As I read Geoff Gordon’s article on the role of the flooring contractor in the December issue of Floor TrendsI was reminded of all flooring contractors have to know and do.
Many called 2013 “the Year of LVT.” And with good reason: Resilient has been the fastest growing flooring category, and within this rapidly growing segment, luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is thriving (Editor’s note: For the purposes of this article, LVT refers to both luxury vinyl tile and luxury vinyl plank).
The first month of the year is already passed us and so has some of the industry’s major markets and conventions—from the all industry type of affairs such as Surfaces, the Atlanta Area Rug Market and Domotex Germany, to major manufacturers and distributors holding their winter markets around the country, to some of the main buying groups.
When it comes to building on the momentum created in 2013, Mohawk Industries went all out with its product introductions for this year—in both its soft and hard surface offerings.
Softer carpet options, wider plank hard surface choices and large rectangular tiles are just a few of the new and innovative product trends Shaw is featuring for retailers and consumers for 2014.
Depending on who you ask, fiberglass-backed resilient flooring has either already taken over the resilient sheet market or is poised to overtake it soon.
In the late 1990s when laminate was all the rage and other hard surfaces such as wood and tile were starting their surge with consumers there were rumblings around the industry the resilient category was becoming a dinosaur and like it, a dying breed as market share was being eaten up every which way.
Sound control in the flooring industry is a thankless job. Think about it, if the product is installed and functions properly the end user never even knows it’s there. No concerns, no complaints and, most unfortunately, no pats on the back.
To me, a conversation about lighting would normally draw a very big ho-hum. But LED lighting, I have learned, is groundbreaking and will definitely be a part of your future and mine.
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