Along with spring comes the anticipation of longer days and higher sales volume. Better weather should bring people out of their homes and into flooring showrooms to update the floor they stared at all winter long, and resilient is positioned to capture some of that market. With attractive price points, green stories, comfort underfoot and ease of installation, that reality looks more promising than ever before.
Armstrong
Luxe Plank is the new floating LVT with convincing wood visuals, water resistance and pressure-sensitive adhesives. Lynx installation technology allows for correcting applications with- out breaking the bonds of the floor, as it seals to surrounding planks rather than the floor beneath it. Installation is quick and painless over almost any surface. Available in a good-better-best system, it retails from $3.50 to $6 per square foot.
The largest supplier of hard surface products also commends its CushionStep fiberglass backed sheet vinyl, anticipating the completion of a $25 million investment in its Lancaster, Pa., facility to process fiberglass. Scheduled to open in early summer, Armstrong claims it will be the most technologically advanced plant of its kind in the world.
“Our supply chain will be shorter, allowing us to respond more quickly to customer requests,” said Allen Cubell, vice president, residential. It will also facilitate greater product development, and several new items are currently in the works for later this year.
Earthwerks
New for spring is the Legacy collection, a 48-inch-long, 5- inch-wide vinyl plank. Beveled edges, a 4mil aluminum oxide shield for optimal wear and a lifetime residential limited warranty are available in six designs and an array of colors.
“The Legacy collection meets the needs of any residential or commercial décor,” said Amy Sadler, national sales manager. “We are particularly excited about how we captured the exotic wood looks and are confident it will be an instant hit in the marketplace.”
In LVT, the mill released Impressions, an 18 x 18 tile with subtle metallic finishing and heavy texturing for tone-on-tone matching. “We’ve designed the patterns and six colors to work together so they can be mixed to create floor designs for commercial and residential applications,” said Don Evans, vice president, marketing and sales. The line comes with a 20- year residential and 10-year commercial warranty.
IVC
Under the Global brand is the all-new Moduleo, the manufac- turer’s LVT. At 80 gauge, it has a 12mil wearlayer on 10 wood
looks in 6 x 36 planks, and 10 stone looks in 16 x 16 and 12 x 24 tiles. There is also the option to use faux grouting strips to achieve a more authentic tile look.
“Moduleo Global is a new generation of floor covering that brings the best in technology and creativity to inspire and trans- form her home,” said Stefaan Debusschere, vice president of sales and marketing.
Performance is back by a 10-year warranty and no use of harmful solvents or heavy metals. Manufac-
tured using as little energy as possible, Moduleo is fully recyclable, heat insular and easy to clean.
Mannington
The mill has two new releases, Sobella Omni HD and Adura LVT. Sobella is a fiberglass- backed sheet vinyl with visual imitations 200 times sharper in deeper, richer colors than prior capabilities, Mannington claims. In seven patterns, 30 SKUs, its thickness makes it very comfortable underfoot, said Paul Mixon, manager of resilient business.
“When you combine the power of a breakthrough product like Sobella Omni HD with Mannington’s strong distribution network, there’s no way you can lose. We anticipate great things this year.”
Adura is Mannington’s fash- ion-forward LVT. Provence is the industry’s first variable width plank in 3-, 41⁄2- and 6- inch widths, available in one box. In three colorways, it cap- tures wood visuals like knots and texturing.
For tile are three new looks: Grand Canyon, Athena and Metropolis. Grand Canyon is a traditional slate visual in 16 x 16 tiles with a tumbled edge in four colors; Athena is a 16 x 16 tile with rounded edges in five col- ors, and Metropolis combines metal, stone and concrete looks with a patina texture for a con- temporary, modern look.
Metroflor
Metroflor enters the season with the all-new Hybrid collection. A true blend of materials, the line fuses wood, laminate and resilient flooring for high performance and exceptional value. Quiet, warm and comfortable underfoot, it features easy maintenance with no adhesives and no wax, said Michael Raskin, president. Available in two wearlayers, the 12mil comes in eight colors with a micro-bevel, a 25-year residential and 10-year limited commercial warranty. The 20mil product has six colors with a 25-year residential and 7-year limited commercial warranty.
Released under the Konecto brand was the Tekstone collection, high performance, floating, locking tiles with a ceramic bead finish. No glue required yields a clean installation and a simple grouting step to finish. The 16 x 16 tiles are flexible, water resistant and come in 14 colors and a 12mil wearlayer provides a 25 year residential and 8-year limited commercial warranty.
Spectrum Imports
The first of three new products is Texline, a textile-backed sheet vinyl product. Made from 90% PET, it is perfect for uneven subfloors by absorbing imperfections and preventing telegraphing. An added bonus is the mold- and mildew-resistant waterproof layer just above the polyester textile base. According to Glenn Gardner, president and CEO, added benefits are quick and easy installation, durability, comfort, insulation and easy maintenance.
The company also has two new fiberglass-backed products: Dolce Vita and Advantage. The former is a 3.5mil extra thick sheet in a 13 x 2 dimension, offers additional softness under foot and in current colors and styles, it hits a different value range. The latter is a 2.2mil at an entry price point, available in 13 x 2, and 12 feet for roll sales.
“This is a huge product because it hits such sensitive price points,” Gardner said, adding the supplier has had to order seven more SKUs to sup- plement the original five due to its popularity.
-Emily Hooper