Blog

Saint-Georges, Canada—Mirage, a hardwood flooring brand renowned for its design and quality, has announced the return of the Mirage Rebate Sale, set for this season. This hardwood flooring sale will be taking place across the United States at all participating Mirage...

Austin, Texas—Why aren’t all educational buildings healthy? That’s the driving question behind the Healthy Building Summit, an annual two-day workshop hosted by Tarkett, a global leader in innovative and sustainable flooring solutions. “We saw a gap in...

Calhoun, Ga.—Mohawk unveiled its latest PVC-free offering, SolidTech R, made with recycled single-use plastic and natural stone. SolidTech R is built for people, pets and the planet with sustainable high performance from bottle to floor. “Single-use plastic is now...

Dalton—Southwind Floors warehouse customer pickup area, at 2202 Industrial South Road, Dalton, Ga. 30721, will be the collection center for desperately needed donations as part of its Hurricane Helene aid initiative. Collections will be received Oct. 7 and 8, from 8...

New Orleans, La.—The NAFCD + NBMDA Annual Convention will introduce some new exhibiting companies at this year’s annual convention, held here, Oct. 24. The Exhibit Hall is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Hyatt Regency New Orleans’ Elite Hall. Within the group of...

Waregem, Belgium—Dieffenbacher and Unilin Technologies, the intellectual property division of Unilin, announced a cooperation agreement to further commercialize Osiris—Unilin’s patented fiberboard recycling technology. This partnership intends to strengthen the...

St. Louis, Miss.—CCA Global Partners has announced a series of changes in its senior management team, effective as of Oct. 1, 2024. These changes are part of a management transition plan, as follows: Eric Bernstein has now been appointed CEO of CCA. “Howard Brodsky...

Atlanta—Flor, a high-end area rug brand for homes, offices and every space in between, announced its ongoing partnership with non-profit Make-A-Wish to help grant life-changing wishes for children battling critical illnesses. As a national partner of the organization,...

Clarksville, Tenn.—Florim USA’s factory here has received a TecnAwards 2024 for Best North American Manufacturing Plant: Innovation and Sustainability. The recognition was presented at the TecnA exhibition on Sept. 25, at the Rimini Expo Centre in Italy—a global...

Lancaster, Pa.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation named Ecore International a finalist in the 25th Annual Citizens Awards, a long-standing program that honors businesses for its leadership in solving the world’s biggest challenges. Ecore was nominated as a...

Arlington, Texas—Flooring Markets has announced that Adleta Corporation—one of the top U.S. flooring distributors—will host its Winter Product Show at the Southwest Flooring Market from January 9 to 10, 2025. The event will be at the new Arlington Convention...

Salem, N.J.—After 32 years of successful collaboration, Mannington and Starnet have mutually decided to end its formal business partnership, effective January 1, 2025. “Mannington has been a valued partner for Starnet over the past three decades and we have enjoyed a...

Orlando—FCNews is here live for the start of the second CFI-FCICA convention, which brings together flooring installers and contractors. “There is great synergy between CFI and FCICA,” Pat Kelly, executive director of FCICA, announced at the opening general session....

New York City—CCA Global Partners Retail Group met its fundraising goal and raised over $138,000 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation—thanks to the combined efforts of a dedicated team of staff, vendors and retailer members from Carpet One Floor & Home, Flooring...

Jackson, Miss.—The National Tile Contractor Association (NTCA) has appointed Angie Weber as its new digital advertising and membership specialist. With extensive experience in interior design and a strong background in the tile industry, the association says Weber is...

Washington, D.C.—Expectations of the Federal Reserve beginning the first in a series of rate reductions kept potential home buyers in a holding pattern in August, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Sales of newly built, single-family homes...

Dalton—The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) released a new “Tuesday Tips” this week. In the series, WFCA experts presents short video tips for improving customer service and optimizing staff performance. In the end, it’s all about understanding the importance...

Landon Lambert, Steve Feldman and Bruce Odette at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Series.  Denver—Through blisters untold and suburbs unnumbered, a Mohawk-sponsored squad—dubbed the Rack Pack, which included FCNews publisher Steve Feldman—joined 700 other walkers who fought...

Check out Bjelin’s ball drop test, designed to show just how tough its hardened wood floors really are. The company drops a heavy steel ball from a set height to simulate everyday impacts—from dropped toys to heavy foot traffic. It’s a fun way to prove the durability...

Jackson, Miss.—The National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) has announced its October lineup, offering tile installers and industry professionals 28 workshops and eight regional training sessions across 17 states. These events, all free of charge, are said to...

The FCNews Annual Flooring Product Guide 2024 includes more than 100 distinctive products—offerings that are designed and engineered to stand apart in a competitive marketplace and help specialty floor covering retailers make more money. This year’s guide features...

Bologna, Italy—Portobello America, the U.S. arm of Portobello Grupo, is exhibiting at Cersaie 2024, the world’s largest surface coverings exhibition, held here September 23-27. According to the company, this marks a significant step in the group’s global expansion,...

Mountville, Pa.—Brent Emore has been appointed by AHF Products as its newest chief financial officer. In this role, Emore will provide financial leadership for the business and will report directly to AHF Products president and CEO Brian Carson. “Emore not only...

Tim Baucom, Ben Liebert of Shaw. With about 75% of this year in the rear-view mirror, most manufacturers are looking ahead to 2025, a year projected to be stronger than 2024. There are reasons for optimism: interest rate cuts, lower inflation and no Presidential...

Winn Everhart Solon, Ohio—Tarkett has appointed Winn Everhart to president and CEO of Tarkett North America. “I am truly honored and excited to be part of the Tarkett North America team at such a pivotal time,” Everhart said. “I am eager to continue driving our...

Waregem, Belgium—Unilin Technologies, the IP and technology division of Unilin, has launched a complete set of installation guidelines and videos. Designing high-quality locking systems with secure connections remains Unilin’s priority. The installation guidelines are...

Izmir, Turkiye—Anatolia, a Canadian-based international company who specializes in the design and distribution of sintered stone slabs, tiles and natural stone products, has unveiled its latest manufacturing facility. The two-million-plus-square-foot facility is meant...

Salt Lake City—Attendees totaling 157 from 48 member companies and five architectural firms attended the annual NSI Study Tour, which took place here August 25-28, with an optional extension to Idaho on August 29. Highlights included an overview of the Utah State...

Dean Craft is a principal with ISE Logik, providing proactive concrete solutions. Theodore, Ala.—ASTM F06 has approved a new standard that covers single-component fluid-applied moisture mitigation systems for use under resilient flooring installed on concrete...

Dalton—The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) released a new “Tuesday Tips” this week. In the series, WFCA experts presents short video tips for improving customer service and optimizing staff performance. In the end, it’s all about understanding the importance...

Las Vegas—The International Surface Event (TISE), the premier event for the flooring, stone and tile industry, has opened registration for the 2025 event, to be held here January 28-30 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Utilizing more than 400,000 square feet and...

Indianapolis, Ind.—The NAFCD + NBMDA Annual Convention is bringing back a popular day-long course to encourage career progression in the floor covering distribution industry. The October 22 course is a condensed version of the University of Innovative Distribution...

Deerfield Beach, Fla.—Mapei, a leader in the construction products industry, celebrated its close of 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season that was marked by impressive performances from Marco Andretti and Kyle Kirkwood—both driving Mapei-sponsored cars. Andretti, driving...

Keynote speaker Jon Petz, a magician, gets a helping hand from FCNews publisher Steve Feldman on an amazing math trick at the AHSG conference. Naples, Fla.—Floor Covering News is here for the start of American Home Surfaces Group/Commercial USA‘s (AHSG) annual...

Natural stone can be a hard product category for some retailers to get into. Not only does it require more knowledge on the part of the retail sales associate, but it also means successfully sharing that information with consumers in a way that doesn’t turn them away...

Most of the products in the new Kährs Estates collection retail between $6 and $10 per square foot, but there are some SKUs that can fetch anywhere from $12 to $14. Pictured is Estate Hickory. Visitors to the Kährs space at the annual NWFA convention earlier this year...

Miami, Fla.—Tile of Spain, the international brand representing more than 100 ceramic tile manufacturers, unveiled the 12th annual release of the U.S. Quick Ship Collection. The new catalog features over 130 ceramic series from more than 30 Spanish companies. The...

Decocer, which specializes in designing and manufacturing small-size custom tiles, is participating once again in Cersaie, one of the most important fairs in the ceramic sector worldwide, and does so with a new corporate identity and brand image. The ceramic company,...

On September 1, CARE submitted the California Carpet Stewardship Program’s 2023 Annual Report to CalRecycle, highlighting a historically high recycling rate among other achievements. The California carpet recycling rate was 35% for the year 2023 and reached 41% in Q1...

Frank Hermans Oberlin, Ohio—The Natural Stone Institute (NSI) has named the winners of the 2024 Tucker Design Awards and the inaugural Thor Lund Quarrier Award. The Tucker Design Awards were presented at a ceremony in Salt Lake City on August 26, during the NSI Study...

Catherine Prossen Los Angeles—Bentley Mills has appointed Catherine Prossen as vice president of business development. Prossen, a seasoned industry professional with nearly 20 years of experience in architecture and design, will focus on strengthening customer...

Rigid core flooring’s rapid rise in the U.S. has spawned a veritable gold rush among traditional hard and soft surface manufacturers looking to expand their product offerings. But the overheated SPC race has also had an unforeseen yet welcomed effect—the emergence of...

Artisan Floors is up 19% year over year in 2024. As a sole proprietor, Paul La Torre knows what it’s like to abruptly lose $1.4 million in business after his two largest flooring customers went bankrupt during the Great Recession. Bruised and battered, La Torre...

Every two weeks, FCNews seeks out flooring retailers across the country to offer their advice on hot topics of the day. This week, we asked: What are your expectations for the fall? Here are their responses: With the current traffic we are forecasting similar results...

Mountville, Pa.—Mark Bowe, host of the hit TV show “Barnwood Builders,” where he and his crew preserve and repurpose historic log homes in his home state West Virgina, has a brand-new project: Barnwood Village guest cottages. The three cottages feature Bruce Barnwood...

Kenneth Frazier Kenneth Frazier, who turned a humble three-crew hardwood sand and finish service into Frazier’s Carpet One Floor & Home in Knoxville, Tenn., passed away on Sept. 16. He was 77. Frazier, a Vietnam veteran who received a Citation of Valor for his...

Dalton—Southwind began here as Cherokee Carpets in 1994. The carpet mill acquired another mill called Southwind and, in 1997, changed its name to Southwind and began selling direct to flooring retailers. In 2015, Southwind added hard surface flooring. Six years later,...

Most professional installers would agree the ultimate success of any flooring job mostly depends on the condition of the subfloor. To that end, manufacturers/suppliers of subfloor prep materials and subfloor testing tools are looking to address this issue with...

Cartersville, Ga.—The Montage collection is a large-scale solid vinyl tile (SVT) from Shaw Contract with a classic terrazzo visual designed to combine durability, stain resistance and ease of maintenance to meet the demands of commercial spaces. “Terrazzo is...

Washington, D.C.—With mortgage rates declining by more than one-half of a percentage point from early August through mid-September, builder sentiment edged higher this month even as builders continue to grapple with rising costs, according to the National Association...

Washington, D.C.—Single-family starts posted a solid gain in August on robust demand and moderating mortgage rates even as builders continue to grapple with challenges related to lot and labor shortages and elevated prices for many building materials, according to the...

Flooring retailers across the country continue to tout the influence of waterproof positioning. Between the power of the tagline to get consumers in the door and the advances in technology that have given the label clout, waterproof flooring continues to drive sales...

After asserting that it would liquidate because no buyer could be found, LL Flooring on Sept. 6 altered course and signed an agreement with F9 Investments, its largest shareholder, for a going-concern sale of the business.  Per the agreement, which is expected to...

(Editor’s note: This installment is the second of two parts). Since the pandemic, the U.S. has lost approximately 8 million people from the workforce. That figure represents approximately 5% of the overall workforce, a sizeable and noticeable number to be sure....

2024 has been much slower for the flooring industry than the previous three years, a period I have dubbed the “COVID-19 Boom.” When the lockdowns first took place, I instituted weekly group teleconferences with my Flooring Success Systems members to help them...

Crossville, Tenn.—Crossville has introduced new Argent 2.0 porcelain tile, offering a timeless aesthetic that can complement a variety of design styles. Moving away from the bold hues of its predecessor, Argent 2.0 embraces a serene and tranquil palette conducive to...

Dalton—The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) released a new “Tuesday Tips” this week. In the series, WFCA experts presents short video tips for improving customer service and optimizing staff performance. In the end, it’s all about understanding the importance...

Rockwall, Texas—For those previously incarcerated looking for a second chance in life, becoming a trained floor covering installer is a way forward, according to Robert Varden of Advanced Flooring Technology (ATF). Three years ago, Mark Farnsworth, president of...

Three years ago, Mark Farnsworth, president of Professional Floor Covering Training, initiated a transformative journey by securing federal funding for a groundbreaking training program aimed at individuals seeking a fresh start, particularly those from second-chance...

Flooring retailers often view the fourth quarter as a last-chance opportunity to finish the year on a high note, and that’s especially true this year given the slowdown at retail. So, what better way to inject some enthusiasm into the market than a fall refresh?...