Mohawk Carpet Introductions Strengthen Line in all

Dalton, GA, January 4, 2006--Mohawk’s carpet introductions for 2006 cover a broad spectrum. There are introductions designed to fit niches in value, luxury, and specialty applications. And according to company executives, Mohawk continues to push its emphasis on innovation. “Last year, we introduced SmartStrand fiber made with DuPont Sorona polymer,” said Ed Williams, senior vice president of marketing. “That’s the biggest fiber innovation of the last 20 years. This year, we’re rolling out new soft SmartStrand products, plus new ideas in LCL styles, soft olefins, and merchandising for our Wunda Weve brand. It’s an ambitious program, and one where dealers can immediately see benefits.” Mohawk’s new alliance with Wear-Dated and Scotchgard Protector is also a key new development. This alliance will impact more than 80 products in the Mohawk Soft Surface line. Scotchgard’s new Advanced Repel Technology for carpet provides the ultimate in stain and soil resistance, durability of protection, and enhanced repellency. “There are three important advantages to this alliance,” said Williams. “Innovation is the first. Scotchgard Advanced Repel Technology is two years in development, and only Mohawk has it. Branding is the second advantage, because this ties together three of the top five brands in floorcovering. And consumer benefit is the third, because there is real, measurable consumer value added to our products.” Aladdin by Mohawk gets 40 new products for 2006. In the Home and Office Collection, Power Mix, In-Line, Cross Grid, Fragments, and Cloisonne II are all nylon loop graphics. Scholarship Prisms is a fresh tweed look, as is Tuitions Prisms. Traction, Executive Row, Basket Block and Pixels are all SDN enhanced graphic loop products. All are made from 100% Mohawk ColorStrand nylon with Mohawk Protection Plus, and are ideal for applications including office, institutional, retail, hospitality, and residential. In Fashion Avenue, Simply Awesome III, Simply Natural, and Simply Stylish are opening price point berber loops made from Mohawk PermaStrand continuous filament olefin. Dealers can step up consumers to Calliope II and Hamilton Terrace patterned loop berbers in an Olefin/Nylon blend. Cottage Charm is another patterned berber loop that provides another step up, with an olefin/nylon blend. Room by Room gets 14 new products. Defined Choice, Defined Selection, and Defined Style offer a good/better/best series in cut pile textures from Mohawk UltraStrand nylon, as do Bold Attitude, Bold Fascination, and Bold Possibilities. These provide exceptional hand, crispness and clarity. Mystic Seaport, Newport Harbour, and Plymouth Coast are a good/better/best series in PET polyester cut pile from Mohawk EverStrand fiber. The Kid Proof collection introduces five products, King’s Throne, Royal Scepter, Enchanted Castle, Princess Palace, and Queen’s Court, all from Mohawk EverStrand filament PET polyester. The PET products from these collections also feature the new Scotchgard Protector Advanced Repel Technology. These provide style, durability, and value, and appeal to kids with great color selections. There are also two BCF Polyester cut piles, Cimarron and Baywatch, along with Pacifica, a cut pile frieze, and Rockport Bay, a cut pile berber frieze in Stainmaster BCF nylon. This yarn system is exclusive to Aladdin. Horizon by Mohawk is enhanced with 33 new products. An all-new offering for 2006 is a new collection of soft olefins featuring six solid color patterns, five two-tone patterns, and one multicolor pattern. Made from Mohawk’s PermaStrand XS with Scotchgard Protector, these products provide a remarkably soft hand, exceptional value, and fresh looks. They also feature Mohawk’s new Optiback, a new backing technology that has increased moisture, traffic, and wear resistance and makes both solid and pattern carpets more resistant to crushing.