Blog

Michael Martin St. Louis—Michael Martin, president and CEO of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), announced his resignation on March 1. Martin, who joined NWFA in 2011, played a pivotal role in its significant membership growth, marketing expansion and...

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...

(part two) Las Vegas—Hardwood manufacturers across the spectrum rolled out new wood collections across a variety of styles, formats and colors at TISE 2025. It’s all about demonstrating why hardwood is still the most aspirational flooring product available today....

Calhoun, Ga.—Shaw Sports Turf recently opened its innovative PEAK Performance Lab, a facility meant to redefine turf research and development. This innovative hub is said to underscore Shaw Sports Turf’s commitment to putting athletes at the center of its R&D...

Mt. Juliet, Tenn.—Wonder Porcelain, a leading American porcelain tile manufacturer, recently hosted a group of 20 students from Little School on the Farm here for an educational tour of its state-of-the-art facility. The visit offered students a firsthand look at...

Louisville, Ky.—Dub Newell, CEO of Louisville Tile, recently participated in the inaugural Kentucky Healthcare Innovation Summit, hosted by the Kentucky Chamber here. Newell joined fellow business leaders on the panel, “The business community’s role in health care,”...

Jackson, Miss.—The National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) has continued its education and workforce development by offering 21 free hands-on training events across the country this March. The development includes six regional training sessions across four states...

(part two) Las Vegas—Laminate flooring suppliers—as well as soft surface companies looking to get in on the action—were in full force at Surfaces 2025. The level of interest and commitment to the category provided solid evidence of the segment’s resurging popularity...

Paolo Mularoni Clemson, S.C.—Paolo Mularoni, president of Ceramica Faetano and Del Conca USA, passed away suddenly February 23 due to illness. “We are deeply saddened to learn of Paolo’s sudden passing,” said Eric Astrachan, Tile Council of North America’s executive...

Single-family starts are expected to see a rise. Washington, D.C.—The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported that single-family housing starts should register a slight uptick in 2025 as builders contend with conflicting market conditions—policy moves...

(part two) Las Vegas—Resilient suppliers touted a bevy of new innovations at the 2025 International Surfaces Event (TISE), including thicker, performance-driven SPC, sustainable rigid core and even collections based wholly around design style. No matter the...

Ingenious Plank by Bruce and Armstrong Flooring Mountville, Pa.—Three AHF Products brands—Crossville, Armstrong Flooring and AHF Contract—have each received the prestigious Platinum Award from the 2025 ADEX (Awards for Design Excellence), one of the design industry’s...

Washington, D.C.—Home affordability issues, driven in large part by stubbornly high interest rates, are forcing those potential home buyers in the market to look more closely at smaller homes. That’s according to research provided by the National Association of Home...

Tony Demaggio Harbor City, Ca.—Lunada Bay Corporation has appointed Tony Demaggio as director of national accounts. This newly established role is a key part of the company’s ongoing strategy to expand its customer base and enhance service for national and regional...

Dalton—The World Floor Covering Association’s (WFCA) fcB2B program announced Dal-Tile has successfully completed the rigorous requirements for fcB2B certification. This certification validates Dal-Tile’s ability to efficiently and accurately exchange critical business...

Las Vegas—Supply-chain problems and high interest rates are expected to impede the multifamily sector in the first half of 2025 before the market stabilizes later this year as more deals pencil out, according to economists speaking at the National Association of Home...

Las Vegas—An aging housing stock, record levels of home equity and favorable demographics will create positive growth prospects for the remodeling sector in 2025, according to industry experts at a panel hosted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)...

Saint-Georges—Mirage, a hardwood flooring brand renowned for its quality, presented its new lineup for 2025, with three new collections, Lively, Autumn and Blanc; two new colors, Alice and Elora; and the all-new DurAlive finish. “Once again, innovation is the driving...

Floors & More has reserved sections of Busch Gardens Tampa to host guests during the upcoming convention. New venue, new location, new dates and whole new vibe. That describes the lead-up to the 2025 Floors & More annual convention, set to take place March...

Las Vegas—While hard surface flooring manufacturers can claim most of the credit for developing products that excite consumers and incentivize retailers to sell those products, the suppliers can’t do it all by themselves. For many of the innovations the industry...

Chicago—The Best of NeoCon Awards competition—the industry’s premier awards program recognizing innovation in commercial design across 40-plus categories—will officially open for submissions March 1. A hallmark of NeoCon since 1990, the juried awards program...

Adairsville, Ga.—CFL Flooring announced it has received two additional U.S. grants on patents related to acoustic multi-layer resilient flooring solutions, for a total of six granted patents to date giving a wide coverage on acoustics in the field of resilient...

Art Select in Rose Onyx Export, Pa.—Art Select from Karndean Designflooring has been announced a winner in the Good Design Floor and Wall Covering category. Entries were judged on criteria that included innovation, functionality and durability. A collection of almost...

Las Vegas—It’s no secret that the ceramic category has taken a hard hit from the likes of rigid core and laminate flooring—even flex vinyl is coming for its market share this year—but that doesn’t mean the tile category isn’t hitting back. From large-format slabs and...

Rutherford, N.J.—Sika is introducing SikaBond-5900 and SikaBond-5800, two time-tested resilient flooring adhesives designed for the interior installation of luxury vinyl tile, luxury vinyl plank, vinyl sheet goods (heterogeneous/homogeneous), fiberglass backed sheet...

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...

Mumbai, India—Welspun, a global leader in home textiles, has achieved a total ESG score of 83 in the 2024 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA). This recognition solidifies Welspun’s ongoing leadership as the highest-ranked textile manufacturing...

Vaughan, Ontario—Anatolia, a Canadian-based global company specializing in the design, manufacturing and distribution of sintered slabs, ceramic and porcelain tiles, natural stone and mosaics, has launched new curated collections. With decades of expertise, the...

San Diego—Cali announced the launch of the Trestles collection, a new WPC luxury vinyl plank floor designed to bring comfort, style and durability at an opening price point. Named after the iconic Southern California surf spot and the wooden railroad bridge that used...

Choosing to spray, roll or trowel an adhesive depends on many factors, including flooring type, manufacturer’s guidelines and conditions on the jobsite. When installers properly match the application method with these factors, they can improve installation efficiency...

In the flooring industry, exceptional customer service is the key to winning business, building lifelong relationships and generating referrals. That’s where AI-powered tools come in. When used correctly, AI can enhance customer service—not replace the personal touch...

Las Vegas—Hardwood flooring suppliers are tweaking their respective product lines to reflect more natural wood colors and softer hues—a move away from the heavily textured and darker tones seen in the past. In terms of species, European white oak continues to reign...

Dallas, Texas—As fashion-based product lines, sister tile brands Daltile, Marazzi and American Olean released their annual Trend Reports 2025. The brands’ product designers collaborated closely to agree upon what they view as the five hottest over-arching “interior...

Orange County, Calif.—Footprints Floors, a flooring installation brand with 150-plus territories nationwide, continued its expansion in California. The Byrne family—Brian, Matthew, Ally and Kristan—are taking their decades of home improvement experience into the next...

Brian Carson In a move that most industry observers didn’t see coming, Brian Carson resigned from his post as president and CEO of AHF Products following a successful six-year tenure at the company. FCNews has learned Carson has taken on a leadership role at...

FCEF is proud to announce that it is now an approved SkillBridge Training Provider, opening a transformative opportunity for active military personnel, veterans and military dependents. This milestone comes as part of our commitment to recruit and empower highly...

From time to time, floor covering retailers reach out to me for guidance. Not because I have experience as a retailer, but because I have had conversations with hundreds of dealers over the years about everything from issues they are having with customers, vendors or...

In Idaho, the election was a big consumer confidence boost for Dillabaugh’s Flooring America. While the post-presidential-election jolt that sustained many flooring retailers through the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 has eased somewhat, dealers say business...

Henderson, Nev.—Mohawk’s Builder + Multifamily business is partnering with Green Builder Media and Beazer Homes to floor the Vision House Las Vegas, a project spotlighting sustainable, high-performance living. Located in the master-planned community of Cadence and...

Valencia, Spain—Decocer will return to Cevisama, one of the most important trade fairs in the ceramic industry, to be held here Feb. 24 to 28. Decocer specializes in small-format ceramic tiles, exclusively designing and manufacturing tailor-made pieces for...

Washington, D.C.—Flooring industry leaders announced the return of the Flooring Sustainability Summit, set for July 16-17 here. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, the 2025 Summit will be hosted by prominent associations representing the full...

Dallas, Texas—National Tile Day 2025 will take place February 23. Daltile, the largest designer and manufacturer of tile in North America, wants to kick-off the celebration by highlighting the myriad of attributes that make tile an outstanding component of residential...

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: Are you ready to seize the day in 2025? Here are their responses: “We’re excited for 2025. Very early indicators have shown...

Las Vegas—MSI, a leading supplier of flooring, countertops, wall tile and hardscaping products in North America, will showcase its latest products at the Kitchen and Bath Show (KBIS) 2025, to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from Feb. 25 – 27. “We are...

Jennifer Farrell Los Angeles—Emser Tile announced an exclusive partnership with interior designer and television host, Jennifer Farrell. As an award-winning designer with a career spanning over two decades, Farrell has brought her signature style to countless homes...

Troy, Ga.—Industry leaders, educators and community members gathered at Carpet Guys headquarters here for a landmark celebration—the official ribbon cutting and grand opening of the TCG Installer Training Center, Michigan’s first dedicated flooring training school....

Las Vegas—Evidence of laminate’s resurgence in the U.S. market was on full display at Surfaces 2025. Virtually every major hard surface supplier showcased new laminate flooring lines at the show. Following is an overview of some of the products that stood out. Mark...

Panoramic Elestial Las Vegas—Daltile’s new Panoramic Elestial has been selected as one of the elite products invited to participate in the 10th anniversary “DesignBites” competition at the upcoming Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), held here. Only 11 products...

Orange, Calif.—MSI, a leading supplier of flooring, countertops, wall tile and hardscaping products in North America, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025. Fifty years ago, in the basement of their home in Ft. Wayne, Ind., Manu and Rika Shah founded MSI, a...

Calhoun—Pergo flooring is going back to its roots with a brand refresh, encapsulating the essence of Scandinavian design to reach a whole new set of consumers. “Pergo’s brand refresh honors its longstanding legacy,” said Nicole Priem, senior director of brand...

Nashville—Gaco, a leading provider of coatings, adhesives and sealants, is launching a broader identity that brings its entire portfolio under the Gaco name. This strategic move is said to leverage Gaco’s strong market position and customer-first reputation to unify...

Two generations of ownership at Apollo Distributing (from left): Keith, Rachel and Harrison Slobodien. The flooring industry has witnessed tremendous upheaval among its top 20 distributors in recent years with acquisitions and private equity investments altering the...

Mountville, Pa.—AHF Products announced Armstrong Flooring MedinPure has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Good Design Award. Sponsored by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies,...

American Olean, Urban Essence Collection Las Vegas—Daltile, Marazzi and American Olean, three of the kitchen and bath industry’s leading brands, will be exhibiting together in booth # N2039 during the upcoming Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) 2025, held here....

Dalton—The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) announced the induction of two visionary leaders into its 2024 Hall of Fame: Ray C. Anderson (posthumously), founder of Interface, Inc.; and Charlie Dilks, chief product officer of CCA Global Partners. Together, these...

Dalton—FCITS (Flooring Consultants & Inspection Training Services) announced its comprehensive pool of expert instructors available to lead a wide range of inspection courses—from beginner certification to advanced and Master-level training. These distinguished...

AI is changing the way businesses operate, and the flooring industry is no exception. Some dealers may worry that AI-powered tools will replace human salespeople, making face-to-face selling obsolete. The reality? AI isn’t a threat—it’s an opportunity. Flooring...

COREtec showcased its new vinyl bevel innovations. Las Vegas—Over the last year or so, SPC flooring has begun to give up some of its popularity—while market share continues to be heavily skewed in SPCs favor—as issues in the field have begun to rise. While SPC remains...

As the flooring industry faces a critical shortage of skilled installers, Pierce Companies has actively supported workforce development through the Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF) and the Basic Floor Covering Installation Program at Great Falls College in...

Engineered Floors’ Melvin Silver (left) with Joe Young at the Prismatic display. Las Vegas—Mill executives are fond of saying: “This is not your grandmother’s carpet” when discussing the newest introductions. It’s certainly a true statement. From yarn coloration to...