Multifamily developer confidence weakens in second quarter

Washington, D.C.—Multifamily developer confidence weakened in the second quarter compared with a year earlier, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

The NAHB Multifamily Market Survey produces two indices that measure production and occupancy conditions.

The Multifamily Production Index fell three points from a year earlier to 43. The Multifamily Occupancy Index declined eight points to 74.

Multifamily production declines

The MPI measures builder and developer sentiment about current production conditions in the apartment and condo market. The index uses a scale of zero to 100. A reading below 50 means more respondents view conditions as poor than good.

The MPI measures four market segments. Three cover built-for-rent properties while one measures the built-for-sale, or condominium, market.

The garden and low-rise component fell two points to 48. The mid- and high-rise component declined four points to 32. Subsidized units dropped seven points to 54.

Built-for-sale units provided the only increase, rising three points to 38.

Apartment occupancy remains positive

The MOI measures the multifamily industry’s view of occupancy conditions in existing apartments. A reading above 50 indicates more respondents view occupancy as good than poor.

Despite its decline from a year earlier, the overall reading of 74 indicates apartment owners remain positive about occupancy.

All three built-for-rent components declined compared with a year ago but remained above 50.

Garden and low-rise units fell seven points to 77. Mid- and high-rise units declined 11 points to 62. Subsidized units dropped eight points to 82.

“Multifamily developer sentiment is currently constrained by regulatory barriers and difficulty obtaining financing,” said Kip Lewis, director of construction management at OCCH in Columbus, Ohio, and chairman of NAHB’s multifamily council. “The recently enacted 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act should provide some help with respect to these challenges, but these policies will take time to implement. Meanwhile, rental housing demand is being supported by improving job growth during the second quarter of 2026.”

NAHB also pointed to financing costs, regulatory issues and construction challenges as obstacles for developers.

“It is clear that supply-side headwinds continue to weigh on multifamily developer sentiment,” said Robert Dietz, NAHB chief economist. “In addition to relatively high interest rates and other financing issues, developers are finding it difficult to obtain approvals and utility connections in some parts of the country. High material prices and shortages of skilled labor also remain significant impediments.”

NAHB redesigned the survey in 2023 to make the results easier to interpret. The organization also aligned the survey with the format of its other industry sentiment studies.

NAHB said changes in the MPI and MOI should only be evaluated on a year-over-year basis until enough data are available for seasonal adjustments.

The survey also asked developers to compare current conditions with those three months earlier. In the second quarter, 14% said conditions had improved while 15% said they had worsened. Most respondents saw little change. Seventy-one percent said market conditions were about the same as they were three months earlier.

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Tuesday Tips: Delegate, guide and develop

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 Tips, Tom Jennings, retail training expert, explains why strong managers do more than just delegate. Strong managers guide their teams with a mindset of, “What can I do to help you learn?”

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Lions Floor expands website with new digital tools

Paramount, Calif.—Lions Floor has expanded LionsFloor.com with new resources for flooring education, product research and project planning.

The company’s website updates include a new Flooring Knowledge Center. The resource features nearly 100 questions and answers for homeowners, retailers, builders and flooring professionals, while covering flooring selection, product performance, installation, care and maintenance.

Lions Floor also launched a suite of project planning tools, including flooring, moulding, stair nose and stair tread material & price calculator. The tool also helps users estimate material requirements and projected costs for several parts of a flooring project.

Additional measurement tools allow users to calculate room square footage with a smartphone scan. Users can also draw a floor plan online to help plan material needs.

Other website enhancements include:

• An expanded “compare our flooring” experience
• A dedicated care & maintenance center and new care & cleaning guide
• New features & benefits content for SPC, WPC, laminate, glue-down LVP and loose lay flooring
• Expanded product pages with “collection stories” and product infographics
• An updated color crossover chart
• Improved “locate your nearest retailer” navigation
• An updated “contact us” experience
• Expanded product cross-selling, including LionsGrip adhesive across District and FormaLay products

Lions Floor also launched a new blog featuring flooring education, design inspiration, product information, industry insights and company news.

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Tarkett Home expands distribution network with Tri-West

Solon, Ohio—Tarkett Home has formed a new distribution partnership with Tri-West Ltd. for its residential sheet vinyl products.

The partnership strengthens Tarkett Home’s distribution network in the western United States. Tri-West will support retailers throughout the region, including Alaska and Hawaii.

“At the end of the day, our success is measured by our customers’ success,” said Travis Cramer, vice president and general manager of Tarkett Home. “As we looked at the future of our sheet vinyl business across the western United States, it was clear that Tri-West was the right partner to add to our network. Their reputation, experienced sales team and commitment to serving retailers made them the perfect fit for Tarkett Home.”

Tarkett Home manufactures its residential sheet vinyl collections in Farnham, Canada. The products feature realistic visuals, waterproof performance and durability designed to meet the needs of today’s homeowners.

“Our goal is to make doing business with us as easy as possible,” Cramer said. “That means partnering with distributors that understand their local markets, respond quickly to customer needs and are committed to helping retailers grow. Tri-West checks every one of those boxes.”

Tri-West brings an established presence throughout the western United States. Its sales organization will provide retailers with merchandising, service and support as they grow their sheet vinyl businesses.

“We’re excited to partner with Tarkett Home and represent a sheet vinyl collection that delivers exceptional quality and value,” said Allen Gage, president of Tri-West Ltd. “Both of our organizations believe that strong partnerships drive success and we look forward to supporting retailers across the region.”

Retailers can contact their local Tri-West or Tarkett Home sales representative for more information. Representatives can provide details about the residential sheet vinyl collections.

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MSI debuts Checkerboard Looks page

Orange, Calif.—MSI has launched a Checkerboard Looks page featuring flooring and wall tile options inspired by the classic pattern.

The page includes luxury vinyl tile, ceramic tile and porcelain tile. MSI designed the resource to help customers explore ready-made and customizable checkerboard styles.

Built-in checkerboard tile

The Checkerboard Looks page highlights three primary design directions:

• Classic contrast: Modern interpretations of traditional black-and-white checkerboard patterns
• Softer palettes: Cream and neutral tones for a more understated look
• Pattern-driven designs: Geometric options that support distinctive, customized interiors

Mix-and-match checkerboard tile

MSI also offers mix-and-match collections that allow customers to combine complementary colors and formats for a more personalized checkerboard design. Select collections can also extend the look to outdoor spaces.

“Checkerboard designs have evolved far beyond their traditional roots and continue to inspire designers with fresh interpretations that blend timeless style with today’s trends,” said Emily Holle, senior director of trend and design. “Our new Checkerboard Looks page makes it simple to explore a variety of materials, colors and patterns and it gives customers the flexibility to create spaces that feel both classic and uniquely their own.”

View the Checkerboard Looks page here.

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What Home Depot taught me about flooring–and people

(part 1 of a series)

Over the past four decades, I’ve had the opportunity to observe the flooring business from many perspectives—as a trainer, inspector, consultant, investor, customer and industry observer. I’ve worked with independent flooring retailers, major manufacturers, installers and one of America’s largest home improvement retailers. Looking back, the biggest lessons I learned had very little to do with flooring—and everything to do with people.

When people built the business

In the mid-1990s, a friend of mine attended an entrepreneurship program at Babson College where Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank returned as a guest speaker. According to my friend, Arthur reflected on Home Depot’s early days and the challenge of raising capital for a company that existed only as an idea. Then, spotting someone in the audience, he smiled and said, “You wouldn’t give me $5 million.” The gentleman stood and replied that instead he had invested in the DeLorean Motor Company. The room erupted in laughter.

Whether every word was spoken exactly that way is beside the point. What stayed with me was the lesson. Even experienced investors sometimes fail to recognize extraordinary opportunities while they’re unfolding. Success always appears obviously in hindsight. According to Arthur’s book, “Built from Scratch,” Ross Perot had a similar story about not investing. I would discover that lesson myself over the next 40 years.

During that time, I’ve seen the flooring business from about every angle imaginable. I’ve trained retail sales associates, inspected flooring failures, worked alongside installers, advised retailers, met manufacturers and distributors, and spent countless hours listening to homeowners describe both their successes and frustrations. What I learned surprised me. Flooring has never really been about flooring. It has always been about people.

Most consumers think flooring is simply selling carpet, hardwood, luxury vinyl or ceramic tile. Anyone who has worked in the business knows better. Every sale can involve moisture testing, subfloor preparation, measurements, estimating, scheduling, manufacturer specifications, installation challenges, customer expectations and, occasionally, problems that don’t appear until weeks after the installation is complete. Unlike most products sold in retail, flooring begins its real life after it leaves the store. That reality explains why flooring has always been one of the most challenging departments in retail.

My first day training at Home Depot

One of my earliest experiences with Home Depot has stayed with me ever since. I had been asked to conduct flooring training at one of their stores. Before the doors opened that morning, the store manager greeted me and asked what time I wanted to begin. “As early as you like,” he said. “That way we can finish up and go play golf.” Then he grinned. “But don’t get too attached to these people.” I looked at him. “They’ll all be different next week.”

At the time, we both laughed. Later, I realized he wasn’t exaggerating. Every time I returned to that store, there seemed to be new faces behind the flooring desk. It wasn’t because people didn’t work hard. It was because flooring demanded far more than most departments.

Associates needed product knowledge, technical understanding, estimating skills, installation awareness, problem-solving ability and, most importantly, the patience to help customers navigate one of the biggest purchases they would make for their homes. Many simply didn’t stay long enough to develop that expertise.

A million-dollar department

During one period, I helped train associates outside the flooring department, including kitchen designers, because staffing demands required them to answer flooring questions as well.

A close friend who worked within the system once showed me the sales numbers for a flooring department occupying a small footprint inside the store. It generated well over a million dollars in annual business. That combination—high revenue, technical complexity and constant customer interaction—made flooring one of Home Depot’s most valuable departments. It also made it one of the hardest for staff to be successful.

Meeting Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank

One of the great privileges of my career was meeting Home Depot founders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank. What impressed me most wasn’t simply what they had accomplished. It was how they listened. Over the years, I had met independent flooring retailers who were so busy running their businesses that they rarely had time to hear new ideas. Bernie and Arthur were different. They asked thoughtful questions, listened carefully and treated every conversation as though it mattered.

During one discussion, Arthur looked at me and smiled. “You ought to work in our flooring department,” he said. “We can make you a millionaire.” At the time, Home Depot stock was selling for around $17 a share. He explained how employee ownership was creating wealth throughout the company and encouraged me to invest. I took his advice. Looking back, it was one of the best investment decisions I ever made.

At the time, however, I doubted many flooring associates would remain with the company long enough to benefit from that opportunity. Once again, I was wrong. One of my closest friends has now spent more than 20 years managing a Home Depot flooring department. When I recently asked her why she stayed, her answer surprised me. “The stock has been wonderful,” she said. “But it’s really the customers. People come back asking for me.” That answer told me everything I needed to know. Even inside one of the largest retailers in America, relationships still mattered.

Independent flooring retailers taught me another lesson. Several quietly admitted that while flooring provided a good living, their greatest long-term investment wasn’t the carpet, hardwood or vinyl they sold. It was the shopping centers they owned.

The real estate appreciated while the business paid the mortgage. I never forgot that observation. Sometimes, the smartest investment isn’t the product. It’s the ground beneath it.

Looking back, those early experiences revealed something that has remained true throughout my career:

• Product knowledge matters
• Technical expertise matters
• Experience matters
• But trust matters most

The flooring business has always been built on relationships—between retailers and customers, installers and homeowners, manufacturers and dealers. When those relationships are strong, problems get solved. When they weaken, no spreadsheet in the world can replace them.

Those early years represented one side of what I now think of as the “Orange Pendulum.” It was a time when people drove the business. But every pendulum eventually swings. And as Home Depot continued to grow, another force began reshaping not only the company, but much of retail itself.

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Lisbeth Calandrino has been promoting retail strategies for the last 20 years. To have her speak at your business or to schedule a consultation, contact her at lcalandrino@nycap.rr.com.

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BHW Floors absorbs R.A. Siegel private-label brands

Following on the heels of the abrupt closure of R.A. Siegel Distributors earlier this month (FCNews, July 6/13), BHW Floors has announced it will provide direct service to its dealer partners in the Southeast territories formerly covered by the wholesaler. At the same time, BHW Floors said it will absorb two private-label rigid core brands previously handled by R.A. Siegel.

The two lines are: Grandview Plus, a 9 x 60-inch, 6.5mm-thick SPC product featuring the latest EIR technology; and Select Style Pro, a 5mm-thick SPC line measuring 7 x 48 inches and featuring a 20-mil wear layer. Both feature painted bevels and are priced in the midrange tier of the market, according to BHW Floors.

“We’ll be adding both Grandview Plus and Select Style Pro 20 SPC flooring collections to our existing offerings,” said Jason Grant, vice president, BHW Floors. “We’ve seen that these products have been very well received in the field, and given the decors are different than our existing colors, we see this as a good opportunity to capture additional business.”

The good news for flooring dealers is they can continue to merchandise the two popular SPC lines without interruption. “Customers were asking what they needed to do with those displays,” Grant said. “We negotiated with R.A. Siegel and their bank to secure those lines as our own. Beginning Monday, July 27, we will have all inventory ready to ship.”

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