With summer days delightfully long and invitations to pool parties pouring in, more homeowners put their focus on making a splash with outdoor spaces. Independent flooring retailers have a major opportunity to expand market share by adding collections intended for the outdoors—including tile, stone and decking. In fact, demand for hardscape products are projected to rise 7.3% per year through 2019 reaching $2.9 billion, according to MSI, the surfacing products supplier based in Orange, Calif.
Homeowners’ movement to the outdoors isn’t a new one. Faith Popcorn, futurist and author, first coined the term “cocooning” in 1981, referring to the impulse to stay inside one’s home, insulated from danger. Post 9/11, this trend strengthened with people focusing more on their homes and a drive towards larger homes or “McMansions”.