NWFA Expo 2008 - May 2008

By Brian Hamilton

This year’s National Wood Flooring Association Education Conference and Wood Flooring Expo in March, held in Ft. Lauderdale, was missing several of the largest hardwood flooring players but there were still plenty of products on display from both midsize and small hardwood producers, as well as from dozens of suppliers of adhesives, equipment and specialty products.

However, anyone who attended Surfaces in January didn’t see much new from the manufacturers who displayed at both shows. It was the chance for hardwood enthusiasts to see the very small true niche companies, such as specialists in reclaimed wood, who take wood out of old textile mills, barns, factories, and even lake bottoms.

Missing in action among the major players were Armstrong,, Mohawk, Shaw, and Mannington. However, Mohawk’s specialty brand Century Hardwoods had a booth. Likewise, Shaw wasn’t there but Anderson, the firm it purchased last year, also had a display. That left Mullican as the giant on the floor, both in terms of annual sales and the size of its display compared to other wood producers.

Although the NWFA was holding its breath, attendance was only down about 2% from last year to 3,411, due, no doubt, to the down domestic housing market, especially the homebuilding industry. However, the number of exhibitors, at 577, was 12 more than last year’s record, and 304 companies were represented. Overall, given the soft market for flooring, the association was pleased with those numbers.

One point of emphasis for this year’s convention was educational programming in selling products overseas, especially in China, where demographics and economic growth are leading to huge opportunities for manufacturers. Incomes are on the rise, and more Chinese are buying their own homes. In addition, the Chinese economy is booming. However, it can be tricky gaining access to the Chinese market.

There were also educational sessions about the environmental properties of wood and how they can affect green projects, with explanations of both the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program of the U.S. Green Building Council, and Green Globes, an online method to evaluate the green properties of materials in a project. The NWFA recently had a lifecycle assessment completed on solid hardwood flooring, and another assessment is underway for engineered wood.

The NWFA show is less about writing business than networking with distributors and others in the industry. One exhibitor described it as “a big family reunion” for the hardwood flooring industry. The show appeals to hardwood specialists—because it’s all about wood—rather than the multiproduct-line players like Armstrong, Mannington or Shaw that have a broader product focus.

Colors for new flooring were trending darker, in one case all the way to black. But there were plenty of dark browns and burnt reds on display. One highlight from a technical perspective was Anderson’s engineered fumed cherry, a darkening process that uses heat—no chemicals—to create a completely color saturated top layer called Permacolor. Although Permacolor is not new technology for Anderson, the fumed cherry was a new species, and it was stunning on the display floor.

One of the most interesting new products was from Osh Kosh Design, a specialist in intricate wood medallions. It was featuring square, glue-down hardwood frames, in which the interior space is used for 12” tile or even genuine leather to create a unique hybrid floor.

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