Builder sentiment for new single-family homes increased in October, despite ongoing affordability challenges. The National Association of Home Builders reports optimism for 2025 market conditions, with builders anticipating easing inflation and moderating mortgage rates. The upcoming election remains a key factor in housing policy outlook.

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of its Color of the Year, Sherwin-Williams created its first-ever Color Capsule of the Year, a curated assortment of hues that encapsulate a variety of eras and aesthetics. 

With the Federal Reserve beginning an easing of monetary policy and builder sentiment improving, single-family starts posted a modest gain in September while multifamily construction continued to weaken because of tight financing and an ongoing rise in completed apartments.

Homeowners are shifting their approach to bathroom renovations with personal comfort and long-term usability increasingly prioritized over resale value considerations.

AHF said it continues to produce ways to grow the Do It Best partnership and drive sales, such as putting together pallet buy specials, creating a national drop-ship program and looking to get products into their distribution centers.

Flooring America welcomed four members to its Advisory Council. The Advisory Council convenes multiple times throughout the year to guide senior management and influence the strategic direction of our programs. 

Celebrity designer Jennifer Farrell announced her latest project, I.C.E. House (Interconnected Changeable Environments), set in historic stone farmhouses amid French vineyards. The two-year multimedia experience, culminating in 2026, showcases an adaptable "home of tomorrow" concept blending ancient architecture with modern luxury design.

Despite a slowdown in Q3 2024 construction sector activity, home renovation professionals express optimism for Q4, according to Houzz's latest Renovation Barometer. 

USA Flooring announced the launch of a Partner Rewards Loyalty program, designed by The Incentive Group for Pro Customers, with support from Shaw Industries. 

Flooring franchise Floor Coverings International continues its expansion in Arizona with a new mobile showroom in Sunrise. As the real estate market booms and demand for its services grows, the franchise actively seeks partners in several Arizona cities.

In a recent Floor Talk podcast, we spoke with Grogan about his goals for 2024, how his past roles at Bentley and Parterre will help him grow connections and market share within the architecture and design community, and what he anticipates for the adhesives and commercial flooring markets for the next year.

Starnet President and CEO Mark Bischoff reveals the evolutionary and revolutionary changes taking place in the commercial market today—and what commercial flooring contractors need to do to shift their perspective to prepare for the future.

AHF Products President and CEO Brian Carson, Crossville President Greg Mather, and Lindsey Waldrep, VP of marketing for the Crossville brand, recently spoke with FLOOR Trends & Installation about how the acquisition came about—and what it means for flooring retailers.  

Mannington Commercial's Shane Totten, AIA, director of sustainability, offers insights into the manufacturer's recent sustainability announcements. 

Architect Scott Faucheux is an expert at bringing magic to retail environments. Having worked on concepts for Urban Outfitters and Anthropology, Faucheux is now creative director at TPG Architects. Learn what he has to say about the role flooring plays in the design of retail spaces. 

Bona’s Matt Casey, director of professional marketing and the Bona Certified Craftsman Program, has been with the company for nearly two decades. During that time, he has witnessed a multitude of contractor challenges as well as the evolution of new product solutions. He details the current state of sustainability in the wood products industry, offering a few tips on how to work smarter not harder. 

Louisville Tile Distributors recently promoted Tina Boyle to the position of Chief Operating Officer. She shares perspective on her career path and leadership roles for women in business.

David Gross, executive director, INSTALL, shares his experience, how he came to land in a union organization and provides next steps for flooring installers who are interested in moving into another role within the flooring industry.

Frank Chiera, senior VP of marketing and advertising, CCA Global Partners, and Terri Daniels, VP of public relations, offer guidance on marketing strategy for flooring retailers in 2024. 

Roland Thompson, owner, Thompson Flooring & Installation and CFI member, was recently appointed to CFI Board Chair to help revamp the association’s chapter program. Here, he talks about his new position and CFI’s plans to grow the program. 

The INSTALL Warranty Contractor designation is a unique offering in the flooring industry because it guarantees that the installation work is of the highest quality and stands behind that guarantee with a free extended warranty on labor.

Ned Monroe, president and CEO of the Vinyl Institute, offers insight into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcement that vinyl chloride will be one of the next five chemicals selected for prioritization under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

After losing family members to gun violence, Charity Adeoti discovered her passion for making a difference. Learn how this graduate of the Floor Covering Education Foundation 10-week installation program aims to inspire youth to get off the streets to pursue careers—and successful futures—in flooring.

Belknap White’s Dave Godlewski, vice president ceramic, and Jane Twombly, director of specification, provided a more in-depth look at the company which is one of the largest flooring distributors in the country, discuss what’s coming for 2024, the opportunities they see on the horizon and the trends they are following this year.

Leslie Del Pozo, vice president of marketing content & communications, QEP/Roberts has been supporting the installation community in a variety of ways for several years now, including sponsoring our Installation Awards for the second year in a row. Here, we dive more into her flooring journey, what supporting the installation community means to her and the importance of just showing up.

Resilient Floor Covering Institute President and CEO Bill Blackstock offers an update on the association's key initiatives for the second half of 2024 and provides an outlook for the resilient category of flooring. 

David Gross, executive director, INSTALL, highlights the Sisters in the Brotherhood (SIB)—a women’s union organization within the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. He provides an update on how the unions have evolved over time and talks in depth about the support and resources the SIB offers.

Fishman Flooring’s new president Shane Richmond discusses the benefit of Employee Stock Ownership Plans, succession planning and the future of flooring distribution. 

At NeoCon 2024, Floor Trends & Installation met up with AHF Products Chief Commercial Officer Jennifer Zimmerman and Vice President of Commercial Fred Reitz to learn more about the company’s commercial channel strategy, incorporating AHF Contract, Armstrong Flooring, Crossville Tile and Parterre brands.

Learn how this leader in resilient flooring emphasizes long-term planning, approaches the evolving role of digital printing, and discusses the importance of clear product storytelling. Plus, Wu highlights Novalis' commitment to domestic manufacturing.

SCI Floor Covering, backed by Ranier Capital, is expanding through strategic acquisitions in the Midwest. Despite some market softness, SCI President and CEO Dave Elberson remains optimistic about the flooring industry's outlook. Learn about his acquisition strategy, business outlook and SCI's career path for installers. 

Get an inside look at the art of flooring design through the eyes of Audra Keiber, Mohawk’s director of design & development. In this episode, Keiber gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the Mohawk Design Summit, bringing retailers and designers together to forecast 2025 and 2026 trends and product ideation.

The Belknap White Group recently announced the brand merger of Belknap White, JJ Haines and Swiff Train under the UCX umbrella. Here, UCX CEO Ray Mancini discusses the merger and the future of distribution.   

David Winkler, regional director of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 5, discusses the importance of training, provides insight into the inner workings and benefits of IUPAT and dispells some common misconceptions about trade unions. 

No doubt, artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay, but how is it being utilized in flooring installation? App developer and installer Jason Potts walks us through the newest features of AI bot Ballin Knows Best and what it means for the future of installation.

Learn how Showroom Pricing, founded by Kristen Stensby, offers QR code-driven solutions for flooring retailers, enabling real-time pricing updates and comprehensive data reports. 

Vince Lowe, senior VP and general manager home specialty and flooring with Synchrony, talks through the high points on“The Future of Retail” report, reveals more about consumer shopping trends, how technology is shaping the shopping experience and where technology is heading in the next six years.

Certainly there are exceptions to the rule and we had an opportunity to visit one of those when we were in Philadelphia recently to attend the Greenbuild expo and conference.

Many called 2013 “the Year of LVT.” And with good reason: Resilient has been the fastest growing flooring category, and within this rapidly growing segment, luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is thriving (Editor’s note: For the purposes of this article, LVT refers to both luxury vinyl tile and luxury vinyl plank).

Cleaning and maintaining carpets and floors for the most part is not an everyday topic in most quarters of the floor covering industry. 

Since bamboo’s initial introduction to the U.S. flooring market in the early 1990s, it has continued to evolve into different flooring formats, which has served to increase the product’s use and demand, especially in today’s eco-conscious flooring market.

In conjunction with the 2014 InterCork II campaign being launched by APCOR, the international trade body representing cork producers from Portugal, I would like to elaborate further on their efforts while extolling the many virtues cork flooring has to offer the independent retailer.

Oils and waxes have been used to protect natural materials from the effects of the environment—light, water, cats, etc.—in buildings and building materials for as long as such things have existed.

Since its opening in 1960, Detroit’s Cobo Center has become one of the country’s most famous venues, drawing visitors to the banks of the Detroit River for the nation’s premier auto shows, concerts, political conventions and an endless variety of other events.

The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) announced the winners of the Howard Olansky Affiliate of the Year Awards. 

Unlike the residential market, which is essentially single family housing and most often dealing with remodels, the commercial sector is a vast sea of segments, ranging anywhere from corporate offices to healthcare to education to hospitality to retail to government/military and technically anything else not handled by the typical neighborhood retailer.

Selecting the right flooring for a space not only adds to its look, but experience and overall feel. That is one of the main points designers said when Floor Trends polled them to find out just what they’re looking for when designing for commercial spaces.

Rob Menefee wants to continue to grow his business. Considering he already has three locations and $12-plus million in annual sales, that is no small task. 

Connecting with customers is vital to the success of any business. Flooring contractors are no different, but which customers and how? Who do you spend time with—architects, designers, end users or general contractors? What about product manufacturers?

In today’s digital age, the Yellow Pages have long since yellowed, permanently replaced by the Internet as the primary source to find a contractor.