NORWALK, CONN.—Growth in rigid-core LVT for 2020 will remain in WPC and SPC product types, and the growth of these products will continue to impact other materials such as carpet, wood and laminate—and may also begin to have a greater impact on stone and ceramic tile.

“The recent exclusion of Chinese tariffs on certain resilient platforms is a clear and very important victory for the industry, retailers and, ultimately, the consumers who want to buy these products based on the value that these products deliver,” said Russ Rogg, president and CEO, Metroflor. “This should result in an unencumbered path towards growth in 2020 within the resilient category. Even with the tariffs, rigid-core products continued to grow in 2019, and without that penalty on new purchases, we definitely see volume increases on the horizon for 2020.”

In response, the company is launching new designs and formats during the first quarter of 2020, with a focus on its Genesis WPC and Inception SPC offerings.

“We see floating rigid varieties that offer the same look as the natural material, but with faster, less expensive installation methods, no cracking and warmth and comfort under foot,” Rogg said. “Growth for floating rigid LVT in the residential market will be strong in all sectors—multi-family and single-family, new and replacement.”

Within its Genesis line, Metroflor is expanding the 12-mil portfolio with more than 20 additions to the 1200XL series, which features planks that are 9” x 60” with painted accent bevels for added authenticity.

The company is also expanding its Inception line with planks in 12-mil and 20-mil in formats such as 7” x 48”, 9” x 60” and its first-ever multi-width configuration.

“These two collections, Genesis and Inception, represent the fastest-growing lines within our portfolio, and we continue to invest where the growth is most prolific,” Rogg added.

In addition, Rogg said he anticipates that the advent of the MagneBuild magnetic attachment technology will blossom in 2020.

“We applied it to our Metroflor LVT Déjà New collection in 2019 under the Attraxion banner, which really turned heads at NeoCon in June,” Rogg said. “We expect growth in the commercial market not only for Déjà New with Attraxion, but also Metroforms with Attraxion. Metroforms couples the benefits of Déjà New and the Attraxion system—installation speed, indoor air quality, performance and safety—with the ability to add a wide range of pre-cut shapes to achieve custom looks.”

Coming in 2020, Attraxion will be available on the company’s Vercade Wall Fashion brand, to further increase its ease of installation.

From a trends perspective, Rogg said they are seeing an expansion of matte finishes on woodgrain visuals that appear to have a dull sheen.

“This matte-sheen level, coupled with a very nice in-register-embossed texture, can create an extremely authentic woodgrain visual, especially when coupled with a painted bevel on large-scale planks,” Rogg said. “In addition to this trend in woodgrains, I think in general we will see tile visuals and formats begin to have a real impact on the category. Today, we estimate that floating rigid WPC and SPC products are likely 80% woodgrain and 20% tile, approximately. However, momentum appears to be building for a demand of tile in this category.”

For more information, visit metroflor.com.