Window treatments, both hard (blinds, shutters and shades) and soft (curtains and draperies), account for a large chunk of the home-construction market. More manufacturers and buying groups are gearing up programs that offer window treatments as an add-on to businesses that are traditionally in the market to sell floor coverings.
More floor covering retailers/contractors are selling laminate floors, according to the just-completed 2004 Laminate Market Study conducted by the market research department of BNP Media in conjunction with the National Floor Trends editorial staff
Development of sound-reducing technology is a continuous process that involves all components of the system -- especially with regard to the sound-abatement products now being marketed to reduce the impact noise in floors within, mainly, apartments and condominiums.
As the fall season and the 2005 product introductions get closer, exciting trends in color and style are taking place in the residential floor covering industry -- especially in the carpet sector. Here's a look at some of the more noteworthy innovations in the product segment.
Mold is with us now and always will be. There's no way of avoiding or, at least, not sometimes noticing it -- especially since it has become the litigator's delight. At a recent lawyer's seminar held in Las Vegas, a banner across the stage read, "MOLD IS GOLD." And they meant it.
This summer's Atlanta International Area Rug Market, Scheduled for July 11-14 at AmericasMart Atlanta, will showcase small manufacturers' and prominent mills' latest area rug designs, from traditional rectangles to specialty squares, octagons and rounds. Fueled by consumer demand and a growing awareness of style in the marketplace, one of the growing trends in area rugs design is the move from traditional rug looks to contemporary and transitional patterns.
Despite his busy daily schedule, NFT managed to corral Mannington Mills CEO Tom Davis long enough to elicit his thoughts about the near-term business outlook for floor coverings in general, and the steps his company is taking to address increasing raw material costs and potential problems on the economic-political horizon.
Brands certainly aren't new, and brand management is not a new science. Marketers have long understood that brands facilitate the consumer purchase decision and that consumers develop a relationship -- and even a bond of trust -- with entrenched brands that meet their needs.
For retailers, custom floor coverings represent an opportunity for higher margins, a break from commodity structure and a shorter replacement cycle. And fortuitously, flooring is poised to become the next bastion of customization for homeowners. Having already applied custom treatments to walls and countertops, designers and homeowners today view the floor as one of the last blank canvases remaining in the home. Increasingly, they are experimenting with flooring customization.
I recently had some work done on my wood floors, including resanding and refinishing. A few boards needed to be replaced, and the installer who put in the original flooring was going to replace them.
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