FCNews caught up with retailers shopping The International Surface Event (TISE) 2025 show to get their first impressions of some of the new products making their debut. Here’s what some of them had to say:
“There seems to be a much-needed shift to WPC and alternative cores to stabilize the click LVP business after dealing with industry-wide issues due to deflection and the rigidity of the traditional SPC/limestone core. The unique random lengths and width product available on Mohawk’s and Karastan’s WPC are exciting. Engineered Floors had updated visuals and pressed bevels that were eye-catching as well. And the new Mannington AduraMax 12 x 24 WPC tile patterns with slightly chiseled edges and perceived grout joints were also a hit.”
— Ted Gregerson, Ted’s Floors & Beyond, Anniston, Ala.
“The talk of the show was Stanton’s new display system. Of course, they introduced some gorgeous new handloomed products to outfit it with. The other vendor that impressed was Prestige Mills, especially their new Wiltons, and the colors they added to the Missoni collection.”
— Joel Schreier, Home Carpet One, Chicago
“The Canopy Stone looks from IFC that have the adhesive on the back is great for small jobs and DIYers. From Happy Feet the loose lay LVT looks great and there’s also a terrazzo that seems to be very popular now, all great new introductions for 2025.”
— Penny Carnino, Grigsby’s Carpet, Tile & Hardwood, Tulsa, Okla.
“Karastan’s new laminate, Gloriana Charm Chocolate Oak, with its hyper-realistic wood look brought out by their new EIR technology, was a standout. Secondly, Fabrica’s new wool carpet from Decor called Valencia. It is a very intricately crafted full-looped wool carpet with minute splashes of color that just screams elegance.”
— Doug Schuitema, DeGraaf Interiors, Grand Rapids, Mich.
“The biggest thing I’m seeing is that the hybrid SPCs and laminates are obviously making a comeback and WPC is as well. People are starting to veer away from the super-thin SPCs. Anything that’s a 4mm core or less dealers are staying away from.”
— Travis McRae, McRae Sales and Distributing, Salt Lake City
“I thought the new Mannington introductions were great. I love the change made to the laminate collection where they have refined the bevel and updated the lock system. I also loved the new intro in the AduraMax Apex large-format click tile. It was great to see Mannington on top of the style and color leaderboard again.”
— Jon Dauenhauer, CarpetWorld, Bismarck, N.D.
“I was impressed by the new residential nylon carpet offerings from Beaulieu Canada. There is a good range of styles including textures and patterns that should do well in the Canadian market.”
— Raffi Sarmazian, Sarmazian Brothers Flooring, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
“Stanton’s polyester Pet Guard was a big surprise. I never thought they’d get into polyester—good for them. And I have to say they have the most beautiful frieze; you don’t see many friezes out there. Stanton’s hard surface line was spectacular. They don’t have to take a back seat to anyone. Stanton is a very good brand, and now they can compete with the big guys.”
— Olga Robertson, FCA Network, Shorewood, Ill.
“Two products stood out for me, and I’m really excited about them. The first is the new Karastan laminate named Gloriana Charm; the beautiful colors and overall look of this product has me feeling confident that this product will be a best seller. The second is Cali’s Barrel hardwood; it’s been a good while since I was hyped up over a hardwood product.”
— Ashlie Butler, Bob’s Carpet & Flooring, Tampa
“SPC/WPC tile looks continue to evolve with more realistic grout lines such as from Novalis. And it’s good to see the advancement in U.S. manufacturing, although we need more of it.”
— Michael Longwill, Airbase Carpet and Tile Mart, Chadds Ford, Pa.
“The Acacia wood from Cali Floors (Windansea collection) looked great and I liked their new Santa Cruz laminate. It will be a great addition to their lineup. I also liked the new PureTech additions from Mohawk and I am interested in testing the new SolidTech R.”
— Eric Mondragon, RC Willey, Salt Lake City
“The biggest thing I noticed was in the vinyl plank category. Vendors were showing all the new intros into the WPC category with few intros in SPC. Seems like the industry is trending back to WPC.”
— Josh Elder, Gainesville CarpetsPlus Colortile, Gainesville, Fla.
“I found Surfaces to be an important show for discovering new and exciting products, as well as revisiting items we had seen at regional shows. One highlight was Cali’s new Varietals wood collection featuring Natural Acacia planks that are 7 1/2 inches wide, 1/2-inch thick and up to 74 inches long. This collection offers several unique looks in rare species, all at a competitive price. Additionally, COREtec’s latest 3/4-inch-thick WPC product with 9 x 72 long boards is elevating this category to new heights.”
— Bruce Odette, The Carpet Exchange, Denver
“Karastan Black Label is going to be huge. It’s for a niche market, but it is a market with designers and higher-end clientele that we are getting into. The display itself is very eye-catching, and we are looking forward to showing it in our showroom.”
— Typhannie Harker, Carpeting by Mike, Somerset, Wis.
“The colors at Surfaces this year are really interesting to me. Karndean has the best product I’ve seen on the show floor—the new Art Select. I like that it is a glue down with a handscraped, chiseled look to it. There is a lot of buzz about this product.”
— Pedro Monsivais, Lakeside Flooring and Design, North Webster, Ind.
“Happy Feet offered a stunning hardwood collection that complemented their LVP and laminate portfolio perfectly. Their stair accessories were also well-executed, in my opinion. Engineered Floors’ new hard-surface merchandising was impressive—beautifully designed and thoughtfully organized for RSAs to sell and customers to shop. I really liked Mohawk’s Pergo line, Ember Coast, which featured highly realistic visuals with 3- and 5-inch-wide random lengths.”
— Liz Rivera, FCA Network, Shorewood, Ill.
“The big thing we’re looking at is the technology innovations. We saw Broadlume’s AI program that they have as part of their software. It’s amazing, and a total game changer. And now that they have combined with Cyncly it will be a huge advantage for us and how we run our business.”
—James Kruczek, Desitter Flooring, Bolingbrook, Ill.
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