National Floor Trends June 2011

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www.ntlfloortrends.com

June 11

Our special Green Section begins on p. 25.

p. 10 Picking a Winning Product for Commercial Selling Success p. 16 Market Trends Study: Resilient Picking Up Steam p. 22 What You Need to Know About California AB 2398

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Vol. 13, No. 6

June 11

nft

National Floor Trends

NATIONAL FLOOR TRENDS Volume 13, Issue 6 (ISSN 1521-8031) is published 12 times annually, monthly, by BNP Media II, L.L.C., 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $115.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $149.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $165.00 (int’l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2011, by BNP Media II, L.L.C. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: NATIONAL FLOOR TRENDS, P.O. Box 2145, Skokie, IL 60076. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. GST account: 131263923. Send returns (Canada) to Pitney Bowes, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to NATIONAL FLOOR TRENDS, P.O. Box 2145, Skokie, IL 60076. For single copies or back issues: contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or [email protected].

16 10

Picking a Winning Product for Commercial Selling Success Do you know what commercial products to choose for your business to ensure success? Columnist Dave Stafford outlines the different factors that should go into making that decision, including the product’s look, durability and how easy it is to install.

16 On The Cover: Pictured is the ReVision House in Orlando featuring Floor Gres’ Eco-Tech collection porcelain tile installed on the rear patio. EcoTech, in five sizes from 8” x 16” up to 24” x 48”, comes in 4 colors. Grout & adhesives for the entire project were provided by MAPEI. Photo by Andy Frame Photography, courtesy of Ceramic Tiles of Italy.

Market Trends Study: Resilient Picking Up Steam Our exclusive survey finds that retailers continue to see the resilient segment as profitable and poised for continued growth. Average ticket prices for resilient flooring have also increased. Retailers note that fiberglass reinforced vinyl products are seeing the fastest sales growth.

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What You Need to Know About California AB 2398 Beginning July 1, retailers must begin assessing customers 5 cents per square yard for any carpet sold or shipped into California, as part of AB 2398. The law is designed to incentivize carpet recycling and reclamation efforts in the state, and impacts retailers/contractors, manufacturers, distributors/wholesalers and commercial customers/consumers.

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National Floor Trends

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43 8

Group Publisher Phil Johnson • [email protected] Editor and Associate Publisher Jeff Golden • [email protected] Associate Editor Michael Chmielecki • [email protected] Tile & Stone Editor Arpi Nalbandian • [email protected] Products Editor John Moore • [email protected] Sr. Art Director Rick Arvidson • [email protected] Production Manager Jennifer Allen • [email protected] Columnists: Sam Allman, Annette Callari, Christopher Capobianco, Len Daubler, Dave Gobis, Reggie Hill, Randy Prewitt, Dave Stafford, Ray Thompson Jr. In Memoriam: Howard Olansky 1928-2006

Editorial Comment

20 Designs in Style – Commercial Designs Demand Longevity 25 Special Green Section 26 Green Company Showcases 34 Green Matters News 35 Green Product Review

Publishing and Sales Office: 22801 Ventura Blvd. Woodland Hills, CA 91364 Phone: (818) 224-8035, Fax: (818) 224-8042 Western Regional Manager Dan Lipman • (818) 224-8035 x 2206 Southern Regional Manager Scott Daniell • (770) 788-6377 Northern Regional Manager Keith Parry • (973) 248-6097 Classified Sales Manager Sharon Ward • (847) 405-4017 Turkey Hilmi Zafer Erdem • 90-0212-257-76-66 • e-mail: [email protected] Brazil Lazzaro Menasce • +55 (11) 3822-4422 • Fax: +55 (11) 3663-5436 UK/Europe/Asia Patrick Connolly • 44-170-247-7341• Fax: 44-170-247-7559 Italy Phil Johnson • (818) 224-8035 x 2207

For advertising information, call (800) 835-4398.

38 Green Product Guide 40 Art of Retail Management – How Strong is Your Employee Team? 42 Flexitions Mouldings Line Ready to Expand 43 Products 44 News/People/Places/Events 46 Focus on Resilient – Top 10 Questions About Wood Underlayments 48 Tile & Stone – Where Have All the Tile Installers Gone? 50 Products on Display 52 Reader Action Card

Corporate Office: 2401 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 700 Troy, MI 48084 Phone : (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317 BNP Media Helps People Succeed in Business with Superior Information Corporate Directors Timothy A. Fausch Publishing John R. Schrei Publishing Lisa L. Paulus Finance • Rita M. Foumia Corporate Strategy Director Marlene J. Witthoft Human Resources Director Nikki Smith Directories • Michael T. Powell Creative Scott Kesler Information Technology Vincent M. Miconi Production Ariane Claire Marketing Emily Pattern Director of Conferences & Events Beth A. Surowiec Clear Seas Research Audience Development Christina Gietzen Audience Development Coordinator Kelly Carlson Multimedia Specialist Carolyn M. Alexander Audience Audit Coordinator Christopher Wilson BNP Custom Media Group Phone: (248) 244-8264 • [email protected]

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NKBA announces winners of 2011 Design Competition The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) recently announced the finalists in the 2011 NKBA Design Competition, honoring the best kitchen and bath designs of the year.

GSA launches new green program The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) said it will test 16 emerging sustainable building technologies and practices in federal buildings with the new Green Proving Ground program.

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Rubber. Now available in silver, platinum, copper and gold.

2011

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M E T A L L U R G Y

Johnsonite® Metallurgy combines rubber flooring with modern metal aesthetics for a sleek, upscale look. Twelve different colors can be combined in bold and subtle ways for stunning metallic results. Then, coordinate the tile with metallic finishing borders, transitions and stair nosings for a complete flooring system that’s as practical as it is alluring. Johnsonite Metallurgy – cool elements of metal with the performance of rubber. That’s Balanced Choice. For more information, visit johnsonite.com.

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E ditorial Comment I

by Jeff Golden, editor

2011 HGTV Green Home in Denver Wows

I went to Denver in mid-May to see the 2011 HGTV Green Home and was totally impressed. First of all, the location of the home was at the old airport in Stapleton. (Stapleton Airport was the city’s primary airport from 1929 to 1995, until the opening of the new Denver International Airport.) Now known as Stapleton Denver, the area is a mixeduse development covering 4,700 acres of homes, retail shops, offices, parks and schools with history, sustainability and educational offerings.

Jeff welcomes your comments. He can be reached via e-mail at GoldenJ@ bnpmedia.com, or you can write him in care of NFT.

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riving up to the home site at Stapleton Denver, we could see the old airport control tower that served as a directional landmark. The 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath home packed everything a homeowner would want in today’s home: living room, dining room, powder room, loft, “do” room and a two-car garage, complete with a dog-washing station, in approximately 2,343 sq. ft. The home features a 5-kilowatt solar system powering the heating, cooling, lighting, energy and security systems from a digital touchscreen. Design of the home is influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1908 Robie House and utilizes a modern prairie style with a front patio and side deck for expanded living areas. Built by Denver area home builder Infinity Home Collection, the home is LEED Platinum Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Featured throughout the home are Shaw Floors’ hardwood, carpet, carpet tile, ceramic, area rugs. Many of the rooms featured bound broadloom carpet placed over the hardwood floors. The reason: additional LEED points. One lucky person will win this home along with a GMC Terrain vehicle. The total prize package is nearly $700,000, including $100,000 cash. You can visit the HGTV Green Home with a public tour through July 3. Go to the National Floor Trends website (www.ntlfloortrends.com) to view more details about this year’s Green Home.

DOC Preliminary Determination of Engineered Wood AD Rates Released At press time, the Department of Commerce (DOC) released its preliminary determination

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in the antidumping (AD) duty investigation of multilayered (engineered) wood flooring imported from China (PRC), finding that engineered wood products are being sold in the United States at less than fair value. Mandatory respondents Zhejiang Yuhua Timber Co., Ltd. (Yuhua) and Zhejiang Layo Wood Industry Co., Ltd. (Layo) received preliminary de minimis dumping rates of zero percent; another mandatory respondent, the Samling Group (Samling), received a preliminary rate of 10.88 percent. The DOC found targeted dumping with sales by Layo and Samling, and the Layo rate remains de minimis. Seventy-three exporters qualified for a separate rate of 10.88 percent (See the complete list on our website). All will be responsible for duty deposits in addition to the countervailing duties previously determined. Chinese producers/exporters not included at the 10.88 rate are subject to a China-wide preliminary dumping rate of 82.65 percent. According to Jonathan Train, president of the Alliance for Free Choice & Jobs in Flooring (AFCJF), the organization of independent American importers, distributors, retailers and hardwood exporters, “This means that more than 95% of imported flooring will receive the rate of 10.88% and much of it will enter at zero. The all industry rate of 82.65% applies only to an insignificant amount of imports.” According to Jeff Levin, counsel for the Coalition for American Hardwood Parity (CAHP) on behalf of the U. S. manufacturing petitioners, in about half of the antidumping investigations regarding China which have been conducted over the past few years, there have been significant, and often times very significant, increases in the dumping margins between the preliminary and final determinations. An importer’s reliance on lower preliminary dumping margins that are susceptible to substantial increases at the final stage can expose these companies to enormous retroactive liability. The next step in the process is a final determination in August 2011, followed by an ITC Final nft Determination on September 16, 2011. ●

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C ommercial Possibilities I

by Dave Stafford

Picking a Winning Product for Commercial Selling Success

Dave Stafford is a flooring industry veteran who retired as executive vice president of Commercial Carpets of America (“CCA”), a major independent flooring dealer in northern Virginia. Dave has served as vice chairman of Floor Covering Installation Contractor’s Association (FCICA), and is currently a member of their Industry Relations Committee. He was honored in 2007 with Honorary Lifetime Membership for his contributions to the flooring industry. Dave provides consulting services in government contracts and business operations. He may be reached at [email protected] or (703) 926-1288.

Success in business by measurement of sales, profit, and reputation may well hinge on how well you pick product lines and your installation expertise. A poor product expertly installed will still fail and a good product improperly installed will fail. Both will damage the reputation of all concerned. Choosing new commercial product lines will add excitement & boost your marketing success if done properly.

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n picking a commercial product winner, first look carefully at the product segment and your intended client list. Where will you sell this great new idea? Do you have experience in that area, whether property management, healthcare, the design community or local government. Does the product match up with the basic uses in that market? For instance, a new, high performance loop carpet would make sense for institutional clients, but be boring and unsuitable for most condo common area renovations or a hotel where a hospitality design is usually desired. It is likely that you will end up with a class of products with several styles rather than a single item, and this is certainly safer. It is foolhardy to tie your success to one item of limited appeal, no matter how well presented, priced or installed. A well-coordinated product line can complement your overall presentation. If possible, have something for everyone in visual appeal and price points. Not everyone can afford upscale. After you’ve narrowed your product selection, spend some time doing test marketing. Products may look terrific and have lots of appeal when presented by a well-trained mill rep, but be a real dud with some clients. Nothing beats showing off your intended new product line and getting feedback. Ask questions like, “Do you see value in this product; how do you feel about the range of colors or texture; if this product were priced at $$$ per yard or square foot, would you buy it for your next project?”

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One question I always liked to ask of the mill rep was this: “How idiot-proof is the product to install; is this a temperamental product to install, are esoteric requirements needed for floor prep, or unusual, particularly difficult or rigid methods for a successful installation?” We have all seen beautiful, high-performance products that were virtually impossible to install, even with the best installation practices. I once experienced this firsthand with a new patterned carpet; no matter what our experienced lead installer did, we had challenges. So, the mill sent in their senior tech rep with 35 years of installation experience. With two journeyman installers, he did a credible job of installing 50 yards during an eight-hour day. Yes, he proved it could be installed, but at what cost? Such an experienced

The best commercial products will combine great new looks, an easy-to-understand warranty and can be installed relatively easily by a well-trained installer. Photo of Masland Contract’s new Zone product, part of the ENeRGy collection and quickship program. Courtesy Masland Contract.

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by Dave Stafford

team should have been able to install a minimum of 200+ yards, not 50 yards. What are the characteristics of a real winner? Perhaps it is a new look or a cutting-edge design, an unusual performance claim, a new or time-saving method of installation, superior wear under extremely heavy traffic conditions, or some combination of any of these factors. The best situation is when you have a blend of all of these: A great new look that is tough to duplicate by the competition, an easy-to-understand performance warranty, and a product relatively easy to install by a well-trained journeyman installer. With a new product make sure to do a test install. Get a small amount of the product from a willing mill rep and have one of your better installers do the install; watch him while he does it or have him fill out a detailed report that will showcase any abnormalities.

Perhaps you can do a favor for a deserving client by giving a “no charge” installed product and have him observe the product over a stated period of time. Most manufacturers are more than willing to provide a small amount of product for testing and/or for a worthy cause. Once you’ve nailed down what you hope will be a winner, then it’s time to look at its sales appeal. There are plenty of products that will wear like iron, but flunk the visual appeal or likeability test. Everyone agrees that it will wear until it is thrown out because “we just need a new look.” I’ve seen products that were boring or were just like 50 other items with similar color lines. Sales appeal not only refers to a visual but a visceral appeal, something hard to describe but very real. As any designer will tell you, it’s the type of product that will just “pop” and add synergy to the rest of the overall design concept.

What about the profit potential for you and your team? An outstanding product with dynamite sales appeal, but one being sold by all of your competitors, or with a poor pricing structure does not bode well as a product winner. Ideally, the manufacturer should offer you a period of exclusivity or limited distribution and a pricing structure that will provide above average profit for you. If you don’t have an edge, how can you possibly justify the expense of the campaign to promote a new product winner?

It is foolhardy to tie your success to one item that may have limited appeal.

Make sure you have a written understanding or some record of the agreement between you and the mill. Each of you will be taking a chance. The mill will want to make sure you are up to the task of giving their product the proper promotion, and you want to make sure the mill will support you with the right pricing, promotional or advertising allowances, train your installers, and deliver a high-quality product on time so as to make you credible. Where do you find these winners? First, develop the habit of always looking for something new and exciting. Perhaps you’re taking a walk through the local mall with your spouse and see a new Circle 7 on Information Card

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by Dave Stafford

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CORK is healthy.

store opening. Take a few moments to look at the overall design, blend of colors, and flooring choices. See anything unusual, or a different way products are being used together? Does the design make sense, or does it look thrown together? When thinking about the store and its primary product, does the blend of flooring products enhance and support this? Attend regional trade shows or special product showings from your suppliers. An outstanding annual trade show opportunity is Surfaces; here, you’ll have a wonderful array of the very latest, greatest, best and brightest ideas for covering the floor. Along with new products are ways to accomplish installation in record time with minimal disruption for your client. Read all of the trade publications to see the latest new product introductions; read the advertisements, announcements and

Nothing but nothing beats showing off your intended new product line and getting feedback.

articles featuring the newest styles, designs, and color lines. Often, you will see something exciting that can spark a new idea well before your mill rep comes by to do a product introduction. New installation methods may also provide a winner, too. Perhaps your newest winner came about because of the frustration of handling carpet installation in the occupied office environment. There is nothing more daunting than having a willing client ready to buy new carpet, and finding out that several hundred modular workstations are sitting on the old, existing carpet. A system for lifting modular furniture was designed to avoid moving and lifting the furniture, while speeding the new carpet installation. In another case, a flooring contractor found that he could install new carpet over old carpet that had been previously direct glued to va tile and avoid, at least temporarily, asbestos abatement. By careful use of the right adhesive sheeting to adhere the new carpet, the client was able to avoid having to shut the premises down. This opened the

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by Dave Staffor d

door for a high-security project that could not afford a complete shutdown and gave him an additional sales tool in a variety of markets. A new service offering like asset maintenance, including carpet and hard surface cleaning, water damage restoration or other emergency services can also provide a winning addition to your product line. This service segment may also have the added advantage of using your existing client list and targeting your marketing to satisfied clients. The easiest sale you can make is an add-on to the sale you just made.

Contact Your Representative Gray LaFortune Executive Director [email protected]

Jeffrey Pompadur Hawaii and Pacific Dir. [email protected]

Dave Gobis Technical Consultant [email protected]

Ralph Williamson Southwest Dir. [email protected]

Paul Wilson Asst. Executive Director [email protected]

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One company found it relatively easy to increase their bottom line through a small charge for waste disposal; heretofore they had just absorbed the landfill or waste collection fees. When they were able to promote a dual initiative of handling waste through recycling and waste to energy, they found their clients more receptive to a small increased cost. Be open to new ideas. The right one can make your year and extend your dominance in the commercial nft sector. ●

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TEC Surface Prep products are formulated to emit zero to low VOCs contributing to LEED® point calculations. LEED® is a registered trademark of U.S. Green Building Council.

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Resilient Market Trends Study:

Resilient Flooring Segment Picking Up Steam Our exclusive survey of 211 retailers finds the resilient floor category is changing its product mix. Resilient flooring sales rose to an average 15 sales per month in 2010 – up one from 2009.

by Michael Chmielecki, associate editor Clockwise from upper left: Mannington Commercial’s Progressions vct; Armstrong’s Duality collection; and FreeFit lvt in Pioneer Oak installed at the Solivita Active Retirement Community, Poinciana, Fl.

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ur 2011 NFT Resilient Market Trends Study found that more retailers/dealers are finding the resilient category profitable. Forty-nine percent of the 134 respondents said that resilient flooring remains profitable (up 16% from 2010); 32% said conditions were about the same (compared to 40% in 2010). Only 19% said the segment seems to be less profitable (compared to 27% in 2010). According to respondents, carpet leads the pack with 37% of total sales, followed by resilient (16%), ceramic tile (14%), wood (13%), laminate (11%), area rugs (5%) and stone (5%). Carpet also takes up 40% of the most total floor space in showrooms trailed by resilient (14%), ceramic tile (13%), wood (12%), laminate (11%), area rugs (6%) and stone (6%). (Chart 1.) Resilient flooring (22%), carpet (21%), hardwood (20%), ceramic tile (16%), and laminate (13%) were the fastest growing product category sold in 2010. Resilient sales were strongest in residential replacement (52%), followed by contract/commercial (20%), residential builder/new construction (20%), and Main Street commercial (9%). The average resilient sales generated each month dipped slightly compared to 2010. Last year, 15 sales were generated a month; this year respondents have tallied 12 sales a month. However, average ticket prices for resilient flooring have increased. The mean for 2011 is $1,834, a slight rise from the $1,798 in 2010. The annual sales volume for the category has also risen to $288,774 this year compared to $246,025 in 2010. Fiberglass reinforced vinyl is significantly more likely to be sold than luxury vinyl tile, tile, linoleum, or homogeneous sheet. Since 2008, resilient sheet is significantly less likely to be sold. In 2010, resilient sheet posted the higher sales (32%), while fiberglass reinforced vinyl only represented 20% of total sales. (Chart 2.) In all, 49% of respondents believe that 2011 resilient flooring sales will increase; 38% think it will remain the same and 13% predict a decrease. Top reasons for an expected increase included: Economy, increase in building, lower sales in other segments, cost-effective, more popular among consumers, new products, consumer confidence, and good quality. Reasons for a decrease included: Consumers want different flooring types, economy, business is down, and prices. Attributes that affect the decisions to sell/promote a particular brand included: Product reliability/ quality (60%), product design and styling (39%), ease of installation (31%), durability (27%), product availability (26%). Seventeen percent of respondents always recommend resilient flooring to their customers, a significant decrease compared to 23 percent in 2010. Fifty-seven percent said they recommend it often (compared to 56% in 2010); 25% said they recommend it

1

Floor Space Devoted to Products 40% 41% 40%

Carpet 14% 15% 14%

Resilient

13% 15% 16%

Ceramic Tile

12% 13% 14%

Wood

11% 10% 11%

Laminate 6% Area Rugs

3% 3%

Stone

3% 3%

6%

0%

10%

20%

2011

2

30%

2010

40%

2009

Resilient Flooring Sales By Category 26%

Fiberglass reinforced vinyl

20% 18% 22%

Resilient Sheet

32% 31% 17% 16% 17%

Luxury vinyl tile

17% 15% 18%

Tile

11% 7% 8%

Linoleum

6% 6% 7%

Homogeneous sheet Other

1% 3% 1%

0%

20%

2011

40% 2010

60% 2009

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2011 Top Selling Brands of Resilient Flooring Armstrong

28%

Mannington

27% 12%

Congoleum Tarket/Nafco

9%

IVC/Flexitec/Earthscape

5%

Forbo

3%

Amtico

2%

EarthWerks

2%

Metroflor/Konecto

2%

Karndean

1% 10%

Other

0%

sometimes (compared to 20% in 2010). Only 1% of respondents said they never recommend resilient flooring, the same

10%

20%

30%

percentage as last year. Resilient flooring customers are rating the product favorably. Thirty-nine percent

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of respondents said their customers think the maintenance characteristics of resilient flooring are excellent. Other characteristics that resilient flooring customers rate as excellent include durability (29%), quality (28%), selection/styling (27%) and price (21%). Maintenance, durability and quality have all significantly increased since 2010. In order of frequency, the top 10 concerns resilient flooring customers have about the product are: denting/ holes/scratching/tears, cleaning, bubbles in floor, maintenance/care, seam, discoloration, installation problems, underlayment issues, durability and price. Armstrong and Mannington are the top-selling brands of resilient flooring this year, cited by 28% and 27% of respondents respectively. (Chart 3.) Topselling fiberglass resilient vinyl flooring brands include: IVC/Flexitec/Earthscape (23%), Armstrong (22%), Mannington (15%) and Tarkett/Nafco (13%). While there is no top-selling luxury vinyl tile brand, one-in-five respondents indicate Armstrong and Mannington as their top selling brand. The top-selling rubber flooring brand is Johnsonite nft (37%) followed by Roppe (20%). ●

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This article is a snapshot of a new comprehensive study examining the resilient flooring market. The conclusions are based on the opinions and preferences of floor covering retailers who agreed to participate in the survey. The survey was conducted and findings were compiled by BNP Media Market Research. A total of 134 qualified respondents completed the entire survey between March 9 and March 25, 2011. This in-depth research study provides up-to-date information on key issues and market trends analyzed over a seven-year period, beginning in 2003. The comprehensive trended report is available from BNP Media Market Research. For information about ordering, or to find out more about any specific study detail, contact Steven George at [email protected].

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Flooring can handle the toughest scrutiny of surgical and physical therapy rooms as well as healthcare walkways, yet offer a style that’s catching on everywhere. Plus, it’s ready for immediate foot traffic when installed with our new Spray-GripTM adhesive for rubber or vinyl tile. Whether your needs are anti-bacterial or all about design, FLEXCO® flooring ng brings bring performance and design to keep facilities in top condition.

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D esigns in Style I

by Annette Callari A.S.I.D.

Commercial Designs Demand Longevity

It’s difficult to find any upside to the lingering effects of this recession, but there is one significant positive: The economy has forced flooring retailers to become better well-rounded, product-savvy professionals. Researching products thoroughly to match the right product to the right application is critical.

Annette Callari is a highly regarded interior design and color expert with over 24 years of residential and commercial design experience. She currently serves as sales specialist for Amtico International in southern California, working with architects, designers, and key retailers. She is an allied designer with the American Society of Interior Designers, chair holder for Color Marketing Group International, and has authored numerous articles on color and design trends. She holds a degree in Interior Design from Fullerton College in Southern California, and a Professional Writers Certificate from Cal State University, Fullerton.

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n many cases, the retailers’ customer base has expanded to include a larger segment of Main Street and mainstream commercial. Given that fact, it’s important to realize that commercial customers are searching for designs that have a timeless quality to them, and the only way to achieve that is to specify products with longevity. By longevity, I am referring to sustainable products built for years of use, enduring colors, and total environments that have “staying power.” More than ever, interiors need to remain relevant and functional for an extended number of years, providing a quantifiable return on investment. Creating designs with longevity has become a universal trend, and whoever is responsible for specifying floor coverings (that may very well be you) needs to take that trend seriously. Flooring is the foundation of any design and a major item in the design budget. Choosing the right product goes beyond aesthetics, as function, ease of replacement, and product lifespan have become guiding factors. I’d like to share a good example of a retailer specifying the right product for the right application. Bixby Knolls Carpets in Orange, Calif., shared with me a recent corporate installation they did for the strategic center of Farmers & Merchants Bank. I was invited to visit this high-tech 25,000 sq. ft. facility in Southern California. The twostory building featured large open areas, with individual offices positioned around the perimeter. Raised access flooring over a concrete foundation housed electrical wires, phone lines and even air conditioning vents circulating compressed air. Jim Snodgrass, owner of Bixby Knolls, and sales specialist Lon Beard identified the ideal product for this type of new construction. They specified

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large-format carpet tiles, which would be well proportioned to the expansive open areas. Shaw/ Designweave’s Plush Linen was the product of choice. The striated 24” square tiles were quarter turned to add visual interest, and they carried the space beautifully. This retailer did his research on what the client needed, both aesthetically and functionally. Here’s the analysis that led them to their final choice, since the flooring material needed to meet the following very specific criteria. 1. Facilitate accessibility to wiring and fixtures beneath the raised access floor. 2. Allow for the replacement of damaged tiles in the future without workplace disruption (also with the intent of extending the aesthetic lifespan of the floor covering). 3. Display excellent styling and

Designweave’s Dash was used in the conference room and coordinated with the broadloom throughout the rest of the building.

by Annette Callari

subtlety of pattern suitable for a large open area. 4. Provide ease of maintenance and cleanability. 5. Meet the need for anti-static properties (electrostatic propensity less than 3.5 KV permanent conductive filament). 6. Address durability (28 oz. 1/12 gauge construction, multi-level pattern loop pile construction supports high traffic patterns). Two complementary colors were intermixed. The main open areas were done in Lustrous Oyster, while Turkish Angora was chosen for the adjacent offices. The corporate environment creates installation challenges that must be addressed. The larger the commercial project, the more restrictive the installation guidelines become. Hospitality, medical facilities, universities, corporate installations—all have unique requirements and specific times when installations can be done with the least amount of disruption. This could very well be one reason why carpet tiles are a favored choice. Installations can be done incrementally, a section at a time. Also, since there is minimal cutting, it eliminates the need for a staging area. For multi-story buildings, delivering the carpet to upper floors is much easier utilizing tiles rather than broadloom. When raised access flooring is not a consideration, commercial grade broadloom carpet in a glue-down installation is very functional. As the interior designer for a new commercial building in Irvine, Calif., I analyzed the floor plans carefully before specifying a carpet. This building had oversized windows and the flooring would be exposed to excessive natural light. For that reason, I chose a

Below: The offices in the Farmers & Merchants Bank used Shaw/ Designweave’s Plush Linen striated 24” square tiles. The tiles were quarter turned to add visual interest.

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Above: Kraus Flooring’s Neolithic broadloom with companion modular tiles, Forces of Nature.

solution-dyed nylon with fade resistant properties. To add the longevity factor to the selection, I chose a carpet with a tweed-like coloration in a low-profile loop construction. Nylon handles high-traffic areas beautifully, and the multicolor tweed has been very forgiving in hiding soil. One designer tip I’d like to pass along, especially as flooring budgets are pretty tight these days: Consider choosing a valuepriced carpet for individual offices and open work areas in a commercial building. Then upgrade the carpet where it counts the most: Lobby areas, guest conference rooms—areas where it will have the most impact and highest visibility. Upgrading the conference room carpet is exactly what I recommended for the Irvine building. It was done in Designweave’s Dash, which coordinated with the broadloom throughout the rest of the building. Speaking of broadloom and tile coordinates, be sure to check out Kraus Flooring’s (www.krausflooring.com) Neolithic broadloom and companion modular tiles from the Forces of Nature collection. I found this collection to have an outstanding color line and styling. Without a doubt, carpet tiles have earned their place in the corporate world where flexibility and accessibility reign supreme. While the residential market remains unpredictable, the commercial sector of floor covering has become even more important. To many retailers, it has become a stabilizing factor for their business. It will be well worth your time to request updates on modular carpet tile lines from your manufacturer/distributor partners. High style and designer-level color lines await you. Researching and analyzing product is still the key to specifying correctly, and the ultimate key to satisfying your commercial customer’s nft long-term needs. ●

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What You Need to Know About California AB 2398 by Michael Chmielecki, associate editor

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mplementation for AB 2398 is right around the corner as flooring retailers/ contractors selling carpet in California, and/or shipping it into the state, will be required to collect 5 cents per square yard from customers, beginning July 1. The requirement is part of California’s AB 2398 bill, which was passed last September and is designed to incentivize carpet recycling within the state. AB 2398 covers both residential and commercial carpet (broadloom and carpet tile) sold or shipped into California. It does not include rugs, underlayment, carpet cushion, samples or synthetic turf. Additionally, any carpet that is sold/installed outside of the state is not subject to the assessment; final sales and installations outside of California can be refunded with an exemption form. “If you [a retailer] sold carpet to an installer located in California, you would

assess that installer. If he then sells the carpet into Nevada, he would provide you an exemption form and you would return that assessment to him. Then you would provide that exemption up to the manufacturer for credit,” explained Georgina Sikorski, Carpet America Recovery Effort’s (CARE) exec. dir. The manufacturer would also be refunded, through a quarterly remittance statement sent to the outside accounting firm HAW, she added. CARE is the carpet stewardship organization assigned by the state’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), and will distribute the assessments to first-line carpet recycling processors as an incentive for them to develop and invest in new recycling and diversion technologies. The assessment does not cover the full costs of recycling, Sikorski noted.

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What AB 2398 means for retailers Beginning July 1, manufacturers will invoice retailers 5 cents per square yard. The retailer must then pass the assessment onto their customers as a separate, aftertax line item on the customer invoice. CARE recommends the line item be labeled as “CA Crpt Stewardship Assessment.” Retailers in California may only sell carpets from manufacturers in compliance with AB 2398. CalRecycle (www.calrecycle.ca.gov) will post a list of manufacturers in compliance on its

Above: CARE’s Consumer education materials covering AB 2398 include brochures and signage. CARE will also be mailing out postcards to retailers.

2010 VIrtual Event

EXCELLENCE AWARD

Best Social Media Integration BNP Media has received the 2010 Virtual Event Excellence Award for Best Social Media Integration. The Virtual Event Excellence Awards are given to companies that have set new standards for excellence with their cutting-edge virtual events. The Virtual Event Excellence Awards, jointly sponsored by ON24 and the Social Media Academy, were created to recognize those organizations that pushed the boundaries of virtual communication and defined best practices for the industry. Five Virtual Event Excellence Awards were given for 2010, honoring the best in virtual event innovation, best user experience, best virtual briefing center, best in social media integration and best in virtual training. BNP Media was recognized for utilizing social media, including Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, to familiarize the target audience, attract attendees, and deliver an engaging interactive experience to virtual event novices. To connect with your customers through a virtual event, contact Sarah Gorajek, Online Events Manager, at (248) 786-1671 or [email protected].

http://portfolio.bnpmedia.com/virtual

Above: Georgina Sikorski, CARE’s exec. dir.

website. Retailers and distributors (wholesalers) are required to monitor the list. If a manufacturer is not listed, they are asked to contact their mill sales representative or CARE (www. carpetrecovery.org) directly. Retailers’ carpet inventory purchased before the assessment was implemented must still include the assessment to consumers for any carpet sold in California, beginning July 1. The assessment

must be remitted to HAW. Retailers will only submit funds directly to HAW during this transition period. Retailers/contractors must also include the assessment as part of the purchase price when selling to general contractors. Retailers picking up the carpet in another state and bringing it to California for sale must inform the manufacturer at the time of pick up that the product will be sold in California so the assessment can be added. The legislation also requires that retailers retain their sales records for three fiscal years. CalRecycle is responsible for approving manufacturers’ stewardship plans, checking progress on the laws goals, and providing oversight and enforcement. At press time, Sikorski said that she is not aware of any manufacturers that are submitting their own stewardship plans. Anyone not found in compliance – including manufacturers, retailers and distributors – can be penalized up to $1,000 per day, or $10,000 per day if non-compliance is found to be knowing, negligent or intentional. CARE has developed a set of consumer educational materials. The materials include a customer point-of-purchase brochure (with a Spanish version available online), a showroom placard to hold the brochures, a window cling and a PowerPoint presentation. Additional consumer education materials are available from manufacturers. For more information, visit www.carpetrecovery.org/AB2398. nft php, or contact CARE or CalRecycle directly. ● ®

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When: For times and dates please visit: www.moisturewebinar.com or email [email protected] or call 541.582.0541. Registration: This webinar is available by invitation only and online seating is limited. Please contact Wagner Electronics today to reserve your seat for this ground-breaking presentation.

Special Green Section

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National Floor Trends

National Floor Trends magazine presents a special section of green products and services from some of the top manufacturers in the floor covering industry. The section also highlights some of the latest green news from across the industry.

Green Company Showcases: US Floors ......................................................... 26 MAPEI .............................................................. 27 FLEXCO ........................................................... 28 W.F. Taylor ....................................................... 29 Custom Building Products ................................ 30 Roppe ............................................................... 31 Healthier Choice Premium Carpet Cushion & Acoustic Solutions ..................................... 32 Johnsonite ........................................................ 33

Green Matters News ...........................34 Green Product Review ........................35 Green Product Guide ..........................38

Green Guide

Case

USF Contract

TAKING NATURAL CORK® TO THE EXTREME! By: Gary Keeble, LEED AP

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efore it was used as a flooring material, natural cork had a long and distinguished history as an agricultural product. In ancient times, cork bark was used to for sandal soles, food storage containers, and floats for fishing nets. There are mentions of cork and its uses in ancient documents and literature from as far back as 400 BC. The development of agglomerated cork in the 19th century led to the use of cork as a flooring material. In addition to residential applications, cork flooring could be found in schools, public spaces and businesses. Cork flooring remained popular until the 1950’s when other flooring materials such as vinyl and linoleum emerged. However, cork is once again back in favor as a floor covering as consumers, seeking more environmentally friendly flooring materials, are also discovering the performance and aesthetic benefits of cork. Today, cork flooring is created primarily from the postindustrial by-product of the bottle-stopper industry. This ‘waste’ material is ground up and then formed into sheets using minimal amounts of adhesive to bind the particles together under high pressure. The size, quantity, and type of cork granule in conjunction with varying degrees of pressure make the difference between “bulletin board” material and material suitable for flooring applications. Natural cork floors combine the best characteristics of hard surface and soft surface flooring. Cork Décor: EXTREME ENGINEERING USFContract’s Cork Décor from Natural Cork® takes traditional cork flooring and adds extreme durability to create

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a collection of eco-friendly flooring designed to perform in the most demanding commercial applications. What sets Cork Décor apart from traditional cork flooring is its uniquely engineered finish. Cork Décor is finished with Endura AR+ Nano™, an advanced generation surface coating incorporating nano-technology to produce durability ratings not typically found in traditional cork floors. The high performance attributes are achieved by applying an acrylic nano bead lacquer finish to the surface of the vinyl clad cork core. The nano beads are embedded into the top layer to provide improved scratch, scuff, stain, and slip resistance. Cork Décor also utilizes Acrodur®, a water based binder that significantly reduces the level of emissions without compromising the technical performance of the floor. The vinyl backing provides dimensional stability and strength to the Cork Décor tiles making it highly resistant to tearing and moisture. EXTREMELY GREEN Natural Cork® Cork Décor Tiles are certified by the very stringent GreenGuard® Children and Schools Indoor Air Quality certification program for low emitting interior building materials, furnishings, and finish systems. GreenGuard Children & Schools Certified products can also be used as a strategy to earn valuable credits in the CHPS Best Practices Manual for K-12 schools, U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System, Green Guide for Healthcare, NAHB Green Building Guidelines, Green Globes, Regreen and many other local green building codes.

Green Guide

Case

Mapei

Greener Formulas Improve the Environment

By: Diane Choate

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he latest technological advancements in flooring adhesives include formula changes to existing products that incorporate new research discoveries. These changes are represented by innovations such as dual-function products, phthalate-free and Isocyanate-free formulas and by the use of rapidly-renewable raw materials. There have also been new developments in response to recent trends in floor coverings. MAPEI continuously reviews its formulations in light of changing and emerging technologies to improve our products for installers and end users. A major influence in recent developments has been the emphasis on formulating products that have a greater focus on environmental sustainability. For example, replacing phthalate plasticizers with rapidly renewable raw materials produces a more environmentally

conscious product and reduces the manufacturer’s carbon footprint required for production. MAPEI’s new family of Ultrabond ECO urethane wood adhesives incorporates these innovative formulations. Dual-function adhesives that can control moisture from a subfloor and bond in a single step help address the requirements of fast-track construction and high-moisture-content slabs. Previously, these conditions had to be addressed with multiple products used sequentially. The saying goes, “time is money”, and saving time often means saving a lot of money. Ultrabond ECO 995 combines an effective moisture barrier with a superior wood flooring adhesive into one application, saving contractors time and money. MAPEI has just released a unique new carpet adhesive designed to adhere new carpet backing systems that are totally recyclable. MAPEI’s Ultrabond ECO 885 can be used for both carpet

tile and broadloom products and can be used for both permanent and releasable installations. The use of post-consumer recycled content in place of traditional mineral-type fillers in Ultrabond ECO 885 adds to its “green” contribution. To learn more about MAPEI’s Ultrabond ECO line of eco-friendly adhesives for carpet, wood and resilient, visit www.mapei.com.

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Green Guide

Case

Flexco

Green Matters By: Melissa Quick

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iving in the age of sustainable design, one has to look at the entire concept of LEED and what we can contribute as a manufacturer. As one of the few manufacturers of rubber and vinyl products within the same facility in the U.S., we have been faced with a few road blocks in terms of finding a recycling program that we can use to divert waste from landfills; however, from a company standpoint we are working very hard to make this happen in the very near future as part of our environmental goals. On the other hand, while we realize that flooring is a very small portion of the LEED process in attaining certification for buildings – we still make every effort to try and work in as much recycled content and renewable resources as possible without jeopardizing the quality of products that you have come to know from Flexco. All but one product that Flexco has in their line contributes to the “Enviroflex” product branding of green products. We have come a long way in a short period of time. Times are changing and we have to be open to new practices and policies to be successful in the marketplace. We also understand that when someone is working on getting certifications that they need to have every aspect of the product available for quick review and be able to choose products that meet the needs for their applications. That’s why Flexco has partnered with ecoScorecard to make all of

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our flooring product information available at your fingertips versus having to wait on an e-mail or call back from someone to give you the information that you need. The ecoScorecard information is available via the Flexco website at www. flexcofloors.com. Not only can you access the recycled content, renewable resource information, harvest and extraction points but you can actually print the submittal documents needed for your projects with very little time spent. From a company standpoint, we are working very hard throughout our manufacturing facility to move toward the green effort. Years ago we were not sure what kind of path we were taking as far as being a sustainable company, but today we have clear goals throughout our organization to continue our efforts and know that they will make a difference to future generations. Through multiple efforts of our employees, we have come up with various ways to save energy and cut down on water usage. The savings from this effort has been tremendous and has allowed us to maintain expenses through such touch economic times over the past 18 to 24 months. On April 8, 2010, Flexco was recognized by Scientific Certification Systems with FloorScore® Certification. Developed by the Resilient Floor Covering Institute, FloorScore tests and certifies hard surface flooring and flooring adhesive products for compliance with rigorous indoor air quality emissions requirements. Individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are evaluated using health-based specifications. Products bearing the FloorScore label meet the indoor air emissions criteria of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS), LEED® Green Building Rating Systems, and the Green Guide for Health Care. Flexco has three manufacturing facilities with a distribution warehouse in Tuscumbia Alabama, where all of our products are shipped from. We carry a wide variety of floor covering products to cover any type of application from the most widely abused floors of the healthcare and education industry to the retail and hospitality community. Flexco has been providing floor covering to all 50 states and abroad for more than 60 years. We would like to thank you for your continued support and assure you that “Green does matter to us”.

Green Guide

Case

W.F. Taylor

Taylor Meta-Tec® MS-Plus Advance™ Wood Flooring Adhesive By: Mihir Gandhi

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ever satisfied with the status quo, W. F. Taylor introduces its new Taylor Meta-Tec® MS-Plus Advance™ Wood Flooring Adhesive. With the introduction of this advanced next generation adhesive, W.F. Taylor has enhanced its highly successful 100% solids Meta-Tec® MS-Plus modified silane polymer Wood Flooring Adhesive to offer even higher performance and greater user friendliness. In addition to excellent bonding properties for all types of wood flooring and bamboo, Taylor Meta-Tec MS-Plus Advance™ now offers excellent Concrete Moisture Inhibition and Sound Deadening properties in a single one coat application - using the Taylor Glide-On trowel, available through W.F. Taylor. Further enhancements such as Crack Isolation (up to 1/8 inch) along with extension of the working time to lay into the adhesive up to 70 minutes (depending on job site conditions). Trowel ridge retention has been improved to create better handling and troweling and improved adhesive transfer to the back of the flooring. This improved MS-Plus ADVANCE™ RHEOLOGY now offered in four

gallon pails gives the user the ability to ship 50% more adhesive per pallet, saving on freight and number of units required for the installation. Taylor Meta-Tec® MS Plus Advance™ Wood Flooring Adhesive retains all of the outstanding properties that have made it the most advanced wood-flooring adhesive on the market. Taylor Meta-Tec® MS-Plus Advance™ may be used to install all types of wood and bamboo flooring. Meta-Tec® MS-Plus Advance™, along with Taylor 2071 and Taylor 2051, are the only wood flooring adhesives certified by the GREENGUARD® Environmental Institute for low VOC’s, thus meeting all indoor air quality requirements, and earning LEED credits. The inclusion of the patented Meta-Tec® cross-linking chemistry with modified silane polymer moisture cure properties give Taylor MS-Plus Advance™ a unique dual curing system that is unmatched by any other modified silane polymer based products currently on the market. For further information, please visit W.F. Taylor Company’s newly designed website at www.wftaylor.com www.ntlfloortrends.com I June 2011 ● 29

Green Guide

Case

Custom Building Products

Don’t Just Go Green. Go EMERALD.

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ustom® Building Products is proud to introduce our new Emerald System – Custom’s complete system of environmentally responsible tile and stone installation products that takes environmental responsibility beyond the current standard.

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The Emerald System expands our Build Green® program by solving some of today’s critical issues regarding the practice of green building: Our Emerald System takes environmental responsibility to a whole new level Issue: Overlapping green building agencies cause some confusion regarding which initiatives are needed for compliance. The landscape is changing on a regular basis with regional and national organizations making rules and

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recommendations regarding environmental manufacturing practices and products. Solution: All Emerald System products have recycled material content and low VOC content for compliance with all major green building initiatives. This eliminates any question as to whether any of the products are compliant. Lifetime Installation Warranty Issue: There are warranty concerns over products with recycled materials. Will products with recycled material perform equivalent to products that are produced with conventional materials? Solution: All Emerald System products tie into our existing warranty system. When used as a complete system, these products are eligible for our Lifetime Warranty guaranteeing your installation will be free from defects for up to a lifetime.

Greenhouse Gases Issue: It is believed that the main contributor to global warming is the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, with the largest contributor being carbon dioxide (CO2). Many industrial processes emit CO2 into the environment — the most prominent being the manufacture of Portland cement. Portland cement is used in most major construction, including installation of ceramic tile. Solution: The Emerald System is the first installation system to contribute to a long-term solution to the emission of CO2 resulting from Portland cement production by offering Carbon Offset Credits. By utilizing a full Emerald System of underlayment, thin-set mortar, and grout, Custom will obtain Carbon Offset Credits from TerraPass. TerraPass then uses the funds to support projects that reduce CO2 emissions, to help stop global warming and its affect on our environment. Please visit our website at www. customemeraldsystem.com to learn more about our complete installation system of products within our Emerald System.

Green Guide

Case

Roppe

Roppe Introduces New IMPACT Rubber Products Recycling Program By: Dee Dee Brickner

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OSTORIA, Ohio — Roppe Corporation proudly promotes IMPACT, its rubber products recycling program. As a leader of product innovation, quality and color options in the commercial flooring products industry, Roppe has done extensive research to put together a program that meets the strictest requirements for sustainability. Roppe’s rubber flooring products can be found in many of our oldest schools, churches, hotels, healthcare facilities, office buildings and more across the nation. When the facility decides to renovate the space and replace rubber products, it can easily be recycled within the Roppe’s IMPACT Recycling program that encourages building professionals – designers, contractors and owners – to Rethink + Reuse + Recycle = Responsibility. “We hope that this program will encourage the use of rubber flooring products among designers who have not considered rubber in the past due to the environmental concerns

at the end of the products life cycle,” said Dee Dee Brickner, Roppe Corp. marketing coordinator. Products are gathered at the jobsite and palletized or gathered in containers for return to our recycling partner, (a leader in recycling nontire rubber products in the Midwest) and are made into many different products. In the past, rubber products with adhesive were not able to be recycled. There was no real solution for those interested in recycling other than scrapping to remove the old adhesive prior to return for recycling. However, after extensive research and development, a new proprietary process was engineered that alleviates this problem. Brickner added: “Many of our contractor partners have expressed that the process will ultimately end up being cost neutral when considering the cost to landfill the products versus shipping them to our recycling partner. They also stated that much like the recycling pioneers in the carpet industry, Roppe’s rubber

recycling process on the jobsite will eventually become a standard practice among contractors.” The most popular products right now are municipal landscaping mulches, playground surfacing and rubber crumb for athletic fields and other applications. Specialty products such as pavers and edgings can also be made as needed. The rubber is treated with a new-age EPA approved adherent paint that is available is an array of eight dazzling colors. The result of this partnership is that potentially thousands of pounds of jobsite waste can be diverted each year from our already gorged landfills and repurposed into cost-effective products that simultaneously promote the environment while providing beautiful, durable landscaping alternatives or eyecatching playground surfaces – the cleanest and safest on the American market. The following products have been approved to be recycled: Pinnacle Rubber Base, AlphaBase®, BaseMates®, Pinnacle Plus Wall Base, Rubber Corner Blocks, Dimensions Rubber Tile, Smooth and Marbleized Rubber Tile, Raised Design Rubber Tile and Tread, SafeTcork® Rubber Tile and Tread, Fiesta® Rubber Tile and Tread, SafeTcork® Fiesta® Rubber Tile and Tread, Designer’s Choice® Rubber Tile, Spike/Skate Resistant Tile, Recoil Fitness Flooring, and Tuflex® Recycled Rubber Tile and Rubber Accessories.

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Green Guide

Case

Healthier Choice Flooring, LLC

Over 35 Years of Green Products That Perform

By Drew Holland, Marketing Manager, Healthier Choice Flooring, LLC

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ne of the greatest challenges of making a purchasing decision is choosing between products that perform and products that are green. We all want products that will hold up to the demands of everyday life, yet we also want to do what is right for our environment. More often than not we can only choose one. Fortunately, at Healthier Choice we make the decision easy. Healthier Choice™ premium carpet cushions and acoustical underlayments offer unrivaled performance and a remarkable green story. At the heart of our products is our extremely durable polyurethane memory foam. The unique cell structure of our foam acts like millions of miniature shock absorbers providing unrivaled comfort and protection for carpets and a lifetime of acoustical performance for laminate and wood floors. Our cushions offer the only lifetime “No-Crush” warranty, a 2X Warranty that doubles the texture retention warranty of any brand of residential

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carpet installed over it, and a unique warranty for hospitality applications that guarantees performance for two complete carpet installations. And our acoustical underlayments are warranted for a lifetime under any brand of laminate, engineered or hardwood floors to never lose their properties. This level of performance means that our products last longer, as well as extend the lifecycle of the primary floor covering installed over them, reducing landfill waste and increasing sustainability. Sustainability, however, is just one aspect of Healthier Choice’s green story. Our products are comprised of over 50% natural resources including rapidly renewable soybean oil. Replacing equal amounts of petrochemicals with ecofriendly soybean oil reduces global warming emissions by 36%; and nonrenewable energy use by 61%. Healthier Choice products offer the lowest VOC emissions of their type in the industry. They are CRI Green Label Certified but are also the only

cushions that are GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified®, passing the most stringent off-gassing criteria for low emitting building products. As the result of a focused continuous improvement program, Healthier Choice operates a “zero-landfill” production facility, processing all manufacturing waste for use in products with recycled content. And once our products have reached the end of their useful life they still have value. They are 100% post-consumer recyclable, right back into new products. Healthier Choice™ cushions and underlayments not only provide excellent performance they provide healthier indoor living and a greener, more sustainable environment. And the U.S Green Building Council agrees: Healthier Choice products contribute to multiple LEED credits including MR 6 - Rapidly Renewable Resources and EQ 4.3 - Low Emitting Product. To find out more about these excellent products please visit www.healthierchoice.com.

Green Guide

Case

Tarkett

Tarkett Recycled More Than 154 Million Pounds of Flooring Globally in 2009 By: Cindy Mansfield, Communication Manager Marketing, Tarkett Group

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ccording to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States has 3,091 active municipal landfills with 38 percent of landfill waste from construction and demolition activities annually. Vinyl composition tile (VCT) makes up 75 percent of the total commercial resilient floor market while creating one billion pounds of waste material sent to landfills. Tarkett has positively impacted these statistics through their ReUse/ReStart™ programs. ReUse/ReStart, a key component of Tarkett’s Balanced Choice philosophy, encompasses four distinct goals: creating people-friendly spaces, using better raw materials, practicing resource stewardship, and reusing and recycling. Launched in 2003, the ReUse/ReStart programs entail the recycling of installed flooring in the commercial market, installation waste and product samples. In Tarkett’s North American facilities, 19 million pounds of flooring were internally recycled. For 2010, the reclaimed and recycled volume is projected to hit 35 million pounds. The success of these programs is due in large part to the collaboration between Tarkett North America and its major customers to return installed flooring materials, including competitor’s products, to be recycled, remanufactured and then shipped back to the market as “new” tile. Postconsumer content is incorporated into the production of Tarkett VCT, specifically the Expressions and Azrock lines. All Azrock tiles contain pre- and post-consumer recycled content with standard and premium VCT containing a minimum of 20 percent and depending on color, up to

30 percent recycled content. Tarkett is working to further increase these levels. “The results to date have been extremely positive, demonstrating our program can significantly diminish the environmental impact of these materials well into the future,” says Diane Martel, Vice President, Environmental Planning and Strategy for Tarkett North America. Going forward, Tarkett is developing methods and creating opportunities for incorporating the waste stream into its full range of products, including commercial vinyl and rubber flooring and accessories and expanding beyond the commercial market into residential products as well. “Tarkett’s long-standing commitment to recycling and the dedication of our company and customers has helped drive the success of our program,” said Martel. “Tarkett is known for developing durable, high performance flooring solutions and as our product development capabilities increase, we will be able to maintain growth in not only recycling flooring, but in incorporating pre- and post-consumer recycled content into our products.” “We understand that each commercial project has unique environmental objectives, and our reclamation and reuse programs contribute to satisfying many of these sustainability needs. This is the essence of our Balanced Choice philosophy,” Martel concluded. About Balanced Choice Global sustainability is an integral part of the way Tarkett approaches every aspect of their business, from manufacturing to product development to shipping. It’s part of their core philosophy – Balanced Choice. It’s how the company works to build floors that enable customers to balance their impact on the planet, their people and their budgets. For more than 50 years, sustainability has been a key component of Tarkett’s strategy. Tarkett provides customers with a wide range of sustainable solutions that will work for any application. The company believes that sustainability is an ongoing effort and works to approach challenges and find solutions through Balance Choice. For more information, visit www.tarkett.com.

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06.11>Green Matters

sponsored by:

Latest Breaking News at www.ntlfloortrends.com

NSF/ANSI 140 Gold certification required by GSA for carpet

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he U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which serves as the purchasing arm of the U.S. government, now requires Gold Level certification to the NSF/ANSI 140 Sustainability Assessment for Carpet for all broadloom and carpet tile purchased through the GSA. Current GSA carpet suppliers have until Jan. 1, 2012, to certify

their products to NSF/ANSI 140 Gold Level in order for their carpets to be considered for purchase through the GSA. The move is part of GSA’s overall Sustainable Acquisition Goals, which mandate that 95 percent of all purchases made through the agency must meet sustainability requirements by the end of the year. “GSA recognition of NSF’s American National Standard for Sustainable Carpet in their purchasing specifications reflects positively on all the stakeholders who came together, from regulatory, industry and consumer organizations, to develop NSF/ANSI 140,” said Jane Wilson, director of standards for NSF International.

U.S. Dept. of Education launches Green Ribbon Schools program

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he U.S. Department of Education has created the Green Ribbon Schools program, to recognize schools that have taken great strides in greening their curricula, buildings, school grounds and overall building operations. The Green Ribbon School awards will be given to schools that best exemplify America’s transition to a sustainable economy, from graduating “environmentally literate” students to effectively managing their carbon footprint. The Green Ribbon program was conceived and coordinated by the Campaign for Environmental Literacy (CEL), Earth Day Network, the National

Wildlife Federation and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). “No other building type speaks more profoundly to the benefits of green building than the places where our children learn. Green schools reduce energy consumption, save money and foster healthier learning environments for our children,” said Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC president, ceo and founding chair. “The Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools program is a landmark in progress toward green schools for everyone within this generation, which is the vision for USGBC’s Center for Green Schools.”

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Green Building Association honors local central PA projects

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he Green Building Association of Central Pennsylvania recently recognized several area environmentally friendly buildings. Five businesses were honored for their professional contributions throughout Harrisburg/York. Award recipients were: El Associates, Harrisburg, for the Arthur W. Ferguson Elementary School in York (Sustainable Sites, Innovation in Design, and Overall Award for a Project under $5 Million categories); KD3 Design Studio Inc., Lemoyne, for a renovation of DCHA Gratz Park Terrace Apartments in Gratz (Energy & Atmosphere category); Office for Planning and Architecture, Harrisburg, for the Union County Energy Efficient Housing Program duplex in Lewisburg (Overall Award for a Project over $5 Million category); RLPS Architects, Lancaster, for additions and renovations to Pennswood Village, Barclay House in Newtown, Pa. (Indoor Environmental Quality category); and SMP Architects Inc., Philadelphia, for The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park in Howard (Water Efficiency and Materials & Resources categories). For more information, visit www.gbacpa.org.

CARE honors L.A. Fiber, Interface’s Nelson

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he Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) recently recognized two leaders from the post-consumer carpet recycling segment at the organization’s ninth annual conference in Amelia Island, Fla. Los Angeles Fiber was recognized as Recycler of the Year. Eric Nelson, vp Interface Americas, was named CARE Person of the Year. Los Angeles Fiber accepts post-consumer carpet and recycles it into synthetic carpet cushion through its sister company, Reliance Carpet Cushion. Recovered carpet that does not go into Reliance products is used in carpet fibers and backing, and engineered resins for automotive parts. Nelson was honored for his leadership as a carpet recycling advocate and member of the CARE board of directors.

Green Product Review

Chemque, Inc. Bostik Bostik’s “Low-VOC Product Portfolio” brochure should prove helpful to architects and owners required to provide validation from manufacturers of a product’s VOC compliance with the standard. This product can be obtained directly from Bostik in quanties you need to distribute to your customer base or can be downloaded from the www.bostikus.com For details, circle 111 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

Fortane™ continues to be a trusted leader in the Green Flooring Products industry and a true master in one-component adhesives and membranes. All Fortane™ products are Earth Approved™ and extremely easy to use. www.fortane.com For details, circle 145 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

LATICRETE Breathe easier and safer with LATICRETE green products, certified by GREENGUARD™, the industry leader in low VOC testing for residential and commercial construction. Available nationwide, LATICRETE green products contribute to LEED certification, meet commercial/residential low VOC building requirements, and are backed by the most comprehensive warranty in the industry. LATICRETE offers a wide array of low VOC products from waterproofing to crack suppression to thinbed adhesives to grout. www.laticrete.com For details, circle 147 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

Basic Coatings New Low-VOC Formula of StreetShoe Water Based Finish Available Basic Coatings is proud to announce StreetShoe 275, our new low VOC waterbased finish. Initially engineered for use in low-VOC states, the new low 275 VOC version of StreetShoe is now available nationwide. Now you can secure jobs in LEED-compliant buildings with stringent regulations. StreetShoe can be applied with a roller, t-bar, or paint pad. This finish flows extremely well. Just like the original StreetShoe, the 275 version produces no waste. Apply a coat of finish at night and resume foot traffic the next day. The waterbased finish comes in four sheens that can be applied in all environments – commercial, sports and residential. For more information about StreetShoe 275 call our Customer Service department at 1-800-441-1934 or visit www.basiccoatings.com. For details, circle 121 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

MAPEI Corporation Ultrabond ECO® 995 - Premium combo for moisture control and wood-flooring installation A single application of MAPEI’s new Ultrabond ECO 995 provides both superior bonding and moisture vapor emission control of up to 15 lbs. (6,80 kg) in MVER or 85% relative humidity. This single-component, 100%-solids, moisturecure urethane system is excellent for all types of wood flooring, including exotics and bamboo. Ultrabond ECO 995 utilizes MAPEI’s “greenest” technology and naturally renewable resources, resulting in an odor-free, phthalate-free installation that helps contribute points toward LEEDcertified projects. For detailed information, visit www.mapei.com.For details, circle 148 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

RB Rubber Products, Inc. RB Silent-Tread and RB Silent Tread XL (with moisture barrier), have been approved as an acoustical underlayment and crack suppressant for installation under most popular flooring types. These include hardwood, engineered glue down, floating laminate, and ceramic tile. www. rbrubber.com For details, circle 139 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

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US Rubber Recycling, Inc. Custom Building Products EBM-Lite™ Epoxy Bonding Mortar delivers high stain, chemical and impact resistance with superb handling characteristics. Formulated with CustomLite® Technologyit’s the first 100& solids epoxy contributing to LEED based on recycled content. Eligible for a Lifetime Systems Warranty. www.custombuildingproducts.com

RB Silent-Tread and RB Silent Tread XL (with moisture barrier), have been approved as an acoustical underlayment and crack suppressant for installation under most popular flooring types. These include hardwood, engineered glue down, floating laminate, and ceramic tile. www.rbrubber.com For details, circle 122 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

MP Global Products While many manufacturers in the flooring industry are changing their products to attract environmentally concerned customers, MP Global Products has always been “Green.” Each month, the company uses approximately 760 tons of recycled fibers from the carpet and textile industries that normally would have gone into landfills. “We didn’t have to reinvent ourselves to be green.” www.quietwalk.com For details, circle 125 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

US Floors Roppe Corporation Roppe Corporation, a leading manufacturer of rubber and vinyl commercial flooring headquartered in Fostoria, Ohio now has many products that are Floor Score certified and offers ecoScorecardSM online at www.roppe.com so you can easily gather the LEED documentation you need. For details, circle 140 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

USFLOORS Natural Bamboo® products are beautiful, renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable. To make a good thing even better, USFloors Natural Bamboo® products with Endura AR are the first and, as of now, the only bamboo flooring line that is GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certified as administered by GREENGUARD Environmental Institute an independent third-party certifier. www. usfloorsllc.com For details, circle 144 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

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WF Taylor Co., Inc. W. F. Taylor introduces its new Taylor Meta-Tec® MS Plus Advance Wood Flooring Adhesive. Certified by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute for low VOC’s, thus meeting all indoor air quality requirements, and earning LEED credits. www.wftaylor.com For details, circle 124 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

WW Henry HENRY® 430 Clear Pro™ Clear VCT Flooring Adhesive HENRY® 640 VinylLock™ Pressure Sensitive Vinyl Flooring Adhesive HENRY® 430 and HENRY® 640 best-inclass resilient flooring adhesives received the RFCI FloorScore® Certification. Both products already carry the CRI GreenLabel PlusCertification and are manufactured with GreenLine® Environmental Technology. In addition, to further enhance the industry best performance features of these premium adhesives that include coverage, working time and ease of use, both products were also recently announced with moisture resistance improvements up to 90% RH. HENRY, the most trusted brand in flooring adhesives for over 75 years remains fully committed to environmental and innovation leadership for new and existing products www.wwhenry.com For details, circle 154 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

Bona Bona’s dust containment and waterborne products have significantly reduced the health and environmental hazards of hardwood floor care. Bona was the first and only manufacturer in the industry to offer a complete hardwood floor finishing and floor care system, GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified™ www.bona.com For details, circle 153 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

Stauf

QT Sound Insulation QT Sound Insulation is made in the USA by ECORE International from 92% recycled rubber and is designed to solve almost any impact sound problem. QT is patented and can be used under all floor finishes or gypsum or full-weight concrete. www.qtsoundcontrol.com For details, circle 146 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

Johnsonite

Stauf introduces non-etching urethane adhesive

FLEXCO

Stauf Adhesives’s new PUM-950 PowerMastic urethane adhesive features a new formula that eliminates harmful isocyanates which etch the finish, leaving marks that cannot be removed, the company says. In addition, PUM-950 has twice the shear strength of the strongest competitor, is easier to clean and spread, and is a completely “green,” product, according to Stauf. www. staufusa.com For details, circle 152 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

Evolving Styles Rubber Tile & Sheet Evolving Styles Rubber Tile & Sheet offers great selection, as well as a quiet and extremely comfortable walking surface. Choose from two gauges, plus use FLEXCO Rubber Welding Beads to create a seamless installation for areas with strict requirements for added hygiene. Call FLEXCO at 1-800-633-3151, or visit www. flexcofloors.com. For details, circle 129 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

Using renewable resources to make a more sustainable wall base. That’s Balanced Choice. Walnut shells, oyster shells and vegetable oil are just some of the rapidly renewable resources used in our new Ecolibrium rubber wall base. At Johnsonite, we’re committed to delivering valuable flooring solutions that offer more than ROI. So if a sustainable, holistic approach to flooring is important to you, consider Ecolibrium rubber wall base from Johnsonite. www.johnsonite. com For details, circle 131 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

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Green Product Guide

Company Name: Basic Coatings Email: [email protected] Phone: (419) 725-3802 Type of Green Products: Professional Hardwood Maintenance Systems Green Products Brand Names: Tykote, StreetShoe 275

Company Name: Bostik Email: [email protected] Phone: (978) 750-7321 Type of Green Products: Setting Materials Green Product Brand Names: Ultra-Set® SingleStep™ Wood Flooring Adhesive, Moisture Protection & Sound Reduction Membrane; TruColor Pre-Mixed Grout; GreenFusion2™ Rubber Flooring Adhesive

Company Name: Chemque, Inc. Email: [email protected] Phone: (416) 679-5576 URL: www.fortane.com Type of Green Products: Wood Flooring Adhesive Systems Green Product Brand Names: Fortane LD™; Fortane One™; Fortane Zero™; Fortane MVS Ultra™; Fortane CL™

Company Name: Custom Building Products Phone: (800) 272-8786 Email: [email protected] Type of Green Products: Adhesives, Grouts, Mortars, Underlayments Green Product Brand Names: CEG-Lite Comemrcial Epoxy Grout; EBM-Lite Epoxy Bonding Mortar; EasyMat Tile & Stone Underlayment; LevelLite Self-Leveling Underlayment; OmniGrip Maximum Tile Adhesive; MegaLite and MegaLite Rapid Set Crack Prevention Mortar; ProLite and ProLite Rapid Set Tile & Stone Mortar; Prism Surecolor Grout

Company Name: EarthWerks/Swiff Train Co. Email: [email protected] Phone: (800) 275-7943 x8745 Type of Green Products: Luxury vinyl tile, Engineered hardwood Green Products Brand Names: Earthwerks

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Company Name: FLEXCO Email: [email protected] Phone: (800) 633-3151 x321 Type of Green Products: Resilient flooring, wall base, treads Green Products Brand Names: Entire FLEXCO line except FlexTerior Treads Appeal Vinyl Tile, Contract Vinyl Tile, Health Design Vinyl Tile, Logic Vinyl Tile, Conductive & Dissipative Vinyl Tile, Spextones Rubber Tile, Flextones Textured Rubber Tile, Distinct Designs Rubber Tile & Sheet, Evolving Styles Rubber Tile & Sheet, Tuflex Force Rubber Tile, Woodtones Premium Vinyl Plank, Prime Sports Flooring, Flex-Tuft Rubber Tile, Base Sculptures Wall Base, Wallflowers Wall Base, Vinyl Wall Base, Base 2000 Wall Base, Vinyl Accessories, Wood Elements Wall Base, Health Design Vinyl Base, Subleveler, Distinct Designs Rubber Stair Treads, Vinyl Stair Treads

Company Name: Johnsonite Email: [email protected] Phone: (440) 708-9238 URL: www.johnsonite.com Type of Green Products: ReStart Reclamation Program Green Product Brand Names: ReStart

Company Name: LATICRETE International, Inc. Email: [email protected] Phone: (800) 243-4788 Type of Green Products: Adhesives, Thin-set Mortars, Crack Suppression, Sound Control, Grouts, Underlayments, Waterproofing Membranes Green Product Brands Names: LATICRETE® SpectraLOCK® PRO PREMIUM Grout*, LATICRETE SpectraLOCK PRO Grout, LATICRETE SpectraLOCK 2000 IG, LATICRETE Glass Tile Adhesive; LATICRETE Hydro Ban™, LATICRETE 125 Sound & Crack Adhesive, LATICRETE 254 Platinum, LATICRETE 255 MultiMax™, LATICRETE PermaColor™ Grout, LATICRETE 9235 Waterproofing Membrane, LATICRETE 86 LatiLevel™, LATICRETE 3701 Fortified Mortar Bed, LATICRETE 3701 Mortar Admix/LATICRETE 226 Thick Bed Mortar, LATAPOXY 300 Adhesive, LATICRETE Hydro Barrier™, LATICRETE Sure Set™ , LATICRETE 253 Gold, LATICRETE 252 Silver, LATICRETE 272 Mortar, LATICRETE 317 Mortar, LATICRETE 220 Marble & Granite Mortar, LATICRETE 1776 Grout Enhancer, LATICRETE 1500 Sanded Grout LATICRETE 1600 Unsanded Grout, LATICRETE Blue 92 Anti-Fracture, Membrane/LATICRETE Crack Suppression Kit, LATAPOXY® 312 Vapor Reduction Membrane

Company Name: MAPEI Corporation Email: [email protected] Phone: (954) 246-8799 Type of Green Products: Floor Covering Installation Systems (FCIS) Green Product Brands Names: Ultrabond ECO 995 premium moisturecontrol, sound-reduction and wood-flooring adhesive; Ultrabond ECO 985 hybridpolymer-based, moisture-control and soundreducing wood-flooring adhesive Ultrabond ECO 975 professional urethane engineered-wood-flooring adhesive; Ultrabond ECO 885 premium polyolefinbacked carpet adhesive; Ultrabond ECO 810 professional carpet tile adhesive

Company Name: MP Global Products Email: [email protected] Phone: (888) 379-9695 Type of Green Products: Underlayment Green Products Brand Names: QuietWalk, QuietWarmth, Insulayment, FiberBacker

Company Name: QT Sound Insulation / ECORE International Email: [email protected] Phone: (866) 326-5712 URL: www.qtsoundcontrol.com Type of Green Products: QT Sound Insulation; recycled rubber impact sound underlayment Green Product Brand Names: QTscu, QTrbm

Company Name: RB Rubber Products Email: [email protected] Phone: (800) 525-5530 Type of Green Products: Flooring, underlayment Green Product Brands Names: RB Silent Tread, RB Silient Tread XL

Company Name: Roppe Corporation Email: [email protected] Phone: (800) 537-9527 Type of Green Products: Cove Base, Wall Base, Rubber Flooring, Vinyl Tile Green Products Brand Names: Pinnacle Rubber Base, Alpha Base, BaseMates, Pinnacle Plus, Rubber Corner Blocks,Rubber Treads, Vinyl Treads, Vinyl Accessories and Subfloor Leveler, 700 Series Wall Base, Vinyl Base, Rubber Tile, Spike/Skate Resistant Tile, SafeTcork Rubber Tile and Tread & Vinyl Tile, Fiesta Rubber Tile and Tread, Recoil Fitness Flooring, Tuflex Recycled Rubber Flooring, ESD Tile.

Company Name: WF Taylor Co., Inc. Email: [email protected] Phone: (951) 968-7087 Type of Green Products: Flooring Adhesives Green Product Brands Names: EnviroTec® Lines, Meta-Tec® Lines

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A rt of Retail Management I

by Sam Allman

How Strong is Your Employee Team?

Sam Allman is president of Allman Consulting and Training and serves as dean of Mohawk University. He is an internationally recognized motivational speaker, consultant, trainer and author who delivers inspiring programs in areas such as leadership, customer service, management development, team building, retail sales and personal quality management. He has developed many audio and video programs and has created hundreds of training and educational learning systems. He can be reached at (770) 4252142 or at sam@ allmanconsulting.com.

In sports, no team can win without a strong bench – the quality of its substitute players. No business can perpetuate itself either without a strong bench, i.e., competent employees ready to fill vacant leadership and other positions. To grow, survive and perpetuate in the future, a strong bench is critical. One Fortune 100 ceo said, “Every time I want to buy something or accelerate growth into new markets, I look down our bench and see that I don’t have the right players to play the key positions.” How strong is your bench?

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ecently, I was asked to facilitate and lead a workshop of Starnet members, the commercial flooring cooperative, at their meeting in Phoenix. The workshop, “The Next Generation Leader,” focused on how to prepare and nurture next generation leaders. There were over 100 Starnet members present, representing more than 60 companies in the audience. The interest was very high. Why did this come about? One day, according to Deb Esbenshade, vp member services, some members came to the realization that many of the leaders and owners of Starnet member companies were nearing retirement age. The looming question was, “What is being done to prepare for that change in leadership?” They realized that this leadership change could have a big impact on the cooperative, so they felt it was time to start addressing the issue head-on. Let’s face it, nothing is forever and no one gets out of this life alive! Some day every one of us will face the issue of succession, either in our businesses or in our personal lives. Mufasa, the king of the jungle inWalt Disney’s The Lion King, called it “the circle of life.” As the leader, what did Mufasa do? He spent much of his time teaching and mentoring his son Simba, in preparation for his succession to the throne. I have observed within the flooring industry that there is very little succession planning. I think many business owners have good intentions, but

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because of the demanding nature of business, they just don’t get to it. After all, new research from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that most business failures will occur in the first two years of their existence. Because of that, many owners have put their hearts and souls into assuring that their businesses survive. After that, as the rate of business failure slows, sheer habit keeps them intimately involved in the dayto-day operations. Because of that personal investment, it also becomes difficult for some owners to let go – to hand the reins to someone else. I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard, “this place will fall apart without me.” I may have even said that myself when I left our family business

Do you have a succession plan in place to continue the leadership of your business after you step down? Like any good team, you need to build a bench of go-to players for your business.

by Sam Allman 30 years ago. Do you think you are indispensible, even if it means not preparing the next generation of your company’s leaders? When I talk of management succession planning, I’m not talking about who will own shares or assets in the future; I’m talking about who’s going to do the dirty, thankless and countless tasks which make the business an asset worth preserving in the first place. I have also heard, many times, “No one cares like I care,” implying that no one works on the business as hard as I do.

Whether you plan to sell your business, use it as a way to fund your retirement or pass it on to your family, you should prepare your business to function well, produce profits and satisfy customers without you.

Whether you plan to sell your business, use it as a way to fund your retirement or pass it on to your family, you should prepare your business to function well, produce profits and satisfy customers without you. If your business doesn’t work well without you, you don’t own a business; you own a job! For most family and closely held businesses, planning for succession is one of the toughest and most critical challenges they face. Yet succession planning can also be a great opportunity to maximize opportunities and create a multi-generational institution that embodies the founder’s mission and

values long after he is gone. However, the odds are, without planning, it will not happen. Only about 30% of family and businesses survive into the second generation, 12% are still viable into the third generation, and only about 3% of all family businesses operate into the fourth generation or beyond. Succession planning is a process for identifying and developing internal people with the potential to fill key leadership positions in the company. Succession planning increases the availability of experienced and capable employees that are prepared to assume these roles as they become available. It’s building your bench. And it does matter. Leadership matters. As Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus said, “A business short on capital can borrow money, and one with a poor location can move. But a business short on leadership has little chance of survival.” Researchers at the Wharton School of Finance concluded that between 15% – 25% of the variation in a corporation’s profitability was determined by the character of their chief executives. Following are some questions to consider when creating a succession plan. Most critical is finding the next generation leader. Sometimes, the best leader may not be the most obvious choice. At one Starnet member company that person was recruited from one of their vendors. Make a list of the desired characteristics and key behaviors for which you are looking. Ask yourself, can this person make the tough decisions required to run a successful enterprise. Network, mentor current employees, expand their responsibilities and watch how they perform under pressure. Remember, success leaves clues. Begin the process well in advance. It you choose under pressure or urgency, you will always choose beneath your standards. Thoughtful consideration is a requirement. Then, how do you install leadership

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qualities in that individual? How do you train the next generation leader if they are just coming aboard or only have been in one department of the company and are not familiar with the other aspects of running the business? What are the most important aspects of the business to learn? Where do you start? What, and how much, support should the current leader provide the next generation leader? What other tools are there, or whom else should the next generation leader learn from, besides the current owner?

Ask yourself, can this person make the tough decisions required to run a successful enterprise.

In transitioning the business, what mistakes should be avoided? What are some really successful ideas to use when making the transition? How do you get customers to trust the next leader like they trust the current leader? Obviously, with some Starnet member companies the emphasis has shifted from planning job assignments to the development of their bench, with much greater focus on managing key experiences that are critical to growing their future business leaders. Are you building, strengthening and nurturing your bench? Eventually, nft you will need to! ●

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Left: Craig Poteet, Healthier Choice president, holds the Best New Product Award from Surfaces. Below: Healthier Choice’s Flexitions mouldings line.

After Winning Best New Product at Surfaces 2011, Flexitions Transition Mouldings Line Ready to Expand by Michael Chmielecki, associate editor

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ealthier Choice’s Flexitions line of flexible, stainable transition mouldings was chosen by industry experts, designers, and the editors and columnists of National Floor Trends, Floor Covering Installer and TILE Magazine as the Best New Product at Surfaces 2011 earlier this year. Craig Poteet, Healthier Choice president, said he was both honored and “at a loss for words” when the company won the award, which was presented by show organizer Hanley Wood.

According to Poteet, customers are requesting the Flexitions line not only for its ability to create curves, arches and radiuses, but because the product is extremely durable. “A Ritz-Carlton property in Southern California is installing the product not in a flexible configuration, but straight,” Poteet noted. “They were having problems where the wooden T-molds were cracking, and they found Flexitions to be more durable.” He said these types of installations

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are helping Healthier Choice expand the reach of Flexitions in the A&D community. The company plans to launch new marketing materials aimed at that side of the business. The company is also developing new versions of its Flexitions mouldings. Healthier Choice debuted its Flexitions Rigid line and showed prototypes of new mouldings for laminate flooring installations during Surfaces. “We’re still focusing on the flexible side, but we’re looking at the Rigid product as an opportunity to explore,” Poteet explained. The company is set to launch a full line of profiles for laminate flooring installations later this year, he added. Healthier Choice currently offers a prefinished program of 15 stains for Flexitions, along with an unfinished version with a flexible clear coat. Poteet said that people love that the product “looks like real wood when it’s stained; that’s the strongest sales feature that we have.” “Clearly, this was a product developed with care by Gary Hernandez, Sr. [Healthier Choice’s chief business officer and evp sales and marketing],” Poteet nft added. ●

06.11>Products 1

Florida Tile unveils Grandeur high definition porcelain line New from Florida Tile, Grandeur uses the latest digital printing technology to recreate the look and texture of Italian Breccia marble. Polished and rectified Grandeur is available in two colors in 17” by 17” and 8.5” by 17” formats. Natural Grandeur is available in four colors in 12” by 12”, 18” by 18” and 9” by 18” formats. For details, circle 250 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

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Amtico’s Stria LVT line recreates natural stone look New from Amtico, the Stria series of LVT is FloorScore certified for low-VOC content and includes a recycled material backing. Available in seven colors and 13 sizes, Stria has a ceramic finish with urethane coating and beveled edges. For details, circle 256 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

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Crossville debuts Bluestone Porcelain Stone tiles Crossville’s new Bluestone Porcelain Stone tile series features fossil-like impressions and the appearance of embedded shells. Produced with a minimum of 20 percent recycled content, the series is available in four colors in 24” by 24”, 12” by 24”, 6” by 24”, 12” by 12” and 6” by 6”, as well as several mosaic options, bullnose and trim pieces. For details, circle 258 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

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Allwood introduces e3 engineered flooring series New from Allwood, the e3 collection of engineered flooring utilizes the waste and discarded lumber from the company’s other engineered lines to make an environmentally conscious product. The line uses only 70 percent slow-growing hardwood compared to solid flooring, the company says. For details, circle 260 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

2 4 5

J+J/Invision adds two modular carpet series Montage and Mosaic are the latest additions to J+J/Invision’s Paper Craft collection of modular carpet designs. Inspired by the art of paper crafting, both series are manufactured from J&J Encore SD Ultima nylon and offer the company’s lifetime warranty package. For details, circle 252 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

DriTac’s SMC adhesive for sound and moisture control

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DriTac SMC is a one-component sound and moisture control urethane wood flooring adhesive designed to reduce installation time by combining four products in one, the company says. DriTac SMC contains no water, is engineered to clean easily when wet, is VOC compliant and can contribute to LEED points. For details, circle 254 on the Reader Inquiry Card.

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06.11>Industry News

News/People/Places/Events Latest Breaking News at www.ntlfloortrends.com

Johnsonite’s Ecolibrium, Folio underline sustainable message

nft National Floor Trends

Styling Excellence Awards

Above: Johnsonite’s Ecolibrium wall base is made from rapidly renewable materials, including walnut shells. Left: Folio rubber tile flooring from Johnsonite is available in a wide range of colors.

Editor’s Note: The following is another in a series of profiles highlighting the winners of this year’s NFT Styling Excellence Awards. Entries were judged earlier this year by showgoers at Surfaces and by readers online.

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ohnsonite earned two NFT Styling Excellence Awards for its Ecolibrium wall base and Folio rubber tile flooring collection. Both products are designed with nature in mind, according to Joe Visintin, product manager. “What we were looking to accomplish with Folio was to come up with innovative designs that were modular in nature yet had an organic feel to them,” he said. Johnsonite created six

patterns for the Folio line, based on images of leafs, branches and bamboo. The products are offered in three finishes (Rice Paper, Hammered and Smooth), and can be mixed and matched. Folio is available in a wide range of colors. The company’s Ecolibrium wall base is made using rapidly renewable materials including walnut shells and pine rosin, along with pre-consumer waste in the form of oyster shells. Visintin said the product is designed to be both ecofriendly as well as aesthetically pleasing. “We are happy that our products are receiving recognition through the Styling Excellence Awards,” he added. “We’re extremely honored that people are looking at what we do in this light.”

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Asthma study finds no link with carpet

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major study of inner-city children with asthma has found no difference in the improvement experienced by children who live in homes with carpet compared to other types of flooring. In addition, no difference was found in the level of allergens measured in carpeted homes compared to homes with hard surface floors. The Inner City Asthma Study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was sponsored in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health. According to published disclosure statements, none of the researchers or institutions were affiliated with or sponsored by any representative of the carpet industry. The study followed 937 children from seven major U.S. cities over the course of a year. Contrary to researchers’ expectations, children with carpet in their bedrooms did just as well as children who had hard surface floors, according to the Carpet and Rug Institute. “CRI’s position is based on a body of sponsored as well as independent research, but the Inner City study is significant in that it comes from the medical community,” said Werner Braun, CRI president.

Distributor appointments Flexco has added its two newest distributors: All County Flooring Supply, based in Farmingdale N.Y., and Tingle Floors, based in Lee’s Summit, Mo. All County Flooring Supply will cover New Jersey, New York City and southern counties in New York. Tingle Flooring will serve Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and southern Illinois. Atlanta-based R.A. Siegel Co. has taken on Franklin International’s Titebond line of adhesives and sealants. They will distribute to Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama.

Mohawk, Harvey Norman Flooring raise money with singing contest

Gerflor taps Kmetz to help bring residential line to U.S.

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From left: Mohawk’s Steve Powers and Harvey Norman Flooring’s Shaun McGovern raised more than $6,500 for the United Way of Northwest Georgia through their Battle of the Ballads contest.

ichael Kmetz has been named Gerflor USA’s residential national sales mgr., as Gerflor looks to bring the company’s sustainable residential product line to the United States. The company already sells its commercial products in the U.S. Kmetz was most recently Armstrong World Industries’ east region national builder/property management mgr. Kmetz has more than 20 years of experience in the U.S. flooring market, spanning retail, distribution and manufacturing. “Michael has strategically managed and sold through many U.S. channels and he’ll be a valuable asset in securing channel partners and rolling out this program,” said Marc Dallamaggiore, Gerflor’s worldwide activity director. “I’m excited to be starting with a clean slate and a product that I know U.S. consumers are ready for,” Kmetz added.

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lighthearted wager between Mohawk and Harvey Norman Flooring, the exclusive Australian provider of Mohawk’s SmartStrand product line, recently led to a significant fundraiser for the United Way of Northwest Georgia. The two companies staged a “Battle of the Ballads” singing showcase at the Dalton Golf and Country Club. Approximately 250 guests watched as Mohawk’s Steve Powers (svp r&d/flooring product development) and Harvey Norman’s Shaun McGovern (imports manager) competed for the title of best singer. The event raised more than $6,500 in contributions, including $1,500 when McGovern auctioned the Australian Rugby shirt he wore during the performance. “I can honestly say that no one had ever given United Way the shirt off his back before, but Shaun’s generosity set a wonderful tone for the entire evening,” said Margaret Zeisig, United Way of Northwest Georgia’s director of community solutions. “Harvey Norman is a very important customer for us,” added Michael Vermette, Mohawk svp, commercial and international business. “We wanted to make their visit to Dalton special, and we really expanded Steve’s bet into a total entertainment package.”

Michael Kmetz

Tarkett announces Hong Kong joint venture

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arkett has established a new joint venture in Hong Kong with 70 percent ownership. As part of the venture, a distribution company will be established in Shanghai. The name of the joint venture was not disclosed. “This is another step to enable us to develop our sales in China. Tarkett already has an excellent brand reputation in flooring for the health and education sectors in China and a strong growth potential,” said Michel Giannuzzi, Tarkett Group ceo. The Shanghai distribution company aims to achieve revenues of 30 million Euro (approximately $43 million) within three years. It also plans to develop regional sales teams. Currently, Tarkett sales in China are primarily in vinyl resilient flooring.

Upcoming Industry Events NeoCon 2011 – Chicago. June 13-15. (800) 677-6278. Atlanta International Area Rug Market – Atlanta. July 14-17. (800) 285-6278. CFI Convention 2011 – Kansas City, Mo. Aug. 11-13. (816) 231-4646. Hospitality Design (HD) Boutique – Miami Beach, Fla. Sept. 13-14. (508) 743-8502

FIANA Convention & Trade Show – Kansas City, Mo. Sept. 15-17. (888) 88-FIANA. Cersaie 2011 – Bologna, Italy. Sept. 20-24.+39.0536.804585. For descriptions of Industry Technical Training Seminars, go to www.ntlfloortrends.com and click on the calendar link.

www.ntlfloortrends.com I June 2011 ● 45

F ocus on Resilient I

by Ray Thompson Jr.

Top 10 Questions About Wood Underlayments Part of being a professional is knowing when to seek help or advice. Ever since I began writing this column, there have been certain questions from my readers that have come up again and again. Consider this my Top 10 list of frequently asked questions when installing wood underlayments.

A veteran of the flooring industry for more than 42 years and author of Focus on Resilient, Ray Thompson Jr. is a renowned installation expert and president of the Ray Thompson Floorcovering Institute in Easton, Wash. Ray conducts resilient, hardwood and moisture in concrete training programs for installers, retailers, distributors, and industry associations. He also serves as a consultant and operates his own inspection service. He most recently served as Armstrong World Industries, Senior Field Technical Specialist. You can reach him at rthompson@ cablespeed.com

Q

: When installing wood underlayment is it necessary to allow for an expansion zone (similar to installing hardwood flooring)? A: Yes, all wood underlayment installations should leave about a 1/4” expansion zone at the walls or fixtures. The reason for this is all wood moves with humidity, and if a wall or fixture is too tight the underlayment panel will tend to buckle or the joints will peak.

ring or screw shank nail with a minimum 12 gauge (0.099”) shank diameter. The fastener should not be longer than the combined thickness of the underlayment and subfloor. Q: How close to the underlayment edge do I need place a fastener to prevent peaking of the underlayment panels? A: For 1/4”and 3/8” panels, the fastener should be within 3/8” of the panel edge; for thicker panels, stay within 1/2”.

Q: Which type of underlayment fastener has the best holding power? A: A ring or screw shank nail has almost double the holding power of a staple. (This is providing you use a ring or screw shank nail.) If I am using a stapler, I would use more fasteners than if I were using a nail. A smooth shank nail used for underlayment has a diminished holding power. Q: Is there a moisture limit for subfloors when installing an underlayment over it? A: Like any hardwood floor, there is a maximum moisture content of 13% for wood underlayments. Unfortunately, not many installers check the moisture content prior to underlayment installation. This needs to be completed as part of new construction and remodel installations. Q: What is the proper length of the fastener to be used when installing underlayment? A: According to the Engineered Wood Association (APA) the fastener’s length should be as follows. For 1/4” – 1/2” panel thickness, use 3d – (1-1/4”) ring or screw shank nails with a minimum 12 gauge (0.099”) shank diameter. For 19/32” – 3/4” panel thickness, use 4d – (1-1/2”)

46 ● June 2011 I www.ntlfloortrends.com

Be sure to check the moisture content prior to the installation of an underlayment. The moisture content should be no more than 13 percent for wood underlayments. Shown is Wagner Electronics MMC220A moisture meter, courtesy of Wagner Electronics.

by Ray Thompson

F

Q: Some underlayment manufacturers do not recommend the use of a patching compound. What are your thoughts on patching panel edges? A: In years past, I used to always patch underlayment joints, but construction practices have changed and my opinion about patching has as well. In the construction practices of the past, the lumber was kiln dried, but today the lumber is surface dried and has higher internal moisture content. When installing underlayment today, butt the panel edges lightly and sand them to smooth, with no patching. Always use factory edges so the panel joints are straight and clean. If you patch the joints you stand a good chance of pushing up the patch, creating an underlayment joint show-through issue which cannot be repaired. Q: How far should you offset underlayment joints from subfloor joints? A: The offset placement of underlayment joints should be a minimum of 6”. I plan on two rows of fasteners past the joint in the subfloor. This offset needs to occur in both directions. Q: Some installers believe that gluing down of underlayment panels is a good idea. What are your thoughts? A: My question to that is what do they hope to accomplish? If the goal is to enhance structural integrity of the substrate and the underlayment is 1/2” or thicker, it is something to consider. If it is just to bond the underlayment to the floor, I find it presents more problems than solutions.

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Q: Are there ever any circumstances for using a vapor retarder under underlayment? A: Yes, I have observed the use of a 4-mil poly under underlayment in new home construction where they did not want the underlayment to be affected by the moisture in the crawl space and subfloor. This works fine as long as you don’t exceed more than 65% of the floor. Q: What is the best method to fasten underlayment panels? A: The best method is to lay out one course of underlayment panels at a time. I will chalk line my starting course and lay out each panel of that course. Then I will fasten each panel completely before I proceed to the next one. The reason for doing one panel at a time is I do not want to nail any fullness into a panel. I always work from the closed side to the open side. Once I completed a panel I will go to the next one. I try to fasten the joints first, then work on the interior fastening. I prefer the mallet-driven fastener because it tends to draw the panel down better than a pneumatic. Pneumatic nailers tend to overdrive the fastener, which can weaken the long-term hold.

I would like to thank my readers for asking some great questions. If you are ever stumped on a resilient flooring nft installation, feel free to contact me. ● Circle 12 on Information Card

www.ntlfloortrends.com I June 2011 ● 47

T ile & Stone I

by Dave Gobis

Where Have All the Tile Installers Gone?

It was just 12 years ago that I owned and operated a tile contracting business. I spent a good deal of time and money building our brand. We were always looking for the latest trends and products.

David M. Gobis, a third-generation tile setter, is an independent technical consultant. He has been in the trade for over 35 years and owned a successful contracting business for many years prior to his current position. An author of over 100 trade-related articles and a frequent speaker at industry events, he is member of the Construction Specification Institute, International Code Council, American Concrete Institute, National Tile Contractors Technical Committee, voting member of The American National Standards for Ceramic Tile Installation and Setting Materials (ANSI A108/118), American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM) C-21 Ceramic Whitewares, and Tile Council of America Installation Handbook committees. You can reach Dave via email: [email protected]

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e had a training budget that was available to each and every installer to use as they saw fit and rewarded them with a merit increase if they achieved specific educational targets. Comfort levels were developed with customers during the sales process by promoting our trained in-house installation team. We prided ourselves on our work, our equipment, and getting the job done on time. We always took each job personally with a specific individual assigned the responsibility for the installation of each and every job. While my former business model may appear Darwinian in comparison to today’s current practices, it is evident that many attributes of my former plan, in particular the educational aspects, are still needed and in short supply. Today ceramic tile, stone and glass no longer seem to carry the lofty description of a premium floor or wall product. Instead they have descended to the level of just another floor covering in the minds of most retailers, installers, and end-users. With this lowered level of perceived value, margins on ceramic and stone products along with labor have been reduced to a more moderate yet still profitable level. Gone is the perception that tile, stone, and glass require specialized knowledge and skills that are uncommon among the majority of floor covering installers. Today’s business climate has forced flooring contractors and retailers alike to take on projects with which they are not totally comfortable, and assign the work to those who are not thoroughly experienced in the knowledge and skills required for bonding a rigid covering to the floor or wall using cement based bonding materials. The results of a failed installation

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can be much more than a nick in the profit margins. They can prove financially devastating. The knowledge of both tile products and installation materials required for successful and durable installations has greatly increased in complexity. As a tile inspector and consultant I am often met on a failing job site by a contractor who makes the bellicose statement that he has been doing tile this way for 30 years and never had a problem; obviously it is either defective tile or setting material. What is sad is that the way they have been doing it for 30 years is indeed usually the problem. Many aspects of ceramic tile products have changed over the years in both the production process and sizes that are now commonplace. Thirty years ago 12” by 12” tile was king and 16” tile was cutting edge.

The complaint: Random cracking of 12”x24” glass within days of the installation. The cause: ¾” spots of standard thinset mortar. Glass must be fully embedded in a thin even layer of thinset mortar so undue stress created by normal shrinkage of the mortar is not transferred through the tile. The solution: Complete replacement.

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by Dave Gobis

The complaint: Hollow sounding tile in the school corridors within six months of installation.

Preferred sizes of tile products continue to get bigger. Even 15 years ago a 24” tile was somewhat uncommon. With bigger tile there is also the desire for smaller joints. Given the flatness requirements to avoid excessive lippage with bigger tile, the desire for tighter grout joints is almost a contradiction to the realities of installing large tile. If you need both, that requires a very flat floor, one that you are highly unlikely to get without making a specific effort (and expense) to achieve it. While flat floors have always been a concern in the tile trade, historically they could be dealt with at a reasonable cost. With big tile and tight joints that is far from likely in today’s ultra competitive construction environment. What I see used as an increasingly common strategy around the cost of floor flattening is “dotting,” “spotting “or “pointing” tile with huge gobs of mortar. If I am there to see it, it means it didn’t work. Thin ceramic tile, stone, and glass are not structural products; they are surfacing units. They must be equally supported over their entire surface area. I would

The cause: Thinset applied excessively thick (causing shrinkage) over a smooth non-absorbent steel troweled concrete slab. The solution: The common areas of the school will require complete replacement.

Glass tile has also experienced many changes. In the early years it was highly unusual to see anything other than the traditional 3/4” tesserae cast glass type product. Now we have multiple methods of manufacturing glass that can produce some very large tile. I was recently on a job with a 2’ by 4’ glass tile! The simple message here is if you are still doing tile installation today the same way you have for 20, 30, or 40 years there is a good chance that you are doing it wrong. With very little exception there is no bonding material that has not experienced some form of change in recent years. The vast majority of these have been very positive changes. They include accommodation for emerging technology as well as the needs of today’s large format tiles. The standard thinsets are often unable to provide the required performance attributes for a successful installation. Examples include the need to accommodate minor surface undulations that will require a thicker bed of thinset mortar. For the installer who has been doing it the same way for 30 years, he orders a little more standard thinset anticipating this. Unfortunately, he is likely not aware that a traditional thinset mortar may not support a heavier tile. He is also likely not aware that a traditional thinset mortar has a maximum profile thickness of 1/4” in height. Once that depth is exceeded, there is a distinct possibility that the thinset will shrink excessively as it cures, in some cases pulling away from the tile and causing bond loss. The likelihood of this is enhanced by the weaker matrix of using a product designed for a 1/4” thickness as opposed to a medium bed mortar, which is designed for a maximum 3/4” thickness.

As a tile inspector and consultant I am often met on a failing job site by a contractor who makes the bellicose statement that he has been doing tile this way for 30 years and never had a problem; obviously it is either defective tile or setting material.

guesstimate that not a month has gone by in the last several years where I have not been called to a failing installation and found gobs of mortar supporting the tile in addition to other installation-related maladies. There are no corrective measures for insufficiently supported tile short of replacement. Limits of space will cause me to skip over the long reigning king of all installation failures: Lack of movement accommodation in the installation. As tile gets bigger, grout joints get smaller and fewer, and the need has never been greater for movement accommodation in tile work. Recently a major upscale hotel chain told me due to increasingly persistent failures over the last three to four years they would no longer use tile unless no other alternative existed. If we don’t start providing some training and education on the needs of tile products and installation, I expect they will be joined by a long nft list of others. ●

www.ntlfloortrends.com I June 2011 ● 49

06.11>Products & Literature on display

LOXCREEN Loxcreen unveils Discus rubber flooring and treads Loxcreen Flooring Group introduces Discus, a rubber flooring/stair tread program that combines functionality and aesthetics. Discus is available in a select range of colors and is designed to withstand the heaviest traffic. The product’s naturally slip resistant surface does not break or crack on bending, according to the company. For details circle #120 on the Free Information Card.

MIRAGE Mirage adds African Mahogany to Exotic hardwood series African Mahogany is the latest addition to Mirage’s Exotic series of hardwood flooring, featuring a unique grain and color similar to Sapele wood, the company says. African Mahogany floors are available in engineered 5” boards with a semigloss finish in three colors: Bold Brass, Terracotta and Majestic Bronze. www. miragefloors.com For details circle #163 on the Free Information Card.

MAPEI Ultrabond® 915 Premium Epoxy Repair Adhesive for Flooring Ultrabond 915 is a fast-curing, low-viscosity, 100%-solids, reactive epoxy adhesive designed to repair loose flooring and fill hollow spots in floor installations. Packaged in a convenient dual-cartridge assembly with a static mixer, Ultrabond 915 is easy to use and allows for repairs with a minimum amount of mess or damage to the surface of the flooring. www.mapei.com For details circle #162 on the Free Information Card.

MOHAWK Mohawk adds new floors in strand woven bamboo Mohawk introduces two new strand woven bamboo floors: Hilea in its Rarity Collection and Kahala in the Antiquity Collection. Kahala features hand-scraped visuals in a 5” wide plank. Both collections feature the Uniclic installation system. www.mohawkind.com For details circle #164 on the Free Information Card.

MANNINGTON Mannington’s Audio Spectra inspired by look of soundwaves Audio Spectra from Mannington Commercial is a rubber flooring tile with designs derived from spectrograph readings taken from different sounds. The three products – Silence, Hola and Tic Toc – are offered in 12” by 24” formats in colors ranging from neutrals to brights. www.mannington.com For details circle #152 on the Free Information Card.

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APC Cork.........................................................................13 8 (866) 222-3241 • www.apccork.com Cersaie 2011 ...................................................................51 100 www.cersaie.it CTIOA ..............................................................................14 (310) 574-7800 • www.ctioa.org Custom Building Products .........................................5,30 (800) 272-8786 • www.custombuildingproducts.com Dodge Trucks (Chrysler) .......................................... 54-55 (877) 2-THELINK • www.ramtrucks.com/commercial FLEXCO ......................................................................19,28 3 (800) 633-3151 • www.FLEXCOfloors.com Flexitions .........................................................................11 20 (800) 872-8426 • www.flexitions.com Floyd & Assoc. ................................................................14 9 (888) 670-8954 • www.floydandassociates.com Healthier Choice Carpet & Cushion .............................32 (800) 872-8426 • www.healthierchoice.com Johnsonite....................................................................7,33 18 (800) 899-8916 • www.johnsonite.com MAPEI Corp. ................................................................2,27 34 (954) 246-8888 • www.mapei.com

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MP Global Products .......................................................12 (888) 379-9695 • www.quietwalk.com NAC Products .................................................................47 (800) 633-4622 • www.nacproducts.com RB Rubber Products ......................................................18 (800) 525-5530 • www.rbrubber.com Roppe Corp. ...............................................................31,56 (800) 537-9527 • www.roppe.com TEC ..................................................................................15 (800) 832-9002 • www.tecspecialty.com US Floors ......................................................................3,26 (877) 292-4044 • www.usfcontract.com W.F. Taylor ...................................................................9,29 (951) 360-6677 • www.wftaylor.com Wagner Electronic Products .........................................24 (800) 207-2530 • www.rapidrh.com

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www.ntlfloortrends.com I June 2011 ● 53

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