavily on its domestic offering, with its WPC growing by strong double digits despite the market contraction last year.

According to David Sheehan, the big news at Mannington this last year has been the retooling of its supply chain. Having evaluated the ramifying reach of UFLPA and concluded that there were too many hurdles, some nonsensical, the firm painstakingly diversified its supply chain, reestablishing its visuals with alternative and new suppliers. “We’ve redone our supply chain so that those products will be back in stock,” says Sheehan. “We’re glad to get our full portfolio back.”

The firm now uses Sayari, a counterparty and supply chain risk intelligence provider, in order to establish and maintain clean supply chains. U.S. Customs uses the same system. And real-time monitoring automatically alerts Mannington about any red flags. The firm has also shifted financial obligations to its suppliers as another layer of protection, and Sheehan reports that its manufacturing partners readily accepted the terms in order to secure their business.

At last month’s Surfaces show, Mannington unveiled NatureForm Glaze, a new surface technology for Adura LVT tile and stone looks, featuring multiple gloss levels for an ultrarealistic look. The technology debuted on two visuals in Adura Max WPC and Adura Rigid SPC. Also new this year are stair treads that match all of its wood visuals.

One of the most talked about innovations in the LVT arena in recent years has been digital direct print and embossing. One of the leading suppliers of the production lines that produce this technology is Hymmen, a German firm. Engineered Floors is the first firm to domestically manufacture SPC using Hymmen technology. The SPC facility, which is located across the lot from the firm’s headquarters, started running samples in November of last year and is now taking orders.

All of the EF’s LVT manufactured in Dalton, Georgia features Hymmen surface technology. Currently, it’s running 5mm PureGrain DLVT (4mm with a 1mm backing), a premium product with a 35-board repeat, though it is capable of doing a range of thicknesses. The four designs introduced at Surfaces last month are all wood looks.

Engineered Floors will continue to source SPC from Asia, particularly for lower end products, and it has plenty of room to add capacity at the Dalton facility, should conditions require it. The firm currently sources from South Korea, Vietnam and China, having worked through UFLPA issues.

According to COO James Lesslie, most signs point to the single-family builder market leading residential business this year. And while multifamily is poised to be slower in new construction, relay business (apartment turns) could be strong in the second half of the year. Residential remodel will likely be slow for at least the first half of this year.

On the commercial side, the firm offers flex LVT, including some looselay-capable 5mm product. Commercial business was strong last year and looks good so far, though some indicators point to a slowdown late this year.

Another player using Hymmen technology is CFL, which is currently installing the machinery at its Calhoun, Georgia facility. Late last year, the firm, the world’s largest SPC producer, announced plans for a further $151 million investment in its Calhoun campus and its massive 700,000-square-foot facility, and it is also expanding its manufacturing capabilities at its Vietnam facility.

At last month’s Domotex expo in Germany, CFL received a Green Collection award for its Tenacity product, which was first introduced in 2019. The PVC-free Eco-Composite Flooring, which is a commercial product, has no polymer content, relying instead on minerals, wood materials and a cork back. The firm also offers dryback LVT for the commercial market.

However, CFL’s main focus is the residential market, which it supplies with a range of SPC products, which will soon include direct digital printing and embossing via Hymmen. The bulk of the firm’s SPC currently comes from its manufacturing operations in China and Vietnam. In addition to SPC, dryback LVT and Tenacity, the firm offers WPC products and acoustical flooring like Novocore Q, along with Be-Lite, a thermoformed SPC that uses 20% less raw material.

The third firm that has invested in Hymmen technology is HMTX. The Norwalk, Connecticut-headquartered firm goes to the residential and commercial markets through various brands, including Metroflor, Halstead, and HMTX Commercial (Teknoflor and Aspecta) with a range of resilient products. On the commercial side, most of its resilient tile is flex LVT, and on the residential side, it offers WPC, SPC and gluedown flex LVT. Its Hymmen equipment has been installed in the facility of one of its large, long-term manufacturing partners, the same facility that has started to make the firm’s PVC-free offering, called TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane). The product includes recycled PET content and is fully recyclable in a single polymer construction, except for the backing, which is currently made of IXPE (polyethylene).

For now, Hymmen’s digital direct print and embossing will only be on TPU commercial flooring, with the premium-priced products slated to start rolling out imminently. According to HMTX’s Rogg, Metroflor will likely follow with a residential line. HMTX is currently researching equipment for TPU recovery and recycling, hoping to set up a recycling center in Calhoun, Georgia to pelletize recaptured product for reuse.

Rogg reports that WPC, which is sold by the Halstead (home center) and Metroflor brands, has been faring better after years of losing share to SPC, in part because of issues with commodity-level SPC, so the firm has expanded its WPC offering this year with more SKUs than in SPC, including embossed-in-register products.

The firm also produced WPC domestically from its Pittston, Pennsylvania facility, serving Home Depot. Most of Metroflor’s SPC comes from Cambodia, and this year it will also introduce some SPC and WPC from Vietnam. Flex LVT comes from South Korea and China.

In recent years, Mohawk Industries, the largest floorcovering manufacturer in the world, has invested in North American rigid LVT capacity, starting with its Dalton facility, which has been making product for about four years, and then a couple of years ago, it started up a facility in Mexicali, Mexico.

All of its rigid products are SPC and the bulk of its business is in the 4mm to 6mm range, though it does offer entry-level products as thin as 3.5mm. Currently, the firm is looking at new lighter, less dense SPCs that still maintain performance levels, according to Adam Ward, the firm’s vice president of resilient flooring.

Last year, the firm came out with a hybrid hard surface flooring product that is offered as a PVC-free alternative to SPC and WPC. Made at the firm’s Thomasville, North Carolina laminate facility, PureTech is composed of 70% total recycled content, and 80% of its core is a high-density renewable “plant-based material.” According to the firm, the product offers a lifetime surface and subfloor waterproof warranty (WetProtect) and is three times more scratch resistant than typical rigid LVT products, affording surface protection more akin to melamine-topped laminate flooring.

The other big news in Mohawk’s residential resilient offering is the introduction of Signature technology, which the firm debuted on its RevWood Premier laminate line two years ago. Signature is a high-definition emboss and color roller technology, using 64 layers of surface data from wood samples and up to 1,000 colors to create the in-register surface design. The technology will launch on SolidTech Premier SPC in March.

On the commercial side, Mohawk Group offers flex and rigid LVT. Most of the business is in flex, both gluedown and looselay. Traditional gluedown LVT dominates because it is the most robust solution, and it’s essential where there are concerns about compression or heavy rolling loads, but thicker looselay products-which, despite the name, are generally installed with full-spread adhesive or are at minimum perimeter-glued-are in demand, particularly for transition-less installations with carpet tile. Mohawk’s looselay LVT mostly comes from South Korea, along with a smaller volume from China.

Mohawk Group also offers higher-end rigid LVT in wood and stone looks. According to the firm, the glueless product is finding traction in a range of applications, including where acoustic mitigation is required.

One new firm focused on the rigid LVT market is IFC, International Flooring Company, whose leaders come from the first family of rigid LVT-president and CEO is Julian Dossche, formerly with Huali; brother William Dossche runs operations; and Piet Dossche, father of Julian and William and of the rigid flooring category itself, is chairman of the board.

The Dalton, Georgia-headquartered firm, which launched in November 2022, serves the residential remodel market with its middle to high-end Canopy brand of rigid LVT. The firm goes direct to retail with this brand, focusing on a limited group of retailers in key locations that serve the brand’s target demographics and afford IFC’s retail partners a level of exclusivity. According to Julian Dossche, the goal is to end up with about 2,000 retail partners within the next three years, and the firm is currently engaged in signing up Canopy dealers.

Currently, some products are sourced from Asian manufacturing partners, and some are produced domestically through Huali, like the Canyon Americas line. Canyon, IFC’s more affordable brand of SPC products that also goes through specialty retail, is priced above the commodity end of the market. Its most affordable products are Asian SPC, then domestic SPC. Canopy is made up of thicker, higher-end SPC and WPC. IFC also offers private label products, like the NFA’s Lasting Luxury series. While the Canyon brand is already selling in the market, Canopy officially launches in April.

For all things tech, IFC has partnered with Broadlume, which is helping the firm build out “a digital ecosystem for the retailer under the Canopy brand,” says Dossche.

While IFC is for now focused on rigid LVT, the firm has its sights set on the broader hard surface category and anticipates adding new flooring types in the near future.

Novalis, one of the leading LVT producers globally, offers flex LVT, SPC and WPC to the U.S. market. The bulk of its products come from its operations in China, where the firm is headquartered, but it also makes SPC in its facility in Dalton, Georgia and, in addition, became part owner of a Mexican SPC production facility last year. Novalis is among the precious few firms that fulfills all its LVT needs through its own production.

Current production levels in Dalton only account for a small portion of total flooring revenues, but as Ehrlich points out, “They can move fast.” Also, the firm is looking to increase capacity in Dalton.

Novalis serves the commercial market through its Ava brand with flex LVT, and on the residential side under the NovaFloor brand it offers WPC and SPC. In addition, Novalis has a substantial private label program.

Late last year, the firm adopted a new technology, FlinTile, through its licensing partner, Unilin. The technology enables Novalis to generate ceramic looks on glueless SPC with a groove between the products that is designed to be grouted with an epoxy grout specifically designed for LVT. The DIY-friendly construction allows for floors to be walked on within 24 hours. At last month’s Surface, Novalis unveiled products with the new construction as a Novalis Innovation collection, which is available to all its channels-residential retail, commercial and home center.

Interface is almost entirely focused on the commercial market with its carpet tile, rubber flooring and flex LVT offering. The firm added LVT to its portfolio in 2017, sourcing from a South Korean partner. Its LVT contains 39% recycled content, and since 2017 its carbon footprint has been reduced by about a quarter, and is certified carbon neutral, third-party verified by the Carbon Neutral Floors program.

“We’ve seen great success with our current sourcing strategy for LVT-our customers support this model and are pleased with our LVT products, and at this point, we have no plans to change our approach,” says Sajal Patel, Interface’s senior global director, product and innovation, adding that it had a record year for LVT in 2022, and though 2023 results are not yet available, LVT posted double digit gains in the third quarter of last year.

In terms of PVC-free resilient tile alternatives, while Interface doesn’t offer such an LVT replacement at this time, it directs interested customers to its rubber flooring line, which Patel points out is well suited to segments with demand for PVC-free, including healthcare, government and education.

Patel says, “Over time, we anticipate some portion of the resilient market will shift toward PVC-free-especially if there is legislative action taken on this topic.”

AHF Products, which got its start in the flooring business by puchasing Armstrong’s hardwood business in 2018, expanded into the resilient business in a big way with its purchase of Armstrong’s resilient assets two years ago. And last year it purchased Crossville, adding ceramic to its growing offering-hardwood in a range of constructions, sheet vinyl, self-stick vinyl tile (through home centers), VCT, flex LVT, SPC, ceramic tile and laminate. And later this year it will launch a WPC line.

While the firm has about 15 brands across the residential and commercial market, its SPC mostly goes through the residential Bruce and Armstrong brands, with a smaller volume in Hartco. While the firm manufactures a range of resilient products, including VCT, LVT and sheet goods, it sources its SPC program, mostly domestically but also out of Asia, primarily Cambodia. Its domestically made product is high performance, with a dense core and no need for acclimation, says AHF’s Hinkle.

In terms of PVC-free products for the residential market, AHF just came out with Ingenious Plank, a hybrid resilient product with enhanced indent and scratch resistance. The waterproof product, which is made in China, features a “wood-based encapsulated resin” core and melamine. According to Hinkle, unlike a lot of the PVC-free products out there that are priced at a premium, Ingenious Plank is more in line with typical rigid LVT price points.

MSI Surfaces, which has long been one of the largest specialty purveyors of ceramic tile and stone products, entered the LVT market in 2018 with sourced lines of both rigid and flex LVT products, and just over two years ago, the firm acquired an SPC facility in Cartersville, Georgia from RokPlank. The facility was recently expanded. Now the firm is adding to its portfolio with Hybrid Rigid Core (HRC), a PVC-free product.

“The construction is our own proprietary formulations with 100% waterproof technology-DryLuxe from MSI-and comes in the most popular 7”x48” plank sizes with extra-thick pre-attached comfort and acoustic pad,” says Sam Kim, MSI’s senior vice president, national product, adding that its CrystaLux Ultra surface offers 50% more scratch protection than a typical LVT product.

For the commercial market, MSI offers gluedown and looselay flex LVT, HRC, wood SPC and SPC, along with its vast offering of ceramic tiles.

Tarkett has been a powerhouse for resilient flooring for many years, on both the residential and commercial sides. In commercial, it’s best known for its Johnsonite brand of all things vinyl and rubber, as well as its Centiva LVT, since rebranded as Tandus Centiva, then, along with Johnsonite, rebranded as simply Tarkett. On the residential side, Tarkett has produced sheet goods and flex LVT for many years, and it single-handedly pioneered the shift from felt-backed to glass-backed sheet goods in the North American market in the early 2000s.

Tarkett’s residential offering includes gluedown flex LVT, both 12 mil and 20 mil-the 20 mil product has a strong position in the mainstreet market-and 5mm SPC (4mm product with a 1mm backing). Its SPC is mostly wood looks but also includes some stone and tile visuals, and last month, the firm added stone and tile looks to its flex products to round out the line. And it also added its first WPC last month, EverGen, an 8mm product (6.5mm+1.5mm IXPE backing) with a pressed bevel.

All of the firm’s residential products are sourced, mostly from Vietnam-previously it had sourced from China-with domestic capacity going to commercial product.

On the commercial side, Tarkett is launching a PVC-free plank and tile collection later this quarter. Collective Pursuit is a 2.5mm gluedown product in ten wood and stone looks.

HYBRIDS AND UPSELLING
The laminate-based rigid core hybrids hitting the market, which can be even more rigid than rigid core products like SPC and WPC, defy categorization. Resilient flooring is typically thought of as a sub-category of hard surface, polymer-based and flexible as opposed to rigid, leaving the non-resilient portion of the hard surface category to hardwood, ceramic tile and laminate. These hybrids, like Mohawk’s PureTech and AHF’s Ingenious Plank, straddle the two worlds, as much “waterproof” laminates as they are PVC-free rigid core flooring, essentially an upgrade, and an upsell, of each category-presenting a unique opportunity to RSAs.


Copyright 2024 Floor Focus 


Related Topics:Armstrong Flooring, Mohawk Industries, Novalis Innovative Flooring, Tarkett, RD Weis, Broadlume, HMTX, Metroflor Luxury Vinyl Tile, Mannington Mills, Shaw Industries Group, Inc., Crossville, Interface, Domotex, Engineered Floors, LLC, National Flooring Alliance (NFA), AHF Products