Mohawk To Feature Aggressive Hardwood Rollout

Dalton, GA, June 5, 2008--Mohawk is ramping up its most aggressive hardwood rollout ever on the heels of its purchase of Columbia Wood Flooring last year. (See today's interview on FloorDaily.)

Since the acquisition, Mohawk has put more than $10 million into capital investments to improve quality and performance and overall has spent more than $150 million to become a major hardwood supplier.

Mohawk said it will roll out over 150 SKUs this year in four collections. The company has also debuted a new installation system, and a variety of support materials for the new hardwood line.

The engineered products in Mohawk’s wood introduction also feature a new glueless installation system based on Unilin’s Uniclic technology, a popular system for laminate installation. The coreboard is also formaldehyde free.

“Think what happens when your hardwood installations are as simple as installing laminate,” said Ben McNabb, Mohawk hard surface brand manager.

“Installations speed up, reducing labor costs. There’s no glue to clean up, so your crews finish the job easier. And you also open up hardwood sales possibilities for DIY customers who like the laminate installation method but want real wood.”

McNabb said that the Uniclic system hardwood can either be floated or glued down. “That gives you even more options, and can reduce floor preparation time as well.”

McNabb said that the trans-formation of Mohawk’s wood lineup is similar to the comprehensive update the company undertook for its laminate lineup in 2007. In January, the first four new hardwood products became available.

“Five years ago, Mohawk surprised many people in the industry when we won Dealer’s Choice awards for our hardwood—something very few people expected for a company really just entering the business,” McNabb said.

“But dealers understand we were serious about building the industry’s best hardwood line. Now we’re in a position to make a huge leap forward—and dealers will be seeing benefits quickly.”

The company will also have a major consumer ad campaign with over 4000 television spots starting in September.

The new lines include Lineage, a collection of domestic oaks; Revival, a premium collection of domestic exotic woods; Rarity, a collection of imported exotics, both solid and engineered; and Artiquity, hand scraped, reclaimed, and distressed styles.