Floor Covering News asks Brad Guthrie and Rebecca Whitaker of Lions Floor, “What are you excited to share at Surfaces 2026?” Watch as Guthrie and Whitaker share the company’s latest product launches and innovations.
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Las Vegas —At The International Surfaces Event, flooring software provider QFloors offered hands-on customer training and introduced new tools and technology. Highlights included the QFX platform, a new mobile app for QFX, the QSign e-signature tool and QFloors and Roomvo bundles. 
Since joining forces with Roomvo last year, the company developed and released several innovations.
QFloors 10, known as QFX, is the latest version of the company’s business management software. Roomvo CEO and founder Pawel Rajszel described it this way: “We’ve replaced the engine. We’ve replaced the transmission. We’ve given it a new paint job.”
The system is faster, more secure and more intuitive. It also offers more integrations with Roomvo’s products. Customers praised the smarter search features and the updated interface with dark mode. Built on enterprise-grade cloud technology used by many Fortune 500 companies, the system provides expanded accessibility and improved security, performance and reliability.
With QFX, enhancements and additions are released continuously and automatically. Dealers receive the latest features without traditional software upgrades.
At Surfaces, QFloors also showcased a new mobile app for QFX. It allows RSAs to access proposals, sales orders, customer details and job costing information on any mobile device. Users can also connect to Roomvo visualization and lead management tools through the app. The app is available to all QFX users at no added cost.
Currently in beta testing, the app is expected to be available to all QFX customers soon.
The mobile app remains a key focus for the development team. The roadmap includes new sales management features set to roll out in the coming months. These include the ability to send proposals and payment requests by text message.
QFloors also introduced a new e-signature feature to QFX during the TISE convention. The tool, called QSign, allows users to request and receive signatures electronically. It speeds up deals and collects signed orders without printing. Signed documents are then stored automatically in the QFX system.
“Customers have been asking for this for a long time,” said Chad Ogden, founder of QFloors. “We wanted to do it right, with the greatest legal protections for dealers. It’s safe, integrated and simple for the dealer and their customers. And best of all, it will be available to QFX customers at a fraction of the expense of other e-signature products out there.”
QFloors hosted an all-day training event at Mandalay Bay. It was held the Monday prior to Surfaces, making attendance convenient for customers already traveling to the show. The training covered best practices, efficient use of QFloors and walkthroughs of new features and products.
“I found the training helpful,” said Michele Rawson of Bob’s Carpets. “I particularly appreciated the collaborative feel to it. In addition to what I learned in the training itself, I also gained a lot just listening to other dealers’ insights and questions.”
By joining forces, Roomvo and QFloors created a single-source solution for flooring dealers. The companies offer end-to-end technology including websites, kiosks, inventory and accounting, credit card processing and social media management. Dealers who bundle Roomvo and QFloors products receive discounted pricing.
“Oftentimes when you bundle products, you might get a small reduction in price. Our bundles are not like that. Dealers can save thousands of dollars each year by bundling Roomvo products and QFloors products together,” said Rajszel. “You get top-tier products, integration advantages, the benefit of working with a company that cares about your long-term success and you save thousands of dollars.”
“As any flooring person knows, the fewer seams, the better,” said Ogden. “The products of Roomvo and QFloors smoothly bring the customer through online engagement, to the in-store experience and then you have the business management tools for installation.”
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Floor Covering News asks Doron Gal of Eternity Flooring, “What are you excited to share at Surfaces 2026?” Watch as Gal shares the company’s latest product launches and innovations.
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Solon, Ohio—Tarkett earned an A Score in the CDP climate rating for the second year in a row. The company is a global leader in sustainable flooring and sports surface solutions. 
The rating placed Tarkett among the top companies out of 20,000 assessed worldwide. The score highlighted the company’s climate leadership. An A score showed Tarkett implemented best practices in climate management across operations and its value chain.
“CDP’s A List validates the strength of our climate roadmap and governance, as well as the growing expertise of our teams,” said Arnaud Marquis, Tarkett’s chief sustainability and safety officer. “The planet’s resources are finite. This is an undeniable fact. For years, our teams have shown that the demand to use less is not a limitation, but an inspiration and a catalyst for doing better. We remain focused on reducing emissions and aligning our business models with the planet’s limited resources, helping our customers lower their own carbon footprints.”
CDP is a global nonprofit that runs the world’s leading independent environmental disclosure system. In the last two years, CDP’s assessment evolved to align with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. The changes increased the rigor required to achieve an A rating.
Tarkett’s climate targets were approved by the Science Based Targets initiative in 2023. The goals set a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2030 compared to 2019. The company advanced its sustainability strategy through eco-design, increased use of recycled materials, sustainable purchasing and continuous team development.
Since 2023, Tarkett earned EcoVadis’ Platinum Medal for two consecutive years. The recognition set a benchmark in the flooring and sports surfaces industry.
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Floor Covering News asks Al Boulogne and Renee Cannon of Mannington, “What are you excited to share at Surfaces 2026?” Watch as Boulogne and Cannon share the company’s latest product launches and innovations.
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The flooring retail community has reached an inflection point with artificial intelligence. AI is no longer a futuristic concept or a trend to watch from a distance. It is shaping how consumers browse, make decisions and engage with their businesses—and it is quickly becoming essential for how flooring businesses operate. The retailers who embrace AI now will gain efficiencies, strengthen customer relationships and set a foundation for long-term competitiveness—and potentially growth.
“I think now’s the perfect time for flooring retailers to start getting comfortable with AI,” said Kurt Wilson, director of product management at Cyncly. “It’s not some far-off technology anymore—it’s here, and it’s already helping dealers work faster, smarter and more profitably.” 
The advantages are already known. “Companies using AI today are optimizing quoting, product management, inventory tracking and customer engagement, directly improving sales performance and operational efficiency,” said Steven Wang, CEO and founder of Measure Square.
What’s more, retailers may already be benefiting from AI without realizing it. “AI is already powering major improvements in how flooring retailers attract, engage and convert shoppers,” said Pawel Rajszel, CEO of Roomvo.
Murtaza Abedin, VP of product at Roomvo, agreed, noting, “AI is already changing how people browse, interface with businesses, find products and make decisions. This is not going to slow down.”
Welton Hong, founder and CEO of RRM@Home, emphasized the need to build internal readiness. “The sooner flooring retailers become comfortable with AI the better. Those who learn how to use it now will have a major competitive advantage.”
The hesitation many retailers feel often comes from misunderstanding what AI actually does. “One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that it’s cold or impersonal,” Roomvo’s Abedin said. “In reality, the best applications make the experience more human.”
To bridge the gap, Justin Wirple, CEO of Flooring OS, encourages retailers to start using general-purpose tools immediately. “Start working with ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity and use them the way you would use Google if you were searching on the internet,” he said. “Then act as if they are your resident consultant or in-house expert and ask those platforms every question you can think of. The results will surprise most people.”
Some also fear the technology’s potential to push out human staff members. But suppliers agreed, that’s not the case in flooring. “It’s not about replacing staff; it’s about giving your team a digital assistant that speeds up work, reduces mistakes and keeps operations consistent,” Measure Square’s Wang explained. “AI won’t replace flooring professionals, but professionals who use AI will outpace those who don’t.”
AI’s usefulness today extends far beyond concept; it already touches nearly every daily task inside a flooring retail operation. “These aren’t far-off ideas—they’re live now and driving real results for thousands of flooring dealers,” Roomvo’s Rajszel said.
Today, AI can “design spaces, compose emails and other communications, review or design proposals, measure spaces, analyze financial or other data, create projections, analyze inventory and so much more,” Flooring OS’ Wirple explained.
Cyncly’s Wilson listed similar opportunities across the business. “Bottom line: If you can upload, paste or describe it, you can do it with general AI tools.”
To get started with flooring-specific functions that are already available, retailers should start with the basics. “Learning how to prompt AI effectively helps you automate repetitive work, streamline communication and produce professional content faster,” RRM@Home’s Hong said. “Start small but start now.”
Technology within the flooring space has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade—and the conception of AI has only accelerated that growth. So, where can retailers start when it comes to AI-enabled software? Here’s a breakdown:
Roomvo’s Rajszel said the company has been actively integrating AI into its renown visualization and engagement tools “before it was cool.” The company now also offers the AI-powered Roomvo Chatbot, Roomvo websites and Roomvo CRM. “AI is deeply embedded into the Roomvo platform to improve every stage of the shopping journey,” he explained. “We do this without requiring any technical expertise from retailers. Our tools are designed to be plug-and-play so you can start using them in just minutes.”
At Cyncly, Wilson said the company’s platform utilizes AI by embedding intelligent automation and predictive intelligence across the full life cycle of a flooring project—from inspiration and design through take-off and quoting to manufacturing and installation. “Flooring retailers can take advantage of Cyncly’s AI by using the tools already embedded across our platform to save time, reduce errors and enhance the customer experience—all without needing any special technical expertise,” he explained. “We’re incredibly excited about the opportunities for AI to transform the industry and encourage retailers to keep up with the latest technology. If you’re not using these solutions, you can bet your competitors are.”
Measure Square’s Wang said the company’s AI is purpose-built for flooring retailers and designed in-house to increase speed and accuracy. AI Analyzer in its MeasureSquare CRM, for example. “Retailers can use AI Analyzer to extract key project details organize product information and highlight scope-specific insights, all in a fraction of the time it would take manually,” he explained. “AI isn’t here to replace your team; it’s here to empower them.”
Wirple said FlooringOS is designed to embed AI throughout the entire retail workflow, not just in a few isolated tools. “Our platform leverages AI for marketing, designs and soon we are releasing AI agents for training and financial analysis,” he said.
FlooringOS is already developing several AI-enabled applications with customers, and Wirple anticipates a near future where “nearly every component in our software will leverage AI.”
RRM’s Hong said the company focuses on helping flooring retailers learn to use AI rather than selling them a proprietary tool. “We actively teach our clients how to use it responsibly.”
And as the industry stands on the edge of this next era, the message from technology leaders is unmistakable: the shift is not subtle and it is not optional. As Roomvo’s Abedin put it, “AI is a tidal wave that is going to affect every industry and every task. Start thinking about how you will get ahead of these things in order to stay competitive and not get left behind.”
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Strict commission-only structures—a high-risk/high-reward method for both employers and employees—was once the preferred payment system among flooring dealers for its RSAs. However, it is less prevalent today as compensation models have adapted to younger sales associates entering the workforce.
Today most retail stores blend hourly pay and commission (like 15%-30% commission on top of wages) while the trend over the years leans toward hybrid models, especially with increased focus on performance.
CCA University research unveiled at the recent conneXtion 2026 convention found older Gen-Zers and younger Millennials were not interested in pursuing commission-only setups and wanted guaranteed money.
That approach flies in the face of some “old-school” dealers when it comes to compensation. “We haven’t adjusted away from our commission-only structure, but we know that we are a bit more generous in that regard than the industry average,” said Mark VanderGiessen, COO, general manager, Haight Carpet & Interiors, Woodinville Wash. “Most folks are opposed to the idea of a commission-only structure, but those concerns usually go away once they’ve seen what we have to offer and how we have set up the commission structure.”
Salt Lake City-based RC Willey, with 14 locations in four Western states, has always paid its RSAs on a commission-based pay structure while offering a minimum wage guarantee salary for the first six months as RSAs build up their client list. “We usually never have anyone fall below the minimum after that,” said Eric Mondragon, division manager/flooring buyer. “I have recently increased our labor rates and included a commission to the RSA for that as well.”
Several dealers said they have tried different models to see which one sticks—in some cases they have customized their approach to meet the RSA’s comfort level. “We have tried a few different models, but most people like the guaranteed monthly salary with a sliding scale percentage,” said Carlton Billingsley, owner of Floors and More, Benton, Ark. “This allows for guaranteed payment each month, and the salesperson to make more money by selling at a higher margin and the number of projects sold each month.”
Being a hybrid dealer, with a blend of commercial, new home construction, insurance, multifamily and retail work, requires BFC Flooring & Design Centre of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to offer different pay structures. “The mixture is a profit-share structure with a monthly draw, straight profit share and a salary with a bonus structure based off of invoice total and profit margin,” explained Rebecca Tonowski, manager.
Bob Pireu, co-owner of Bob & Pete’s Floors in Canton, Ohio, said the company is actively working through a compensation model that is still in flux. “Currently our sales team is on a 100% commission structure with a draw,” Pireu said. “The draw provides consistency and feels more like a salary, and we monitor performance to ensure sales stay ahead of that draw. As the environment continues to change, I do see value in straight commission with no draw. It tends to create more urgency, rewards productivity and protects the store’s bottom line since compensation is directly tied to sales. I understand that this can feel risky from a salesperson’s perspective, but experienced and high-performing salespeople are generally comfortable with that structure.”
That said, this year Pireu said he’s planning to adjust to more of a hybrid approach. “The plan is to offer a guaranteed base salary with commission earned on top of it,” he explained. “This meets in the middle; it provides stability and comfort while still putting pressure on performance and closing jobs. Along with this change, the role will also include benefits that weren’t previously offered, such as two weeks of paid vacation and additional support that used to be earned solely through their commission.”
Conversely, Lake Interiors in Chelan, Wash., pays everyone by the hour, a practice that has been going on for more than three decades. “We also have quarterly bonuses for the store employees based on the store sales and profits,” said Don Cantor, owner. “We have tried base salary plus commission in the past, but that did not work very well because our store works more on a teamwork basis than individual achievements. We employ a ‘we’ or ‘us’ motto rather than a ‘me’ or ‘I’ motto.”
Increasingly, dealers are getting more creative in how they compensate employees. For example, a standard job at Lake Interiors includes an in-store sales consultant or designer, an estimator-measurer, a purchasing agent, warehouseman for receiving and then an in-house installer to complete the job. “We are always looking for other alternatives for compensation but this works for us now,” Cantor said.
Likewise, Carpet Collection in Lockport, N.Y., has its sales associates do more than selling these days; therefore, a commission-only structure would not be feasible. “We want [RSAs] to help with merchandising and pricing as well as database management,” said Ben Case, owner. “We have also put some warehouse duties, such as receiving, on their plates. We do have one sales associate on commission, but he has been with us for 40 years and is our main estimator. He doesn’t want that to change at this point as he is only a few years from retirement. For the salary employees, I do include sales spiffs on products we are targeting to move, usually old stock or pad.”
CarpetSource USA in Albuquerque, N.M., offers a sliding scale pay structure for its RSAs—the lower the gross profit, the lower the commission; but the higher the gross profit, the higher the commission. Don Lovato, owner, said he’ll know within 30 days whether a sales associate will work out, no matter the pay structure. “With the younger generation I seem to cut them more often and faster than I did with older generations,” he said. “Most of the people I’ve hired over the years have come to me by referral or through a friend of a friend, or somehow there’s a connection. I find it very challenging to hire people that I don’t know anything about. If possible, even if you have to pay a little bit more, it would be worthwhile getting somebody within your own personal or business network.”
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