February 5/12, 2018: Volume 33, Issue 17
By Reginald Tucker
Water, water everywhere. Some of the laminate booth spaces at Surfaces this year looked more like aquariums than traditional room vignettes with all the fish tanks and waterfalls touting the products’ enhanced water-resistant or waterproof capabilities. It’s a trend that manufacturers are looking to leverage. Case in point is Mohawk, which has revamped the way it is marketing its family of laminate brands, including Quick-Step (see feature story on page 14). The focus on waterproof/resistance capabilities, some suppliers say, reflects the product’s evolution in recent years.
“We’re relaunching our laminate lines under RevWoods—short for revolutionary wood flooring—with All Pet Protection, meaning our technology keeps the water on top of the surface without seeping through,” said Angela Duke, senior brand manager, hard surface. “I’ve walked the show and seen a lot of push for water resistance. The difference with our product is we’re calling it waterproof. And what makes ours waterproof is three technologies: beveled edge plus the Uniclic locking system and a HydroSseal on top. There are three technologies working together. It’s the same technology featured on Quick-Step NatureTEK laminate.”
Mannington is also playing up the category’s water-resistant attributes via its SpillShield technology. Featured on its signature Restoration collection, the innovation aims to address everyday spills, wear and tear—not catastrophic events such as floods. “What we talk about are the real-life things that happen in the home,” said Dan Natkin, vice president, hardwood and laminate. “The industry has made a complete, blown-out-of-proportion claim. The industry has gone to a single-attribute selling: fill this hall with water right now and no flooring will be damaged. If you have a traumatic flooring event in your house, the flooring is going to get replaced no matter what. In most states that’s the law.”
SpillShield, which was recently recognized as being one of the 30 most innovative products that can be used in the kitchen and bathroom, comes with a 72-hour guarantee that standing water won’t damage the floor. “We designed our products to withstand the everyday accidents—water from the ice maker, dog water bowl, spilled milk, etc.,” Natkin said. “We’ve developed technology to resist all that and we’ve put a warranty behind it. In one year we’ve had one claim—and that’s millions and millions of square feet.”
For Mannington, it’s not just about repelling water. “We focus on all the performance attributes, not just moisture protection—indentation resistance,” Natkin said.
Other suppliers are also investing in technologies to bolster the category’s resistance to moisture and water damage. CFL, which introduced its AtroGuard water-resistant laminate line several years ago, believes the technology has come a long way. “It’s not 100% waterproof, but it has advantages the resilient category doesn’t have,” said Thomas Baert, president. “It’s also good for bathrooms, kitchens, etc., meaning homeowners can wet-mop it. It has been proven on the market now for more than three years, and is one of our best sellers.”
Design enhancements
Laminate suppliers are not only making strides in terms of performance. They are also improving visuals, especially with respect to replicating natural materials such as wood.
Inhaus took the wraps off its Classic Estate collection, which features traditional, open-grained flooring patterns derived from real wood recovered from historic barns located in rural Pennsylvania. According to Derek Welbourn, CEO, “Inhaus designers sought out and salvaged these unique timbers and created a collection with distinctive character and subtle beauty that only time and history can create.” Other noteworthy additions to the line include Eden, a classic European oak wide plank look; Fruitvale, which features knots and worm holes; and Parkwood, a dark stain plank with bamboo-like graining.
Mannington launched three new products to its Restoration collection: palace plank and palace chevron, which play on popular shapes like herringbone seen in hardwood. “What’s cool about these patterns is you can do a chevron in one area of the house, come in with a plank in another area for a customized effect,” Natkin explained.
RevWoods launched in three new styles reflecting the popular wider/longer trend. “We’re duplicating some of the same looks we’re showing on the hardwood side,” Duke explained. “The trend toward wider and longer is still strong, as new homes feature open spaces.”
Although Quick-Step features the same underlying construction, the designs and patterns will differ from the Mohawk brand. “With Quick-Step being in the Mohawk family, we wanted to simplify the process,” Duke explained. “In the past we’ve gone with two different brands and different technologies and people were confused by that. Now we’re going to market and saying we have the same technology, just different brands. And that ties in the Quick-Step brand with the Mohawk brand. However, the brands will be differentiated by design. Mohawk will be targeted toward the higher end consumer.”
Swiss Krono also display its expertise in the category, drawing on the company’s manufacturing capabilities and strengths in all facets of laminate production. “We’re making investments in designs, textures and moisture-resistant products,” said Travis Bass, executive vice president. “We are also adding higher value product manufacturing capacity to reflect the shift in consumer demand.”
Not to be outdone, Uniboard displayed its expertise in the laminate flooring category with 16 new styles and designs. This is much to the delight of distributor partners like Stephane Leveille, president, Tapis Beaver, “We sold about $1 million or more worth of product. The quality are the visuals are very good.”
