Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Tuesday Tips: Responsibility should stay with the RSA

Dalton—The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) released a new “Tuesday Tips” this week. In the series, WFCA experts present short video tips for improving customer service and optimizing staff performance. In the end, it’s all about understanding the importance of doing 100 things just 1% better than your competition.

In this week’s Tuesday Tip, Tom Jennings reminds us that the responsibility of closing a deal should remain with the retail sales associate (RSA). With intentional teaching and training, sales managers can strengthen the long-term skills their sales teams need—without stepping in and doing the job for them.

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Retailers, wholesalers cite go-to wood lines

The red-hot LVP category is without a doubt the segment that’s making the biggest waves in the market right now. However, that doesn’t mean specialty flooring retailers and distributors aren’t excited about the slew of hardwood flooring products and wood lines available today.

From wide-plank/long-board offerings to high-performance products designed to provide greater impact and dent resistance, dealers and distributors have no shortage of options to offer consumers and end users in the market for the real thing.

Following are some of the top-selling hardwood brands and lines this year:

AHF Products: Robbins

We utilize the Robbins brand from AHF to show an exclusive collection of engineered wood in bronze, silver and platinum collections. The program clearly delineates an upgrade story. It sells well for us.”

Michael Longwill
CARPET AND TILE MART

New Castle, Del.

Johnson Hardwood: Grand Chateau

Each Johnson Hardwood premium flooring plank is precision-milled, handcrafted and hand-stained to produce an exquisite product.”

Clint Haselhorst
R.A. SIEGEL

Austell, Ga.

Mohawk: TecWood

We recently finished a beautiful installation using Mod Revival in the color Tapestry Oak from the TecWood collection. It looks beautiful.”

Sarah Van Tuinen
ABSOLUTE FLOOR COVERING

Grand Rapids, Mich.

MSI: W Series—McCarran

I am really impressed with McCarran and Ladson from the W Series. The products are clean as a whistle, and the prices are extremely competitive.”

Warren Rodkin
VARIETY FLOOR COVERING
Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Mercier: Pro Series

Mercier’s quality and consistency stand out over most other hardwood suppliers. The value of the Pro series makes that line easy for our account managers to sell and affordable to more people.”

Tom Norris
PROSOURCE WHOLESALE FLOORCOVERINGS & CABINETS OF PITTSBURGH

Hallmark: Alta Vista, Novella

The lines that have really been an integral part of our wood business are Novella and Alta Vista. Novella offers top-notch quality at the right price point; Alta Vista provides color options and high-end looks.”

Dustin Chandler
CARR’S FLOORING AMERICA
Casselberry, Fla.

Provenza: Affinity

One of our top-selling Provenza hardwood lines is the Affinity Hardwood Collection. Our customers love it for its stunning range of colors and textures.”

Dave Chambers
NEBRASKA FURNITURE MART

Omaha, Neb.

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Monday, November 10, 2025

CTEF calls for annual auction sponsors

CTEF’s annual auction will take place Dec. 8-14. In anticipation, the organization is requesting material and/or experience donations to include in the auction.

Ideal material donations for the CTEF Auction:

  • Items can be any of your products, tools, materials or anything you feel would attract potential bidders eager to fund a good cause supporting the tile industry.
  • CTEF is asking for quantities and a variety of items to appeal to bidders.
  • Your ideas and input help shape each item listing and CTEF will include this information in the item descriptions.
  • CTEF asks donors to provide the means of delivering items to winning bidders. After the auction, CTEF will send you the mailing and shipping addresses. You may ship items directly to the bidder or arrange for pickup at the location closest to them.

Benefits to donors

Your organization will be publicly acknowledged for your donations—a great opportunity for exposure. Supporting the auction aligns your company with others committed to advancing the tile industry. Donations are tax-deductible and documentation is available upon request.

Consider offering an experience

This could be a ball game, golf outing or another event where you or a member of your staff hosts the winning bidder. These experiences offer an unparalleled opportunity to engage directly with the bidder while highlighting your role in the tile industry.

As a reminder, CTEF provides education and installer certification for professionals in the ceramic tile and stone industry. Funds raised through the annual auction and sponsorships help CTEF operate and deliver on its mission.

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Friday, November 7, 2025

LX Hausys America relocates Long Island showroom

Bethpage, N.Y.—LX Hausys America Inc., a manufacturer of building and decorative materials, announced the relocation of its Long Island showroom to a new space within Genrose Stone & Tile, located here.

The new showroom provides an enhanced setting for designers, fabricators and homeowners to explore the company’s innovative surface materials, including Viatera quartz surface and Teracanto porcelain surface. Visitors can view a variety of colors and styles firsthand and get a preview of the upcoming 2026 Viatera color collection debuting soon.

The LX Hausys Long Island team will continue to offer the same personalized service and product expertise in a refreshed, conveniently located space within Genrose Stone & Tile.

Showroom Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

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AHF Products completes purchase of Wellmade facility

Cartersville, Ga.—AHF Products announced it has completed the purchase of the former Wellmade manufacturing facility here.

“This purchase is important to AHF as it completes our portfolio of hard surface flooring and our network of domestic manufacturing,” said CEO Brent Emore. “We have seen incredible growth since AHF’s inception in 2019, and we are thrilled to be adding these state-of-the-art manufacturing lines under our portfolio of iconic brands including Bruce and Armstrong Flooring.”

Headquartered in Mountville, Pa., AHF Products is a leader in hard surface flooring solutions, with strong growth across residential and commercial, resilient, hardwood and porcelain categories. With this acquisition, the company now operates 12 manufacturing facilities—11 in the U.S. and one in Cambodia—and four U.S. distribution centers, serving customers through dealers, home centers and distributors.

The acquisition supports AHF’s commitment to American manufacturing. Its U.S. facilities produce resilient sheet, VCT, LVT, solid and engineered hardwood and porcelain tile, reinforcing domestic production capabilities while supporting American jobs and communities.

“Our number one priority will be operating this factory with the same focus on quality, safety, customer service and stewardship that defines AHF, and it will immediately be fully integrated into our network—with our systems, our commitment to transparency and our legacy of excellence,” said Jennifer Zimmerman, chief commercial officer.

Bringing rigid core flooring production under AHF’s direct control enables faster, more flexible delivery of high-quality, U.S.-made products. “Our customers are asking for faster lead times, reduced inventory risks, and dependable service, all of which we can now deliver at scale from within the U.S.,” Zimmerman added.

Facility capabilities

The 328,000-square-foot plant features advanced automation and rigid core production capabilities. It offers:

  • Product formats including 6 x 24, 12 x 24, 12 x 36, 24 x 48 and others
  • Wear layer options from 6-mil to 40-mil
  • Core thickness variety and locking system flexibility
  • Multiple backing options, including pad and non-slip vinyl
  • Embossed-in-register and gloss variation technologies
  • Micro-bevel, painted bevel and square edge profiles
  • A/B film production, high-speed milling and packing

These capabilities support production for both AHF’s brands and strategic partners. With lead times of approximately 40–45 days, the facility offers logistical and financial advantages over imports, including reduced inventory requirements, faster product launches and avoidance of freight volatility, tariffs and port delays.

“Our goal is to reinforce the strength and value of our trusted brand names—powered by our U.S. manufacturing strength,” Zimmerman said. “We will also be able to serve as an OEM supplier for new customers’ needs. We will continue to produce product assortment and brands of current customers and develop new product assortments under the AHF brand portfolio including Bruce, Armstrong Flooring and Robbins to name a few.”

Emore added, “The message is clear: We are open for business—ready to serve this largest flooring category with quality, flexibility and confidence and we have the capacity to answer the needs of customers through our portfolio of iconic brands or private labels.”

Breakdown of AHF Products’ key purchases:

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Retailers React: What has been your strongest category in 2025?

customer concernEvery two weeks, FCNews seeks out flooring retailers across the country to offer their advice on hot topics of the day. This week, we asked: What has been your strongest product category in 2025?

Here are their responses:

“Our hardwood flooring sales have been surprisingly strong; stronger than past years.”strongest product category

 

—Bob Duke

Floor Magic

Damariscotta, Maine

 

 

“Year over year, we’ve seen consistent growth in hardwood sales, and engineered hardwood continues to stand out. Across the brands we carry, it’s highly competitive in both specs and cost. With increasing concerns and warranty claims arising from LVP, we’ve made it a priority to educate our customers on the key differences between LVP and engineered hardwood, walking them through the pros and cons, installation requirements and long-term value.”

 

—Mindy Lawley

Brian’s Flooring & Design

Birmingham, Ala.

strongest product category

“I’d say the product category that has surprised me most this year is high-end carpet—our Fabrica numbers have soared. When we asked our RSAs about the demographics of their buyers (so we can better target our marketing), it turns out it’s the Boomers leading the way. To say the least, we’re super excited—who doesn’t love selling pretty carpet.”

 

—Liz Rivera

FCA Network

Shorewood, Ill.

“Our strongest category continues to be vinyl plank. The main subset of this category is thick, 12mm-15mm wood-look plank. COREtec Grande is our best-selling product within this category.”

—Lupe Brookhart

Sterling Carpet & Flooring

Anaheim, Calif.

strongest product category

“We’ve done a lot of carpet tile this year, which is surprising to me. We had done a lot of vinyl plank in the past for commercial work. People are realizing you can put carpet tile in offices for added comfort and better sound acoustics.”

—Darren Harrison

Sunshine Interiors

Lakeland, Fla.

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Thursday, November 6, 2025

Obituary: Roger Marcus, flooring industry titan

Princeton, N.J.—Roger Marcus, a titan of the floor covering industry, passed away on Nov. 5 at his residence here, with his two daughters at his bedside. He was 80.

Marcus’ contributions to the floor covering industry spanned nearly six decades. As the long-time leader of American Biltrite, Marcus built upon his family’s legacy with vision, innovation and integrity. Beginning his career in 1967 as a sales representative after graduating from Boston University, Marcus rose to become CEO in 1983. Under his leadership, American Biltrite, and later Congoleum—following their merger in 1992—developed groundbreaking products such as DuraStone, DuraCeramic, Ultima and ArmorGuard, helping the company grow to more than $250 million in business. Marcus served as chairman, president and CEO of Congoleum Corp. from 1993 to 2012.
Marcus also served multiple terms as president of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI), where his leadership and advocacy helped advance the entire resilient flooring category.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Marcus was deeply committed to advancing and supporting the entire flooring community. He joined the Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF) board of directors in January 1998, serving faithfully for more than 27 years.

In October 2024, Marcus received a lifetime achievement award by the FCIF for his tireless work supporting flooring industry workers battling catastrophic illnesses. The award was presented during a gala held at Gotham Hall in New York City, where hundreds of industry executives gathered to celebrate his achievements, leadership and compassion.

Marcus, who chaired the FCIF’s grant committee for many years, was instrumental in planning the first three FCIF galas, according to Charlie Dilks, FCIF board chair.

“His leadership, generosity and tireless advocacy resulted in a lifetime impact exceeding $1 million in contributions to FCIF, through funds raised at the galas and through corporate support from American Biltrite,” Dilks said. “As we remember Roger, we also reflect on the mission that he championed throughout his service. The Floor Covering Industry Foundation exists to support those in the floor covering industry who experience catastrophic illness, severe disability or other life-altering hardships. Roger believed deeply in this mission and worked tirelessly to ensure that those facing difficult times could receive the compassion and financial assistance they needed. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Roger’s family, friends and colleagues. His passing is a tremendous loss to our flooring family, but his legacy of leadership, generosity and care for others will continue to inspire us for years to come.”

Marcus was a lifelong supporter of Greenwood House, which was named for his beloved parents, the late Robert and Natalie Marcus. He was also a devoted supporter of Wounded Warriors and The Jewish Federation.

Marcus is survived by daughters Elissa Marcus Massimo and Julie Marcus, and brother Richard Marcus. He was a devoted grandfather to Miah Downs and Ava Massimo.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Floor Covering Industry Foundation in Roger’s memory.

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