Since laminate flooring emerged in the U.S. market more than 30 years ago, it has remained a popular category among end users, particularly home center shoppers, bargain hunters and renters. But over the past 10-15 years, we have seen other hard surface categories—especially WPC, SPC and LVT—seize more market share from laminate. Now the industry is witnessing what many describe as laminates’ return to greater relevance.
“Laminate is more prevalent as a component of our retail partners’ go-to-market strategies than the category was five to seven years ago,” said Scott Rozmus, president of Romeoville, Ill.-based FlorStar Sales, a top 20 distributor. “Part of that has to do with overall improvements in the quality of print design and core technologies that have made today’s laminate an even better product than ever. Part of that also, of course, has to do with issues retailers experienced with the performance of certain SPC products that offered inferior locking systems, poor quality cores or otherwise were oversold.”
Derek Welbourn, CEO of Inhaus, saw demand softening for some rigid core products—something that has benefitted laminate. “The category has continued to claim back some share from vinyl,” he said.
For laminate suppliers, manufacturers and importers, this laminate resurgence has no doubt impacted their production strategies. “At Classen, we are well-prepared for the renewed interest in laminate flooring, as we operate the world’s largest contiguous laminate production facility,” said Celine Quervel, general manager. “This unique setup allows us to focus all our investments on a single, highly efficient site, enabling us to offer an unparalleled variety of laminate products.”
Stateside suppliers like Mohawk, which has garnered a significant share of the domestic laminate flooring market, has long been committed to the category. That’s evident in the company’s expansion of its signature RevWood lines across multiple tiers. “From a product perspective, we’re continuing to expand our portfolio—and that’s been going very well,” said David Moore, vice president, product management. “We’re also expanding our domestic manufacturing footprint, which gives us the ability to continue to produce our highly differentiated, high-style products.”
Shaw Floors, which in the past offered laminate but veered away from the category is recent years, has recommitted to the segment in light of growing consumer demand. “Our customers have been asking for it, and we are known for a great partnerships with our customers,” said Kyle McAllister, director of wood and laminate. “They came to us and said, ‘Look, we love SPC, we love WPC, but we do sell a lot of laminate and we love doing business with you.’ They really wanted Shaw to come out with something to fulfill those laminate needs.”
The renewed interest in laminate in the U.S. has also inspired suppliers to develop differentiated products. Take, for example, HF Design’s show-stopping Aquaproof XL, a step-up collection to its original Aquaproof line. The product is built on a 9.3-inch-wide x 72-inch-long platform and includes an organic, fully renewable fiber core that boasts excellent noise absorption, with a wear layer that’s 3x more scratch resistant than vinyl. It also boasts high-definition print technology on a low swell PVC-free core and EIR texture to achieve visuals indistinguishable from hardwood.
Potential game-changing innovations are also evident in the latest products from Eternity Flooring. Standouts include its Ecoessent Incore line of waterproof performance laminate as well as its Proof and Proof XL Waterproof Performance Laminate line. Another attention grabber is Sequoia XL, a 70-inch-long x 9.5 -inch-wide plank touting optimal waterproof performance, an AC6 rating for heavy wear and dent resistance—the highest rating currently available. “We are going all in on waterproof performance laminates,” said Isaac Lee, marketing director.
Another noteworthy innovation in laminate came out of the MSI camp. At Surfaces the company officially unveiled Shorecliffs, a laminate/rigid core hybrid that aims to offer the best of both worlds. “This is not your typical laminate,” said Jason Andrews, direct of sales and national marketing. “We see this product as next-gen laminate.”
Another noteworthy Surfaces launch was the new Kronospan-branded laminate from Urbanfloor. The new line gets its visual inspiration from some of the company’s hardwood visuals.
Newcomers make their mark
Even suppliers that are fairly new to the laminate market attest to its rising popularity. “It’s definitely impacted our strategies,” said Eric Ruppert, senior director of product marketing and category management, Engineered Floors. “We’ve seen a renewed appreciation for laminate’s durability, affordability and ease of installation, particularly as consumers are looking for various sustainable or PVC- free options to resilient.”
For new brands like Onn Surfaces, laminate’s rise provides opportunities to hit the ground running. “The resurgence of laminate flooring has reshaped our approach to manufacturing and innovation,” said Paul Dominie, president. “As demand grows, we have optimized production processes to enhance efficiency while maintaining high product quality. Additionally, we have refined our supply chain strategies to secure raw materials reliably, reducing reliance on volatile import markets.”
Other providers of laminate are also fortifying their efforts to shore up supply as demand builds. “With the growing laminate demand, we’ve adjusted our sourcing strategies to ensure high-quality laminate products that meet the evolving needs of retailers and consumers,” said Fernando Ornelas, general manager at Pacific Direct.
At Parkay Floors, whose laminate production is up 40%, the surge in demand has also precipitated sourcing changes. “We’ve shifted production out of China and we are now buying more European and U.S.-made products,” said Andres Abad, president.
Another up-and-coming brand, Ultimate Floors, is also banking on the continued growth of the laminate category in the U.S. market. “We invested heavily in our waterproof laminate lines, and they’ve been a home run for us,” explained Ron Dardashti, managing partner. “SPC is not going anywhere, but our bread and butter and our main focus is our waterproof laminate.”
BHW: Waterfront
The statement-making planks in BHW Floors’ Waterfront laminate collection measure a whopping 9 3/8 inches wide x 87 inches long and boast state-of-the-art EIR technology for added realism. The initial line consists of eight clean, European white oak looks. “This is probably one of our most exciting launches,” said Jason Grant, vice president.
Classen: OEM programs
Classen’s laminate manufacturing capabilities encompass innovation, performance and design. Products feature its signature Megaloc glueless locking system for easy installation. To offer the right solution for every requirement, Classen provides both conventional décors and state-of-the-art digital printing technology.
Engineered Floors: Renew
The PureGrain Renew laminate line from Engineered Floors aims to offer more realistic wood grain patterns and deeper EIR embossing. The goal is to close the gap between laminate and natural hardwood or high-end resilient products by capturing the essence of natural materials. What’s more, the PureGrain Renew collection is focused on responsible sourcing and manufacturing.
Johnson Hardwood: Bella Vista
Bella Vista, the high-performance, high-end-look laminate from Johnson Hardwood, reflects the clean-grade European oak visuals consumers demand today. Inspired by some of its best-selling genuine wood looks, Bella Vista boasts advanced EIR technology for added realism and surface texturing. Multiple-length planks also add to the product’s realism.
Mohawk: RevWood Select
Standouts in Mohawk’s latest RevWood intros include Emberstone Ridge and Gardenia Lake, part of the RevWood Select tier. Emberstone Ridge, which comes in six trendy colors, blends honey naturals and creamy taupes with contemporary oak visuals, while Gardenia Lake (five colors) reflects subtle character and classic charm and offers a diverse color range and natural grain movement.
Pacific Direct: Poseiden
The high-performance waterproof Poseiden collection from Pacific Direct comprises six mythical-inspired offerings that address current consumer demands for stylish flooring options. Styles include: Zephyr, Morpheus, Iris, Lindos, Mavro and Maia. Products measure 9.4 inches wide x 5 feet long and 12.3mm thick. Features Unilin locking system and AC4 wear rating.
Provenza: Modessa
Provenza’s new Modessa line takes its inspiration from the company’s popular Dutch Masters collection of European oak custom floors. From the visual characteristics of the exclusive designs, to the big, bold format of the planks, Modessa aims to make a dramatic impression with 86-inch-long x 9.4-inch-wide planks. Overall thickness is 14mm, which includes a 2mm attached pad.
Shaw Floors: Oak Grove
Shaw announced its re-entry into the laminate arena by partnering with a supplier in Europe known for its laminate production capabilities. The new offerings, which are modeled after its wood visuals, include a 10mm (8mm + 2mm pad) and a 12mm (10mm + 2mm pad). Plank dimensions are 8 x 50 with an AC4 and AC5 rating, respectively.
Stanton: Nuvo Lux
Stanton aims to redefine elegance and sophistication in interior spaces with the new NuvoLux and NuvoMax laminate collections, products designed to project timeless elegance inspired by the appeal of natural woods and materials. The designs are carefully curated, designed with innovative textures, authentic colors and durable finishes.
Tarkett: ShoreFlor
Tarkett’s ShoreFlor with Searenity waterproof technology blends timeless wood visuals with cutting-edge technology. The product features a painted bevel edge, EIR technology and comes in a 10mm + 2mm pad for a total thickness of 12mm. The collection features clean, warm visuals as well as some rustic look such as hickory.
US Mills: Sequoia
Sequoia is designed to more accurately resemble trendy white oak flooring. Its ultra-matte and textured surface is crafted using a newly developed proprietary innovation creating an authentic wood-like look and feel. The 24 unique 9.5 x 70-inch planks feature minimal pattern repeats, further enhancing the resemblance to natural flooring.
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