ConsoCon 2026 hits on all cylinders

This rug was woven entirely from undyed natural wool.

New York—The sixth iteration of ConsoCon, an event hosted by Consolidated Flooring, drew a record 278 attendees last month, mostly designers and architects.

The turnout represented a nearly 10% increase from the prior ConsoCon, which followed a similar format with vendor partners creating works of art, in many cases using actual materials from flooring. “Our team did a great job planning this event from start to finish,” said David Meberg, president and CEO of Consolidated Flooring. “ConsoCon seems to grow in popularity every year, and this year I feel we really hit on all cylinders with a great venue, great catering and, most importantly, great support from our vendor partners.”

While the night was about networking and enjoying the festivities, the vendors who participated brought their best artwork to the fore. “It’s amazing to see how much our vendor partners have embraced this concept,” Meberg said. “The first year we did this we felt only a couple of our vendors took it seriously. This year, the competition was stiff, with each vendor showing amazing creativity and design. Honestly, any one of the pieces displayed this year could have been in the running for year one winner if judged against those first submissions. The creativity and growth has been inspiring.”

Here are the top three finishers and a synopsis of their work:

First place – EGE

“Untitled”

Woven entirely from undyed natural wool, the rug uses the inherent tonal spectrum of the fibers from New Zealand sheep—from pale cream through gray, brown and near black. Each tone of the yarn pays tribute to the natural variation of the fleece from which it originates. Undyed wool becomes the substance of the artwork directly from its subject. The sheep fleece is transformed into fiber, the fiber into textile, and the textile back into an image of the sheep.

Second place: Shaw/Patcraft

“What We Pass On”

“What We Pass On” depicts an older generation teaching a child the art of origami, a practice that transforms a single, uncut sheet of paper into something new without creating discarded offcuts. That simple act becomes a metaphor for thoughtful design, achieving beauty, function and transformation while considering what happens to every material along the way.

The artwork is made from recycled-content flooring materials from Shaw Contract and Patcraft brands with the cranes created from EcoWorx M backing.

Third place (tie): AHF Products and Apollo Distributing Co.

AHF Products

“Interstellar”

Earth’s blues and greens unfold across a geometric field of VCT, a material composed primarily of abundant limestone. At its center the landscape gives way to Mars—a handcrafted hemisphere formed from copper plates used in a static-control flooring system. Around it, an orbit carries a small rocket crafted from AHF wood.

Apollo

“Evolution”

Apollo’s “Evolution” is captured through craftsmanship, innovation and longevity. The artwork transitions from black and white into color, representing Apollo’s journey from its beginnings in 1920 to today. Black and white reflects Apollo’s heritage, craftsmanship and strong foundation, while color symbolizes growth, innovation and the future of design. Created collaboratively by Apollo employees, this piece celebrates where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going.

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Tuesday Tips: Midterms and flooring’s future with Brett Richards

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, WFCA’s Brett Richards examines the political landscape and its potential impact on flooring businesses. He’ll dive deeper into the topic at the upcoming TISE event.

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NALFA launches hybrid flooring standards initiative

Springfield, Mass.—The North American Laminate Flooring Association (NALFA) has launched an initiative to define and develop performance standards for wood-based hybrid flooring. The effort aims to establish consistent testing methods and performance requirements for the emerging hard surface flooring category.

As manufacturers introduce new material technologies, hybrid flooring products continue to evolve in durability, water resistance and overall performance. However, the industry lacks consistent terminology and established benchmarks for evaluating these products.

“As hybrid flooring continues to evolve, the industry needs a clear and credible framework for understanding what these products are and how their performance should be evaluated,” said Tom Wright, president of NALFA. “Our goal is to apply NALFA’s established expertise to wood-based hybrid flooring, developing consistent testing methodologies and measurable performance expectations that build confidence throughout the marketplace.”

NALFA plans to address those gaps by defining the category, developing testing methods and establishing measurable performance expectations.

The initiative follows the association’s October strategic planning discussions in Savannah, Ga. During those meetings, NALFA leaders identified wood-based hybrid flooring as an opportunity to expand the organization’s technical expertise.

The effort will focus on hybrid flooring products that incorporate wood-based core technologies.

Next steps

NALFA will initially focus on defining eligible product constructions and determining the scope of future standards. Potential testing areas include scratch resistance, moisture and swell performance, dimensional stability and other durability characteristics.

The association will determine specific testing methods, performance thresholds and potential certification requirements through its technical evaluation and review processes.

NALFA said its experience with independent, third-party testing will help establish credible product performance standards. The initiative also aims to give manufacturers clearer technical guidelines while helping retailers, specifiers, installers and consumers evaluate hybrid flooring products.

The association is inviting manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, installers, testing laboratories and other industry stakeholders to participate in the initiative.

NALFA plans to take a phased approach and will release additional details about the technical scope, participation opportunities and next steps as the initiative progresses.

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Shaw Contract to unveil Bold Moves at upcoming events

Cartersville, Ga.—Shaw Contract is showcasing its new Bold Moves collection at two major educational industry events this fall.

Shaw Contract will feature Bold Moves at EDspaces this week in Kansas City, Mo., at booth 2635. The collection will also appear at A4LE LearningSCAPES 2026, scheduled for Nov. 4-7 at the Seattle Convention Center, booth 405.

“Bold Moves was built for the education community, so EDspaces and LearningSCAPES are exactly where it belongs,” said Sara Hudson, director of marketing, education, government and product launch at Shaw Contract. “These are the rooms where planners, designers and facilities teams decide what actually works in schools. We want them to see firsthand how much creative freedom this collection gives them without compromising on performance.”

Bold Moves features 24 x 24 inch carpet tiles with accent striping, organic textures and a range of colors. The collection coordinates with Color Code ceramic tile, allowing designers to carry a consistent color palette across floors and walls.

The carpet tile’s No Rules design allows installation in any direction. Shaw Contract said this flexibility can reduce installation time and labor costs. Tonal gradations also help blend dye lots, making it easier to replace individual tiles without matching their original orientation. Facilities teams can order replacement materials as needed rather than maintaining large inventories.

“Learning doesn’t happen in a straight line, and the spaces that support it shouldn’t either,” Hudson added. “Bold Moves lets designers use color to express a school’s identity and bring people together, while standing up to everything a high-use education environment demands.”

The collection features EcoWorx M backing, which allows moisture to evaporate between tiles. According to Shaw Contract, the backing reduces most subfloor moisture concerns and can eliminate the need for moisture testing in certain applications. Existing adhesive may also remain in place when permitted under the company’s installation guidelines.

The carpet tile also carries a 52 RC sound rating to help minimize sound transfer in educational environments.

Shaw Contract said Bold Moves carpet tile styles are carbon neutral, Cradle to Cradle Certified Bronze and Living Building Challenge Red List Approved.

The collection uses EcoSolution Q100, a nylon fiber made with 100% recycled content sourced from pre-consumer waste. EcoWorx M backing is fully recyclable and contains up to 68% recycled content.

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NTCA honors Noah Chitty with 2026 Ring of Honor award

Flowood, Miss.—The National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA) has named Noah Chitty of Crossville/AHF Products the recipient of its 2026 Ring of Honor Award.

The award recognizes individuals whose leadership, service and dedication have made a lasting impact on the tile industry.

“Noah has given so much of himself to this industry,” said Bart Bettiga, NTCA executive director. “He is incredibly knowledgeable, but what makes Noah special is that he never makes you feel like you should already know the answer. He takes the time to explain, to teach, to listen and to help. That generosity has touched countless people throughout our industry.”

Chitty has spent more than 25 years in the tile industry, holding leadership positions at the Tile Council of North America (TCNA), StonePeak Ceramics and Crossville.

He currently serves as vice president of sustainability and technical services for AHF Products and chairman of the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) board.

Chitty also chairs ISO/TC 189, the international committee responsible for ceramic tile standards and serves on the NTCA Technical Committee.

Throughout his career, Chitty has helped advance tile standards, installation practices and industry education. He played a key role in developing product and installation standards for gauged porcelain tile panels.

“Noah has always understood that this industry is ultimately about people,” Bettiga said. “He has an incredible ability to bring people together. He builds relationships based on trust and respect and those relationships have strengthened our entire industry.”

Bettiga also recognized Chitty’s commitment to mentoring industry professionals and sharing technical knowledge.

“He doesn’t do things for recognition,” Bettiga said. “That’s one of the reasons this honor means so much. Noah has spent decades quietly doing the work, sharing what he knows, helping solve problems, mentoring others and looking for ways to make tile installation better. He has made a difference in ways that he probably doesn’t even realize.”

NTCA will formally recognize Chitty at Tile Solutions Plus in Miami on Monday, Nov. 2.

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NAHB applauds administration’s strategy to lower housing costs

Washington, D.C.—The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) praised President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at reducing housing costs and improving affordability for American families.

Bill Owens, NAHB chairman and a home builder and remodeler from Worthington, Ohio, issued the following statement in response to the order:

“NAHB commends President Trump and his administration for making housing a national priority. The president’s executive order will help reduce single-family housing and mortgage costs. We urge the administration to continue its efforts to reduce regulatory burdens to make housing more affordable for all Americans.”

The executive order focuses on lowering housing costs, while NAHB continues to advocate for fewer regulatory barriers to improve affordability.

Read the full executive order at whitehouse.gov.

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Louisville Tile introduces Kosen porcelain tile

Louisville, Ky.—Louisville Tile Distributors has launched Kosen, a glazed porcelain tile collection within its curated Wilcox Fifty Five line.

Inspired by handcrafted ceramics, Kosen combines natural textures with contemporary design. The collection features matte and glossy finishes with multiple graphic faces that create subtle variations in texture and appearance.

“The addition of Kosen to the Wilcox Fifty Five collection reflects our deeply intentional and meticulous curation process,” said Catherine Buehre, vice president of product development for Louisville Tile. “By traveling the globe, we keep our finger on the pulse of emerging design trends, allowing us to deliver unparalleled, world-class aesthetics to our clients.”

Kosen collection features

The new collection offers modular formats for interior and exterior applications, including bathroom walls and kitchen floors.

The collection includes:

• Four tonal matte colors in 2 x 6 inch brick and 4 x 6 inch formats
• Four glossy colors in a 2 x 6 inch format
• Coordinating jolly trim for finished edges

The glazed porcelain construction provides durability and easy maintenance, according to the company.

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