Stats 2026: High end is saving grace for hardwood

History continues to repeat itself as the U.S. hardwood flooring segment increasingly cedes more market share to competing hard surfaces, particularly LVP, rigid core and laminate. FCNews research shows hardwood flooring sales at the first point of distribution totaled $1.774 billion last year, a 3.8% decrease from 2024. Meanwhile, volume shipments decreased 6.8% to 630 million square feet. That’s the lowest level since 2012, when wood sales fell to $1.640 billion and 685 million square feet.

To put those numbers in greater perspective, hardwood accounted for just 7.5% of total industry value in 2025 and a mere 3.7% of total industry volume when taking all flooring segments into account. In 2024, hardwood accounted for 8.2% of total industry sales and 4.3% of volume. And five years prior, hardwood represented 9.6% of total industry sales and 4.7% of volume.

Hardwood’s struggle to retain and/or regain market share is also evident when looking at how the category stacked up against competing hard surfaces in 2025. FCNews research shows hardwood accounted for just 12.1% of total hard surface value and just 6.67% of total hard surface volume last year. That’s down slightly from 12.6% in value and 7% in volume in 2024.

Going back even farther, to 2015, hardwood flooring sales at the first point of distribution totaled $2.059 billion with shipments reaching 815 million square feet. That represents a drop of 13.8% in sales and 22.6% plummet in volume over the course of 10 years.

Looking at the glass half full, though, the respective rates of the category’s sales and volume declines were not as steep year over year. In 2024, for instance, hardwood sales fell 9% to approximately $1.845 billion and 10.7% in volume to 676 million square feet. That’s just a little over a third of the percentage rate of the decline in sales compared to 2023. When looking at the category’s performance over the past few years, that percentage decrease continues to trend in the right direction. For example, in 2023 U.S. hardwood flooring sales at the first point of distribution fell 15%, and square footage shipped in 2023 was off more than 17% from 2022.

Regardless of how you stack it, hardwood’s ongoing loss of market share is irrefutable. “Categories such as water-resistant laminate and WPC have been gaining market share at a rapid pace,” said Louie Wang, senior vice president of sales, Johnson Hardwood. “These products resonate strongly with today’s consumers due to their durability, color consistency, on-trend visuals and ease of maintenance. As a result, they are increasingly competing with—and in many cases replacing—traditional hardwood options in a wide range of end-use applications.”

These competitive dynamics, industry experts say, are changing the way hardwood is being positioned in the marketplace. Specifically, it’s altering the mix of product tiers at retail. “Hardwood has lost ground in the ‘good/better’ middle of the market,” said Jamann Stepp, senior vice president, hard surfaces, Stanton Design. “When hardwood pricing jumps, consumers generally trade down. This is especially true in the remodel/multifamily category.”

The result, observers say, is hardwood being pushed into a narrower premium niche category—“where the average price point at retail is much higher than LVT/rigid core, and the average square footage per order is also substantially higher,” Stepp added.

Johnson Hardwood cited sales data showing what Wang called “a bifurcation” in performance: higher-end engineered products (featuring thicker wear layers, 5/8– to ¾-inch profiles and premium grades) continue to perform well, as do entry-level options such as 3/8-inch products. “However, mid-tier products have experienced a noticeable decline in volume, suggesting that constrained spending power is influencing purchasing decisions,” he explained.

But some say slower hardwood flooring sales activity at the opening price point might not necessarily be a bad thing for the hardwood category. As Wade Bondrowski, director of sales, U.S. at Mercier, explained: “The popularity of less expensive wood look-alikes has reduced demand for entry-level wood flooring, and that has benefitted companies like ours that focus on the upper-mid to high end of the market.”

The key to recouping lost market share, wood proponents say, lies not so much in playing the pricing game but rather emphasizing wood’s unique attributes. “The challenge is not just demand, but ensuring the long-term value of real wood remains clearly understood in a more price-sensitive environment,” said Jerome Goulet, vice president of marketing, Mirage.

Industry executives by and large agreed. Yvette Shroyer, director of marketing, Urbanfloor—another supplier that’s focused on the upper end of the market—also attested to the competitive margin pressures created by the increased consumption of today’s popular resilient flooring options.

“As lower-cost hard surface alternatives like SPC and laminate continue to improve in both performance and aesthetics, they are capturing share at the more price-sensitive end of the market,” she explained.

These changing dynamics are reflected in the shifts seen in terms of wood flooring consumption last year. FCNews research shows the residential replacement sector accounted for 69.4% of wood flooring sales in 2025, up slightly from 66.4% the year prior. Meanwhile, wood consumption in the new home construction sector continues to drop, dipping to 17%.

Commercial wood consumption barely budged, falling only slightly to roughly 10.6% of sales. This is based largely on the strength of specified products going into restaurant, hospitality and higher education projects like university libraries, with slightly less usage in corporate office applications.

In terms of product type, prefinished wood flooring held on to its dominant share in 2025. FCNews research showed the prefinished portion of the domestic wood flooring market accounted for roughly 82% of sales last year, with unfinished accounting for roughly 18%. In that same vein, engineered wood saw its share of the total wood flooring pie grow from about 75% in 2024 to 77% last year. And with respect to species, white oak (much of it European) and domestic red oak accounted for the lion’s share of species sold last year.

Regarding wood flooring sales by channel, specialty floor covering stores represented about 42% of overall wood sales, up only slightly from 2024’s 41%, while home centers’ share fell slightly from 32% in 2024 to about 28% last year. Both Home Depot and Lowe’s reported lower overall flooring sales in 2025, with anecdotal data showing more big-box customers gravitating toward products like waterproof resilient and entry-level laminate. But it’s the pro-contractor shoppers that tend to purchase the bulk of hardwood products at the big boxes, particularly unfinished wood flooring.

Large-format retailers like Floor & Decor, which says it does not compete with the nation’s major home center chains, actually reported an increase in its hardwood flooring sales. Statistics show Floor & Decor grew its hardwood flooring sales by 19.2%, although it continues to open new stores at a faster clip than the boxes, thereby skewing the overall numbers a bit.

Tariff impacts

It’s not just changing channel dynamics and increased pressure from competing hardwood flooring segments that are impacting the hardwood flooring segment. High on the list of concerns is the impact that tariffs are having on the U.S. hardwood flooring market. Increasingly, suppliers have to become more strategically (and fiscally) minded when sourcing product.

“Importers are now required to manage cash flow more conservatively, which directly impacts purchasing and inventory strategies,” Johnson Hardwood’s Wang said. “High-cost engineered wood products, in particular, must be forecast with greater precision. This has, in some cases, led to tighter inventory positions and potential shortages.”

Indeed, some companies are making progress in solving that puzzle. Take Mohawk, for example. Although the company sources its wood program, it was able to adjust quickly in a tariff-driven environment.

“We didn’t have to do a lot of moving product from point A to point B or a different country, and that’s been helpful for us,” said David Moore, vice president, product management, Mohawk. “But we have seen the impact of tariffs. We planned that through and we certainly absorbed as much of it as we could and tried to offset it as best we could, but we did have to pass some of that on to the retailer. It’s not something that anyone wants to do, but it’s just a situation of there not being enough margin in the supply chain to absorb incremental increases of 20%.”

Shaw, which also sources some of its wood flooring products, is taking a strategic view. “We are a firm believer that a balanced approach in sourcing and manufacturing hard surface is important,” said Benjamin Liebert, president, residential, Shaw. “We do source a number of products with select partners abroad, which gives us a ton of flexibility in what I call the ‘make vs. buy.’ You can make it or you can buy it, but ultimately our goal is to own the innovation, to have the IP and work with our partners and to do that.”

At the same time, Shaw is also making investments domestically. “We have a hardwood facility in the Northwest Georgia area that continues to play a huge role in our hardwood with investment and product launches,” Liebert added.

For some companies, including AHF Products, tariffs don’t present much of a challenge. But then again, few domestic hardwood flooring suppliers can tout the stateside manufacturing footprint that AHF has—even though the company does import some engineered products. “Domestic manufacturing delivers real advantages for our customers,” said Milton Goodwin, senior vice president. “It means shorter lead times, better service consistency and the ability to support projects without disruption.”

Competition for raw materials

Tariffs aren’t the only issue vexing suppliers. The battle for premium hardwood species—particularly white oak, red oak and hard maple—remains a significant factor for suppliers, as they influence overall lumber pricing. Demand from multiple industries has created a highly competitive marketplace for raw materials, placing upward pressure on log and lumber costs and challenging manufacturers across the hardwood supply chain.

White oak has experienced the most pronounced pricing pressure, executives say. Flooring manufacturers, cabinet producers, furniture companies, architectural millwork firms and barrel manufacturers have all competed aggressively for available supplies. The bourbon and whiskey industries, in particular, have become a major driver of white oak demand because U.S. law requires bourbon to be aged in new charred oak barrels.

Industry analysts note that cooperages continue to consume large quantities of stave-quality white oak, often paying premiums for logs suitable for barrel production. At the same time, flooring manufacturers have increased their utilization of white oak as consumer preferences have shifted away from traditional red oak toward lighter, contemporary wood visuals. These overlapping demand streams have kept white oak among the highest-valued domestic hardwood species.

Hard maple has also faced sustained pricing pressure due to demand from flooring, cabinetry, furniture, sporting goods and industrial applications. Its hardness, durability and clean appearance have made it a preferred species for both residential and commercial products. Similarly, red oak remains widely used throughout the furniture and flooring sectors, although pricing increases have generally been less dramatic than those seen in white oak.

Supply-side constraints have amplified these demand pressures. White oak trees require decades to mature, limiting the industry’s ability to rapidly increase supply when demand rises. Concerns about long-term white oak availability have become significant enough that lawmakers and forestry organizations have proposed initiatives aimed at improving regeneration and long-term forest sustainability. “The forest is only going to give you 30% white oak; the other 70% is red oak,” AHF Products’

Goodwin explained. “Those trees get used in primarily three different segments; the high grade goes into furniture and cabinets and case goods, and those markets aren’t using as much white oak anymore. So, less is being harvested because the mills can’t sell that premium wood at a high price like they used to. Flooring’s there in the middle tier, with railroad in the lower tier.”

That leaves the bourbon barrel and the whiskey barrel manufacturers, who are taking more than their share. “And they can pay more for it than we can sell it for, and so that’s driven us and others to look for alternate solutions,” Goodwin noted.

Suppliers, regardless of their home base of operation, attest to how the hardwood lumber market is being influenced by demand from unrelated product segments. “This diversified demand is putting additional pressure on the lumber supply, thereby impacting pricing not just for the hardwood flooring sector but across multiple industries that rely on these raw materials,” said David Lauzon Jr., president, Lauzon Hardwood Flooring. “The compounded effect of increased global demand across various sectors, and the slowed production capabilities may lead to significant price volatility and supply constraints in the near future.”

As a result, hardwood manufacturers are facing higher raw material costs, especially in recent years. Flooring producers, furniture manufacturers, cabinet makers and millwork companies have either absorbed these increases, implemented price hikes or adjusted product offerings to maintain profitability. In many cases, manufacturers have sought alternative species or lower-grade lumber to offset rising costs.

Although some hardwood markets have shown signs of stabilization, white oak continues to command a premium due to competition from other segments. Industry observers expect high-quality white oak lumber to remain relatively expensive compared to historical norms, reflecting the ongoing imbalance between strong demand and limited long-term supply.

In lock-step with housing

In spite of the numerous challenges facing the U.S. hardwood flooring market, executives remain largely optimistic—if cautiously. “Interest rates and slower housing activity continue to weigh on demand, particularly in new construction,” Mirage’s Goulet said. “At the same time, global conflicts and trade tensions are creating volatility in energy, transportation and raw material costs.”

Still, Goulet remains confident in the medium- to long-term outlook. “While the market is currently impacted by economic uncertainty, these are cyclical factors,” he explained. “As conditions stabilize and housing demand recovers, we expect the category to regain momentum.”

No doubt all eyes will be on the bellwether housing market. That’s the key segment that virtually all executives agree will have the greatest impact on business. “We recognize that external market forces will play a pivotal role in shaping business outcomes this year,” said Danielle Lancianese, director of hardwood & laminate, Shaw. “The performance of the housing market is the most significant factor impacting the industry.”

AHF Product’s Goodwin agreed. “If lower interest rates convince more builders to start building houses, that’s going to help our engineered wood business,” he said.

At the end of the day, industry observers say it all boils down to affordability. Statistics provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows shelter costs are running at a 3.6% annual rate and continue to outpace broader consumer prices. “With a nationwide shortage of roughly 1.2 million housing units, the best way to ease the housing affordability crisis is for policymakers to remove barriers that are hindering builders from building more homes and apartments,” said Robert Dietz, NAHB chief economist.

At the same time, builders are facing persistent labor shortages themselves, with the U.S. government reporting nearly 300,000 job openings in the construction industry. NAHB estimates that the residential construction sector will need to add roughly 740,000 workers a year just to keep pace with the industry’s growth, retirements and departures.

Then there are those perennial cost concerns. NAHB research shows residential building material prices continue to experience elevated growth despite continued weakness in the new residential construction market.

One silver lining, according to Dietz, is along the interest rate front, where the rate for 30-year fixed mortgages dropped 13 basis points earlier this year to 6.2% following the announcement of $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities buybacks by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. NAHB expects mortgage rates to remain slightly above 6% for the balance of the year. “A sustained sub-6% mortgage rate will likely wait until 2027,” Dietz projected.

One area of the housing sector that continues to thrive, according to NAHB, is the remodeling sector, with the home improvement spending share for residential construction rising from 33% in 2007 to 45% in the third quarter of 2025. Residential remodeling activity is expected to increase 3% by the close of 2026 and an additional 2% next year.

“The surge in home equity has allowed more homeowners to finance remodeling projects that meet their needs, which include growth for aging-in-place remodeling projects,” Dietz stated. “NAHB expects robust long-term remodeling growth and projects overall remodeling expenditures will be 19% higher in 2030 and 32% higher by 2035.”

That’s longer term. In the meantime, builders are expected to continue emphasizing affordability-oriented product designs, including: smaller floor plans, townhomes, attached housing, build-to-rent communities and entry-level housing products. In particular, the South is expected to remain the primary growth engine for single-family construction, while selected Midwest markets may also outperform due to favorable affordability conditions.

Conversely, the multifamily sector is expected to experience more moderate growth over the course of 2026. After several years of elevated apartment development, many markets are working through substantial new supply. As a result, economists anticipate slower multifamily starts compared with the levels recorded during the post-pandemic boom. Apartment occupancy rates are expected to remain relatively stable, particularly in major Sun Belt metropolitan areas.

One telltale sign of future construction activity is building permits. If filings are any indication, observers will be closely watching activity throughout the year. NAHB reported that total residential permits issued during 2025 totaled approximately 1.43 million units, a 3.6% decline from 2024. Statistics show single-family permits fell approximately 7.4%, suggesting builders remained cautious regarding future demand. Anecdotal data suggests builders expect challenging conditions to continue for the balance of 2026, especially if costs are not reigned in.

During testimony in a January 2026 hearing before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (“Housing Affordability: Saving the American Dream”), NAHB principals offered their thoughts and expertise. The best way to ease the nation’s housing affordability crisis, NAHB members said, is for policymakers to eliminate excessive regulations that are preventing builders from increasing the housing supply.

Testifying at a congressional panel hearing focusing on housing affordability, Buddy Hughes (NAHB’s immediate-past chairman) said that in order to ease housing constraints for home buyers and renters, it is imperative to eliminate excessive regulations that hinder the construction of new homes and apartments.

“Regulations account for nearly 25% of the cost of a single-family home and more than 40% of the cost of a typical apartment development,” he told lawmakers during the hearings. “The time and costs associated with complying with a multitude of government regulations can be significant for small- and medium-sized builders and ultimately limit housing supply.”

Increased regulations, including overly stringent mandatory energy code requirements, are impeding the ability of builders to boost housing production. In particular, Hughes cited an April 2024 final determination by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that required new single-family and multifamily homes financed by these agencies to comply with the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) or ASHRAE 90.1-2019, respectively. The Trump Administration has delayed the effective date for both single-family and multifamily housing until further notice.

“NAHB urges Congress and the administration to prohibit HUD and USDA from enforcing a minimum energy standard that increases housing costs during a nationwide affordability crisis,” Hughes implored. “We also urge policymakers to respect state and local authority over code adoption and to reject mandates that most states have not determined are appropriate for their communities.”

For multifamily projects with federal assistance, a key challenge for builders and developers is the requirement to source domestically for construction. “While our members try to use products made within the U.S., it’s not always practical because of price or availability,” Hughes explained. “Multifamily housing needs an exemption from this requirement to help avoid construction delays and additional costs.”

Most analysts expect sales of new homes to remain one of the strongest segments of the housing market. By and large, builders are expected to continue to benefit from their ability to offer financing incentives and rate buydowns unavailable to most existing home sellers. Surveys show many economists anticipate new home sales could exceed 800,000 units on an annualized basis over the course of 2026 if mortgage rates decline as many hope.

Favorable conditions for new construction activity is only part of the solution. Industry observers agree that there needs to be much more improvement as it relates to existing home sales. With higher existing home sale activity—the logic goes—the greater the likelihood that new homeowners will replace the flooring that came with the house.

Again, it all hinges on lowering mortgage rates. A gradual reduction here, experts say, could encourage more homeowners to list properties, easing the so-called “lock-in effect” that constrained inventory throughout 2024 and 2025. Economists generally expect existing home sales to rise above 4 million units and potentially approach 4.5 million units if financing conditions improve.

While these levels would remain below historical averages, they would represent meaningful progress toward a more balanced market. Economists projected that further inventory gains and modest mortgage-rate relief could support improved market conditions in 2026.

“We expect higher inventory, modest improvements in affordability and more accommodating monetary policy from the Federal Reserve will help more Americans buy their next home,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist with the National Association of Realtors. “We project an 8.9% increase in active listings in 2026, marking a third consecutive year of gains.”

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SELIT North America announces new ownership structure

Commerce, Ga.—SELIT North America, Inc., a leading U.S. manufacturer of high-quality foam underlayment products for floating floors, announced a change in its ownership structure. Co-founder, Marco Seitner will sell his ownership share to the Schlueter family, a partner of the business.

The company said it will continue to operate as usual, with the same focus on quality, reliability and customer service. Seitner will remain a member of the board of directors during the transition period.

“I look back with great pride and deep satisfaction on what we have built together over the past two decades,” Seitner said. “SELIT North America is in a stronger position today than it has ever been. I am confident that, with the Schlueter family as Rouven’s new partner, the company has a bright future ahead of it. It has been an honor to build this business, and I look forward to watching it continue to grow.”

Company history

SELIT North America’s roots go back to the entrepreneurial vision of the Seitner family and its longstanding experience in foam underlayment. Seitner launched the U.S. business from Europe in 2006 as a pioneer in the underlayment industry. In 2009, he and his brother, Rouven, co-founded SELIT North America, Inc., in Forest Park, Ga., and just one year later established the company’s first North American production facility in Plattsburgh, N.Y. This also began a close foam production partnership with the Schlueter family that would prove formative for both companies.

In 2019, the two brothers spearheaded the opening of a state-of-the-art XPS foam sheet manufacturing plant here, setting new industry benchmarks and cementing the company’s position as the market leader in North America. Over the course of nearly 20 years, they built SELIT North America into one of the most advanced and respected producers of synthetic foam underlayments in the United States.

Today, SELIT North America has a strong position in the U.S. flooring industry, supported by technical know-how, established customer relationships and a capable U.S. manufacturing footprint. A key part of this platform is the company’s long-standing relationship with Pak-Lite Inc., located here, a trusted partner that supports SELIT North America’s ability to serve customers across North America with quality, reliability and flexibility.

Nicolas Gevaert will continue to lead SELIT North America as chief executive officer, while Rouven Seitner will continue as a shareholder and member of the board of directors, ensuring continuity for customers, employees and business partners.

“The key message for our customers and partners is continuity,” Gevaert said. “SELIT North America has built a strong market position in the U.S., and this transaction provides a solid foundation for the company’s next phase of growth. We will continue to serve the market with the same focus on quality, reliability and innovation, while building on proven partnerships with Pak-Lite and the Schlueter family.”

Udo Schlueter, representing the Schlueter family, added: “We know the business well and have great respect for what the SELIT North America team has built. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Marco Seitner for his extraordinary contribution over the past two decades. His entrepreneurial spirit and commitment have been the driving force behind SELIT North America’s success. We look forward to working with CEO Nicolas Gevaert and the wider team to support the company’s continued growth in North America.”

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Stats 2026: Rigid core products continue to dominate sales

After two years of modest decline, the resilient flooring category saw an uptick in dollar sales in 2025. That was mostly due to price increases caused by tariffs and a higher-end product mix. Volume in 2025 declined modestly. The commercial segment bolstered the category as it proved stronger than the residential market, which continues to struggle with housing and inflationary pressures.

The category as a whole continued to garner the largest percentage of total dollar sales (36.5%) in the industry, and 59.5% of total hard surface sales (not including rubber) for the year. Rigid core continues to be the workhorse and growth driver of resilient flooring. What’s new is that WPC outpaced SPC growth in 2025. However, SPC remains the behemoth of the category, alone garnering more than $3.5 billion in 2025.

Overall, the category’s meteoric rise can be seen in its unprecedented growth throughout the last decade-plus. Ten years ago in 2015, the category saw the highest gain in dollar sales of any category at 13.9%. The next closest gain that year was 9.8%, which went to ceramic. That momentum continued for years, fueled by innovation, evolving consumer preferences and the rapid adoption of rigid core products. The category’s first dollar decline happened in 2023; however, the category’s market dominance continues.

In 2025, Floor Covering News research found the resilient flooring category as a whole generated $8.587 billion, which was up about 2.5% from the year prior’s $8.374—and even up slightly from $8.576 billion in 2023. In terms of volume, the resilient flooring category (not including rubber) accounted for 5.8 billion square feet, down about 1.2% from 5.877 in 2024.

The resilient category has experienced a whirlwind rise. Looking back 10 years, the segment garnered just $2.7 billion in sales. Five years prior to that in 2010, the category registered $1.7 billion, meaning in just half a decade it increased by $1 billion. The next five years would see an explosion of $3.9 billion and then another $2 billion over the last five years. That’s an unprecedented fourfold increase in dollars in the last 15 years.

The resilient category experienced its meteoric growth mostly between the years 2015-2023 where it saw double-digital increases each consecutive year—with growth peaking at 30.3% in 2021, before the first minor decline in 2024.

Resilient also held onto its lead as the No. 1 category in dollars for the third year running, eclipsing carpet by $1.8 billion (not including area rugs). The LVT segment of the resilient category alone (including residential and commercial rigid core and flex), also eclipsed carpet sales for the second year running with $64 million to spare, which is twice that of last year.

If we include area rugs and rubber into the mix, total resilient dollars ($8.83 billion) are just $3 million shy of reaching No. 1 (carpet + area rugs generated $8.86 billion in 2025).

Overall market dominance

The total resilient flooring category (including residential and commercial sheet, LVT, tile, VCT and linoleum) showcased its dominance in the market in several ways last year. For instance, it was the only category to register gains in dollars.

The category also produced growth in terms of overall market share. Looking at total flooring sales (carpet, area rugs, resilient, ceramic, laminate, wood and rubber), the vinyl portion of resilient garnered 36.5% of total dollars vs. 35% the year prior and 34% in 2023. In terms of volume, vinyl saw an increase to 35% vs. 34% in 2024 and 32.9% in 2023.

Looking back a decade to 2015, total resilient sales accounted for just 13.3% of total flooring sales ($2.724 billion), which was up from 12.4% the year prior, and about 17% of total volume (3.145 billion square feet), which was up from 15.1% the year prior.

To look back just another five years, those numbers become even more staggering. In 2010, resilient garnered just 10.6% of total dollar sales. That means in a decade and a half, resilient flooring’s share of total dollars and volume has more than tripled.

Resilient’s market share dominance in 2025 is even clearer when measured against the hard surface market. When compared to ceramic tile, hardwood and laminate, FCNews research found resilient accounted for 59.5% of total hard surface sales vs. 57.4% in 2024 and 56.7% in 2023. Looking at hard surface volume (not including rubber) in 2025, resilient sales reached 61.5% share. That’s compared to 60.4% in 2024 and 59% in 2023.

Looking back 10 years to 2015, total hard surfaces sales reached $8.533 billion. Resilient’s share of that was just 31.9%. In terms of hard surface volume in 2015, resilient captured 38.8% (7.184 billion square feet) of the total 18.526 billion square feet.

In terms of dollars, that’s an increase of more than 27 percentage points in just 10 years and nearly 23 percentage points in terms of volume.

Of that 59.5% hard surface dollar share, the LVT subcategory garnered $7.424 billion of the total $14.422 billion pie (not including rubber). That’s compared to $7.185 billion in 2024. That means LVT alone accounted for 51.5% of hard surface sales (not including rubber) compared to 50% in 2024.

For the second year running, this resilient subcategory alone (LVT) generated more dollar sales than any other flooring category, including carpet.

For the last decade LVT has been the driver of growth for resilient flooring and that hasn’t changed. Rigid core, in particular, is the workhorse of the LVT subcategory. FCNews research found rigid core (SPC/WPC) garnered $4.972B of the total $8.587B in resilient sales in 2025. That means rigid core alone accounted for nearly 58% of all resilient flooring sales in 2025. That’s slightly up from 2024.

Rigid core also garnered about 70% of all LVT sales last year. That is up about 2 percentage points in terms of market share vs. 2024.

In volume, rigid core garnered 49.6%, or 2.874 billion square feet, of all resilient square feet sold in 2025. That’s vs. 47.6% in 2024 and 46.6% the year prior. Rigid core accounted for nearly 64% of total LVT volume in 2025, which is down just 1 percentage point from the year prior.

By comparison, five years ago rigid core clocked in at just $2.62 billion and 1.63 billion square feet. Looking back 10 years, sheet vinyl held the major of the category’s share at just over 57%.

SPC continues to hold the lion’s share of total rigid core sales and volume. In 2025, SPC garnered 71.3% of rigid core sales across both the residential and commercial markets. That’s on par with 2024’s share.

In terms of overall flooring sales, SPC garnered $3.544 billion in 2025. That’s 15% of total flooring sales, which was on par with 2024. What’s more, SPC alone makes up 25% of hard surface sales (WPC garnered another 10%). Looking at that against total resilient sales, SPC’s share is 41.3% of the market, which is down slightly from 43% of total resilient sales in 2024. Taking the LVT subcategory as a whole into consideration, SPC garnered 47.7% of that market last year.

In terms of volume, SPC garnered 2.207 billion square feet in 2025, which was more than 13% of total flooring volume—nearly flat to 2024. SPC was 34% of total hard surface volume and 38% of total resilient volume last year.

Residential resilient breakdown

The residential market remained a challenging environment in 2025 as elevated mortgage rates, affordability concerns and sluggish existing home sales continued to suppress demand for both new construction and remodeling projects. Like nearly every flooring category, resilient felt the effects of a housing market that never fully regained its footing.

“The residential resilient category continued to face a slow market in 2025,” said Adam Ward, Mohawk’s vice president of strategic initiatives. “Headwinds included relatively high credit costs, soft existing home sales and overall consumer hesitation toward large purchases such as remodels. Broader macroeconomic uncertainty, driven by geopolitical tensions, tariffs and general market malaise, also weighed heavily on demand.”

Despite those headwinds, resilient maintained its position as the residential market’s dominant hard surface flooring category. That market leadership speaks to the category’s broad consumer appeal, which continues to be driven by waterproof performance, durability, design versatility and value. While residential activity slowed, resilient remained the flooring product of choice for many.

FCNews research shows the residential resilient market hit $6.181B in 2025, leaving $2.406 for commercial. That’s about a 1.3% increase from the year prior ($6.101B), but a whopping 24% increase in sales from just five years ago when residential resilient garnered $4.847B.

In terms of volume, residential resilient garnered 4.57 billion square feet—or 79%—of total resilient square feet sold. That’s about a 2.5% decrease from last year when residential volume reached 4.689 billion square feet.

FCNews research shows something interesting in regard to the residential/commercial breakdown. While total residential resilient sales were up in 2025, it is about one percentage point down in terms of market share, garnering less than 72% vs. 2024’s nearly 73%. That 72% is also down about 2 percentage points from 2023.

That reflects the growth the commercial resilient market experienced in 2025, with segments like hospitality, healthcare and even workplace picking back up after the post-pandemic lag.

The bulk of the resilient flooring market’s activity was driven by residential LVT (including glue down, loose lay, WPC and SPC), which generated $5.578B of the total $6.181B resilient market in 2025. That’s about 90% of the residential resilient market, which is half a percentage point gain from the year prior.

To put that into perspective, just five years ago residential LVT garnered just $4.857B. That’s more than a 27% increase in sales.

In terms of volume, residential LVT accounted for 3.626 billion square feet of the total 4.566-billion-square-foot residential LVT pie, which amounts to 79.4% share. That’s a 2% increase vs. 2024’s 3.438 billion square feet. That’s also a 5% gain in terms of market share from the year prior.

Of that total residential resilient market, rigid core continues to remain the workhorse and driver of growth. Rigid core accounted for 77% of total residential resilient sales—or $4.766B. That market ownership is even more impressive when looking at the overall LVT market, the segment in which rigid core resides. Last year, the subsegment (residential rigid core) made up a whopping 85.4% of residential LVT sales. That’s slightly up from 2024 and even the year prior.

With respect to volume, rigid core commands more than 60% (2.773B) of total residential resilient square feet (4.565B). That is just slightly higher when looking at the residential LVT subcategory at 61.6% of dollar sales.

“Rigid core remains one of the most dynamic segments in the industry,” said Matt Rosato, senior director of hard surface business development, Engineered Floors. “Consumers continue to gravitate toward it because it delivers a compelling value proposition—style, durability and ease of maintenance. At the dealer level, preferences vary widely by region, whether that’s plank width, thickness or specific performance attributes. The category is highly competitive, so both consumers and dealers are increasingly focused on meaningful differentiation.”

In terms of the rigid core subcategories, WPC outpaced growth vs. SPC in 2025. WPC garnered about $1.423B in sales in 2025, a 4.2% increase over the year prior. Meanwhile, SPC saw just a 2.9% increase in sales to $3.34B, which was due mainly to price increases over tariffs and a higher-end product mix.

In terms of market share, WPC garnered nearly 23% of total residential resilient sales in 2025. Looking at residential LVT that number becomes 25.5%.

In terms of volume, WPC clocked in at 662 million square feet in 2025—that’s 14.4% of total residential resilient volume last year. When looking at just residential LVT market, WPC captured 18.2% of the market in 2025.

“I think there were some bad players in market with SPC for a few years,” said Al Boulogne, senior vice president, residential product and marketing, Mannington Mills. “Products were value engineered and failed, burning some bridges with retail on the platform. As a result, we have seen a resurgence in sales for WPC. The highlight is renewed attention to the sub-category because of the aforementioned shift in market preference. Sound and comfort are the biggest draws to WPC vs. alternative product constructions. The components and make up of a good WPC product enhance those attributes vs. SPC.”

However, SPC still holds a vast share of total residential resilient dollars at 54%. Looking at residential LVT sold ($5.58B), SPC alone garnered nearly 60% of sales. Of total residential rigid core (WPC/SPC) sales ($4.76B), SPC accounted for 70% of sales in 2025.

With respect to volume, residential SPC clocked in at 2.11 billion square feet in 2025. That’s 46.2% of total residential resilient square feet. Compared to the residential LVT category as a whole, that goes up to 58.2%. Within rigid core itself, SPC garnered 76% of total square feet sold in 2025.

“Residential SPC had a challenging year in 2025, especially from a volume standpoint,” said Steve Ehrlich, vice president, business and operations, Novalis. “That said, SPC remained one of the steadier categories within flooring. While volume softened in some channels, other parts of the market held up better, particularly at the value and upper-end segments. At the value end, SPC continues to offer an affordable, high-performance product with durability, waterproof performance and strong visuals at an attainable price point. At the higher end, fashion, innovation and premium design helped support demand.”

Flexible LVT products (glue down and loose lay) continue to cede market share to the more popular rigid core subsegment, at least on the residential side. Of the total estimated $6.181 billion residential resilient market, flex came in at just under $800 million in 2025. That’s down from $862 million the year prior and $920 million in 2023. That $800 million represents about 12.9% of the total residential resilient market in 2025. That’s down from about 14% in 2024.

In terms of volume, flex LVT garnered about 850 million square feet in 2025, or 18.6% of total residential resilient volume in 2025. That’s down from 20% in 2024. In terms of residential LVT volume, flex garnered 23.4% in 2025, that’s compared to 26.8% in 2024 and 25% in 2023.

Glue-down products remain the most sought after in the residential flexible LVT category, garnering nearly $700 million of the $800 million in residential flex sales and 775 million square feet of the total 850 million square feet sold.

“The category continues to face a shift toward easier-install formats, though glue-down remains a core part of the market,” said Noah Fulton, CEO, Karndean Designflooring. “The biggest challenges were labor availability, installation complexity versus rigid core and ongoing price pressure at the lower end of the market. The bright spot is that at the premium end, glue down remains highly relevant, where design flexibility, customization and long-term performance matter most.”

Loose lay, while a smaller portion of the LVT market, continues to be viable.

“Loose lay was a relative bright spot in 2025, delivering flat to modest growth and outperforming more labor-intensive install formats,” Fulton added. “Demand continues to build, as retailers and consumers prioritize ease of installation and design versatility. While there’s a lot of new loose lay in the market, we introduced the Karndean LooseLay collection 15 years ago, in 2011. That long-term focus and specialized expertise make a significant difference in the quality of the product—style, reliable installation, durability and performance.”

Sheet vinyl also continued to be a viable part of the residential resilient market in 2025. According to FCNews research, the resilient subsegment saw $451.5 million in sales last year, up less than half a percentage point from the year prior. Overall, it claimed about 7.3% of the total residential resilient market.

In terms of volume, 2025 saw 756.2 million square feet of sheet sold, or about 16.5% of the market. That was down 2.6% in dollars vs. 2024 and about half a percentage point in terms of market share.

Domestic rigid core

As demand for SPC and WPC flooring exploded during and after the pandemic, suppliers accelerated investments in U.S.-based production to improve supply chain stability, shorten lead times and reduce reliance on overseas manufacturing. The disruptions experienced throughout the global supply chain in 2020 and 2021 highlighted the risks associated with heavily import-dependent product categories, prompting manufacturers to expand existing facilities and build new operations across the country.

Ongoing geopolitical tensions, shifting trade policies, tariffs, transportation disruptions and fluctuating ocean freight costs have continued to create challenges for suppliers importing products and raw materials. Those conditions have only reinforced the value of domestic manufacturing. Today, many suppliers view U.S.-based rigid core production not simply as a supply chain advantage, but as a long-term strategic necessity.

“Interest in domestically produced rigid core has grown noticeably, driven by both dealer and consumer demand as well as broader geopolitical considerations,” EF’s Rosato said. “‘Made in the USA’ carries real weight today.”

Novalis’s Ehrlich agreed, adding, “I would say domestics gained some ground in 2025. Tariffs, supply chain concerns and customers looking to diversify their sourcing strategies all created opportunities for North American manufacturers, including those in Mexico. We have seen continued investment in domestic production, and customers increasingly value shorter lead times, consistent supply and the ability to respond quickly to market changes.”

Commercial breakdown

Many predicted back in 2022 when residential resilient sales went through the roof that the bubble would eventually pop and commercial sales would catch up to its outpacing counterpart. That prediction was realized in 2025. In fact, the commercial market provided a measure of stability for resilient flooring in 2025, helping offset some of the softness experienced on the residential side of the business.

While commercial activity was not immune to broader economic uncertainty, several key segments continued to generate opportunities for resilient products. Healthcare, education and select workplace projects were active, according to suppliers.

Designers and specifiers continue to gravitate toward resilient flooring for its broad range of visuals, performance attributes and increasingly robust features. As budgets remained under scrutiny, resilient’s ability to deliver both design and value helped it maintain a strong position within commercial specifications.

Suppliers also noted that while project timelines often remained extended and decision-making cycles slower than in previous years, the category continued to gain share across many commercial applications.

“The commercial resilient market performed slightly better than residential, finishing modestly up for the year,” Mohawk’s Ward said. “Key growth areas included healthcare and hospitality, along with offices that have started recovering from COVID-19.”

FCNews research shows commercial resilient flooring generated $2.41B, a 6.4% gain in sales vs. 2024. Looking back to 2020, the commercial market generated $1.72B, which is a 40% increase in just five years.

Volume also experienced an uptick of 3.7% over 2024 to 1.23 billion square feet.

In terms of the commercial dollar sales, FCNews research shows commercial resilient flooring accounted for 28% of the overall resilient market’s $8.587 billion.

For the commercial resilient flooring market, LVT remains the star—though several segments saw upticks in sales. The subcategory (including glue down, loose lay and rigid core) kept its market share, up slightly, at 76.8% of the total commercial resilient market. That’s vs. 76% in 2024.

In terms of volume, commercial LVT garnered 71% of total commercial resilient square feet sold in 2025, or 874 million square feet. To put that into perspective, five years ago in 2020 LVT garnered just 61.2% of the commercial resilient market’s overall volume.

Within the resilient flooring LVT category, flex remains the favorite. FCNews research shows flexible LVT (including glue down and loose lay) brought in $1.64B, which was nearly 68% of the total commercial resilient market. In regard to volume, flex accounted for 775 million square feet in 2025, which was 63% of the total commercial resilient market. That’s up from 2020 when flex was 61.6% of sales and 53.6% of its volume.

“Flex LVT remained the predominant choice in the commercial market, particularly in 2.5mm or loose lay formats,” Mohawk’s Ward explained. “Its continued popularity made it a primary driver of growth and one of the category’s bright spots.”

Glue down is still the workhorse for the commercial LVT market. According to FCNews research, commercial glue down garnered $1.46B of the $1.64B commercial flex LVT sales and the $1.85B total LVT commercial sales.

In terms of volume, commercial glue down garnered 721 million square feet in 2025, which was up from 688 million square feet in 2024.

The rest of the commercial resilient market segments each garner less than 10% of total sales. Rigid core, for example, is a small player. FCNews research shows rigid core garnered just $206 million last year—registering at about 8.5% of overall commercial dollar sales, which is down from 9% the year prior. Of the overall commercial LVT market, rigid core represents about 11.2% share.

In terms of volume, rigid core garnered 101 million square feet in 2025, which was up just slightly from the year prior.

VCT continued its upward momentum in 2025 and continues to be a mainstay in the commercial market, albeit another minor player. In 2025, VCT garnered $210 million and 283 million square feet. That’s up from five years ago when VCT registered $191.4 million and 342 million square feet.

VCT garnered about 8.7% of overall commercial resilient sales in 2025, and 19.3% in square feet.

“We’re seeing an overall stable market for VCT,” said Michael Mathews, senior vice president of commercial strategy, Tarkett North America. “While that’s not the growth market we’d of course love to see, our VCT offering meets an important need for our customers, particularly in the education segment. We see VCT as a critical component of the overall portfolio we’ve developed.”

Linoleum sales were flat in 2025 over the year prior, garnering $95 million, which was just below 4% of the overall commercial market. Linoleum’s market share continues to decline—it had been hovering around 5% since 2020.

“Demand for linoleum is also stable and meets an important need in our portfolio as a durable sheet surface, especially for customers prioritizing non-PVC materials,” Tarkett North America’s Mathews said. “Education is our leading market segment for lino and it also has a footing in healthcare. So we see it as an important component of the overall Tarkett Solution SPECtrum.”

While the bulk of linoleum sales do come from the commercial side of the business, it has seen some growth in popularity on the residential side as well.

“We’re seeing a lot more Main Street commercial activity for linoleum,” said Tim Donohue, national sales director, residential, Forbo. “We’re seeing a lot of color scheme activity, and linoleum offers a very wide color palette. And when you look at the brights spots, Forbo’s Marmoleum is a middle-to-upper-end product; so people know when they put it in it’s going to last. We also have the ability to offer it in not just in sheet form (direct glue-down sheet) but also in glue-down tile and, more importantly, in a click version. That has been skyrocketing for the last eight to 10 years.”

Commercial sheet remained relatively flat in 2025, generating $233 million in sales and 83.4 million square feet. In terms of market share, commercial sheet garnered about 9.7% of overall commercial resilient sales and just over 6.7% of commercial resilient volume.

Commercial sheet is split into heterogeneous and homogeneous constructions. In 2025, heterogeneous comprised 66% of the total commercial sheet market in terms of dollars ($233 million) and 63.8% in terms of volume (52.75 million square feet). Homogeneous garnered $79 million in 2025. In terms of volume, the segment sold 30.7 million square feet.

Price points

Between 2021 and 2023, prices climbed sharply across nearly every segment as manufacturers contended with pandemic-related disruptions, escalating raw material costs and unprecedented increases in shipping and freight expenses. Those pressures pushed pricing to historic highs throughout much of the category. As supply chains gradually stabilized and transportation costs moderated, some constructions began to see pricing ease again in 2024-2025. While prices remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels, the market has started to normalize, reflecting a more balanced cost environment than the industry experienced during the height of the disruption.

The construction that has seen the highest price increase since the pandemic is commercial sheet. Pre-pandemic (2019), the cost of commercial sheet averaged $2.21. Just six years later that cost is now $2.79, up from $2.76 in 2024. That is more than a 26% increase.

Commercial glue down also continued its upward pricing trajectory, reaching $2.02/square foot in 2025.

SPC peaked in 2021 at $1.85/square foot. In 2025, that remained relatively flat from the year prior at $1.61.

VCT came down more than 9% in price vs. 2024, which reached $0.97. Last year, that was $0.88. Suppliers agree VCT is stabilizing after pandemic-era pricing and settling into the more user-friendly price point it’s known for.

The price of WPC continued its downward trajectory in 2025, reaching $2.15/square foot. It remains the second highest after commercial sheet across residential and commercial constructions.

Moving forward suppliers agree pricing may continue to fluctuate but should mostly remain on downward trajectories from their peak in 2021-2022.

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Scholarship program honors rising stars, industry leaders

Sanai James (left) and Brooke Norton (right) accept their scholarship awards as GNYFCA’s Ziskin looks on.

New York—Two deserving high-school seniors, along with a distinguished member of the local commercial floor covering installation community, were recognized here earlier this month during the 42nd annual Francis J.P. McHale Scholarship Awards, an event sponsored by the Greater New York Floor Coverers Association (GNYFCA). The scholarship program is named in the memory of Francis J.P. McHale, a business agent and president of Local 2287 who was elevated to become secretary-treasurer of the New York City District Council back in the 1980s.

“Over the past 41 years, the fund has awarded more than $1.45 million in scholarships to 111 students,” said GNYFCA counsel Richard Ziskin, who presided over this year’s ceremonies in the absence of David Meberg, trustee-chairman of the Greater New York Floor Coverers Industry Promotional Fund and president/CEO of Consolidated Flooring,

The two scholarship awards were presented to: Sanai James, whose father, David James, is affiliated with the New York District Council of Carpenters/Local 2287; and Brooke Norton, selected through the GNYFCA program. The funding is made possible by the GNYFCA’s partnership with the New York District Council of Carpenters and Local 2287. The first scholarship was awarded in 1985.

Sanai James is a senior at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School. Throughout her time in high school, she has been captain of the volleyball team, participated on the basketball team and is a band member. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and has made the school honor roll for the last four years. She actively participates with neighbors in helping pack and distribute meals to those in need. James plans on attending Spelman College, where she will study biochemistry. Her goal is to become an anesthesiologist.

Brooke Norton, whose father is Kenny Norton, is currently attending Central Regional High School in Bayville, N.J. She’s heavily involved in the arts, participates in the drama club and chorus, and was the lead in the school’s musical play in the role of Roxie Hart in a production of “Chicago.” She also competed at the New Jersey Thespian Festival and received a superior rating, now moving on to the International Thespian Festival. She plans to continue performing in the next chapter of her life.

Norton is also a four-year varsity athlete on the school’s tennis team and serves as president of the Key Club. As a fundraiser of the Ocean Club, she volunteers for beach cleanups.

Norton is also in multiple honor societies, including the National Honor Society, English Honor Society, History Honor Society, Tri-M Honor Society and the Thespian Honor Society. In the fall, she plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh, where she will study media and professional communication with a minor in theater.

2026 co-honoree

In addition to the graduating students, an accomplished individual from the management side is designated as co-honoree, in recognition of his/her commitment to the commercial floor covering industry. Raymond Colabatistto, owner of Elite Flooring, Yonkers, N.Y., is this year’s recipient.

Elite Flooring is a fourth-generation, family-owned business originally founded in 1950 by John and Camilla Colabatistto. The company was later passed on to Raymond’s parents, Gennaro and Marlene. During their leadership, Gennaro established a strong commitment to and partnership with the New York City District Council of Carpenters, helping to build the company’s reputation for quality and craftsmanship. Today, Elite Flooring continues its tradition as a multi-generational business with Ray’s son Nicholas joining the company and helping to carry forward the family legacy.

Richard Ziskin (left), GNYFCA counsel, presents the J.P. McHale Scholarship co-honoree award to Raymond Colabatistto, owner of Elite Flooring, Yonkers, N.Y.

Raymond Colabatistto attended Roosevelt High School and later studied at Ithaca College before beginning his career with Elite Flooring. He later assumed leadership of the company and has been instrumental in its growth and success for more than 40 years.

“Under his guidance, Elite Flooring has expanded its presence through New York while maintaining its dedication to excellence and integrity and strong union relationships,” Ziskin said. “For more than 70 years, Elite Flooring has remained committed to providing the highest level of service and craftsmanship through its longstanding partnership with the New York City District Council of Carpenters. Recently, Raymond formed a strategic alliance with an Armonk, N.Y.-based group that further strengthens Elite Flooring’s presence within the commercial flooring industry and supports the company’s continued growth and success.”

In his acceptance speech, Colabatistto thanked the Greater New York Floor Coverers Association as well as close associates. “Thank you very much for this honor from the association,” he began. “I feel very comfortable because I’m in a room of friends and brothers. Whether you know or not, I look up to you every day. You’re a big inspiration to me.”

The co-honoree also recognized members of the District Council of Carpenters/Local 2287, citing their dedication to the trade and the hard work they put in day in and day out. “They service us tremendously,” Colabatistto said. “It’s not just a group—it’s a family, and we couldn’t do it without them and their guidance. Thank you again for this tremendous honor; I really appreciate it.”

Colabatistto also acknowledged Consolidated Flooring’s Meberg, who presided over the previous 41 award ceremonies. “You’ve meant a lot to me and my guidance, and I’ve always tried to emulate how great your family business has done.”

In closing, Colabatistto also addressed family members in attendance. “I would also like to thank my son, Nicholas, and my daughter, Juliana, who’s a nurse right here in New York City. And to my wife, Michelle—it’s our 33rd wedding anniversary today, so I was allowed to leave for this! And to my parents—although they’re both passed on now. They were very instrumental in getting into the business. They learned that strong work ethic very young. Thank you.”

Lastly, Colabatistto recognized the scholarship winners. “I would like to congratulate this year’s recipients and wish them success and good fortune in the coming years,” he said. “Good luck!”

There are currently eight Francis J.P. McHale scholarship winners attending college.

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Tuesday Tips: The value of the pause

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 how a well-timed pause can improve customer conversations. Rather than rushing to fill every silence, give customers time to think, respond and communicate what they truly need.

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Scoring Flooring: Industry stats for 2025

While the overall U.S. economy in 2025 can be classified as decent but slower than 2024, the contraction that the U.S. flooring market has experienced since the second half of 2022 persisted throughout 2025. The biggest challenges included government-imposed tariffs and retaliatory tariffs, supply chain disruptions, inflation that especially hit lower- and middle-income consumers, slower-than-normal market conditions, labor shortages and geopolitical tensions.

The good news: The overall economy saw real GDP grow about 2.1%–2.2% in 2025, down from roughly 2.8% in 2024. Consumers kept spending despite higher prices, and business investment—particularly in AI-related technologies—remained strong. Inflation continued to cool compared with the post-pandemic highs, but it remained above (2.6%) the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. As well, unemployment stayed relatively low, hovering near 4%, indicating a labor market that was softer than previous years but still healthy by historical standards.

The not-so-good news: Despite the relatively stable economy, the floor covering industry—particularly the residential sector—faced headwinds from macroeconomic factors. Those included low consumer confidence, inflation and lower existing home sales due to elevated interest and mortgage rates. Existing U.S. home sales fell to a 30-year low—edging slightly below the previous low set in 2024—as many homeowners remained locked in place with mortgage rates below 4%. What’s more, home prices stayed near record highs with the median existing home price rising to about $414,000. Lastly, a lengthy federal government shutdown in late 2025 also weighed on people’s minds.

The hard surface flooring industry in particular is highly dependent on existing home sales because homeowners often replace flooring before selling a home or shortly after purchasing a home and, to a lesser extent, on new home construction. High interest rates and housing affordability adversely affects the demand for existing homes, remodeling and new home construction.

Consumers continued to defer remodeling investments with many projects being initiated by more affluent consumers or those completing essential home repairs. New residential construction was restrained for the aforementioned reasons. Many U.S. builders increased sales by buying down mortgage rates to make monthly payments more affordable. Throughout the year, investments in the commercial sector slowed, although they remained stronger than residential remodeling.

The biggest challenges for flooring suppliers in 2025 included:

1. High interest rates and a weak housing market: Flooring demand is heavily tied to residential construction, home sales and remodeling activity. Elevated mortgage rates and affordability issues slowed both new home construction and existing home turnover, reducing demand for flooring products across nearly every category. Remodeling held up better than new construction, but even that segment softened as consumers—especially in middle income segments—delayed discretionary spending due to inflation, higher borrowing costs and fears of recession. Throughout 2025, most central banks took actions intended to stimulate economic growth and housing markets, including multiple rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve. As the year progressed, U.S. builders completed fewer projects as they focused on reducing inventories, lowering the construction of new homes. Currently, U.S. mortgage rates are near their lowest levels in years, hovering around 6.5%.
2. Tariffs and trade uncertainty: Tariffs on imported raw materials and finished goods created major pricing volatility. The industry faced uncertainty around lumber, aluminum, steel and vinyl-related imports, especially from China, Canada and Southeast Asia. Flooring manufacturers struggled with constant price resets, inventory planning and sourcing decisions because tariff policies changed frequently throughout the year.
3. Raw material inflation and commodity volatility: Costs for lumber, PVC resins, adhesives, etc., remained unstable. Hardwood producers were hit by lumber fluctuations, while resilient flooring manufacturers dealt with resin and petrochemical volatility. These higher costs squeezed margins and forced manufacturers and distributors to either absorb costs or raise prices into a price-sensitive market.
4. Labor shortages and installation bottlenecks: One of the industry’s most persistent issues was the shortage of skilled flooring installers. Even when product demand existed, installation capacity often lagged. The aging workforce, lack of younger trade entrants and long training timelines created delays and increased labor costs.
5. Consumer price sensitivity and margin pressure: Consumers became increasingly value-driven in 2025. Many traded down from premium hardwood or tile into lower-cost LVT, laminate or entry-level vinyl. At the same time, manufacturers faced intense competition from low-cost imports, compressing margins throughout the supply chain. Retailers and distributors also had to manage cautious purchasing behavior and inconsistent showroom traffic.
6. Supply chain instability and inventory management: Although supply chains improved from peak-pandemic disruption levels, companies still struggled with long lead times, inconsistent freight costs and sourcing shifts caused by geopolitical tensions and tariffs. Many flooring companies spent 2025 aggressively managing inventory levels to avoid overstocking during a slower-demand cycle.

Each category had its own specific challenges as well. For example, carpet continued losing share to resilient flooring. Hardwood suffered from high costs and weaker housing turnover. Ceramic tile faced installer shortages and slower project timelines. Resilient flooring, particularly rigid core, remained the strongest category, but even it experienced slower growth and pricing pressure.

Despite these headwinds, the industry’s brighter spots in 2025 included resilient flooring growth and investments in domestic manufacturing and sourcing diversification. Companies that focused on operational discipline, premium products and supply chain flexibility generally performed best. Commercial outperformed residential throughout the year with strength in healthcare, corporate, education and hospitality.

After posting dollar growth in 12 of 13 years (the industry was down 0.5% in pandemic-ridden 2020), sales dollars in 2025 retreated for the third year in a row and volume dipped for the seventh time in the last eight years. However, those looking for a silver lining will take note of the fact that the losses were about half of 2024’s decline and about a fifth of 2023’s drop. The fact that volume is dropping more precipitously than dollars suggests two things: The higher-end consumer continues to drive sales and, as such, is purchasing better goods, and the dollar drop would have been significantly worse if not for price increases due to the fluctuating tariffs.

When the dust cleared and all the numbers were counted and run through the wash multiple times, total industry sales in 2025 dropped 1.8% to $23.529 billion compared to 2024’s $23.955 billion. That number is still up 2.4% from 2020’s $22.975 billion. And for means of comparison, until 2021 and 2022’s record-setting years, the high-water mark for the industry was in 2006 when it reached $24.715 billion. The industry is down only 4.8% from that point. Thus, despite all the challenges, the flooring industry posted its sixth-highest dollar volume ever. (Note: These numbers are in wholesale dollars reflecting the first point of sale. They also do not include stone flooring—nor do they account for ceramic wall tile, cove base and rubber accessories.)

The story is not as bright when looking at volume/square footage. FCNews research reveals that the industry went from 17.206 billion square feet sold in 2024 to 16.666 billion square feet in 2025, a 3.1% decrease. This marks the seventh decline in the last eight years and represents the lowest volume total since 16.625 million square feet were sold in 2010. Only in pandemic recovery year 2021 did the industry post growth in units (6.2%). That is also when volume reached its peak with 20.148 square feet of flooring being sold. So we have witnessed a 17.3% drop over that time. Moreover, every category showed a sharp decline in volume except resilient, which was only down 1.2%. If not for a solid commercial segment, particularly healthcare, assisted living and education, the dip would have been greater.

What does this tell us about 2025? Three things: 1. The market is being driven by the higher-end consumer buying better goods; 2. Price pressures due to a litany of factors, not the least of which were tariffs, resulted in higher prices in every category except carpet and rugs due to the latter’s high concentration of domestic mills; and 3. The mid-range consumer remained on the sidelines.

While many will not be excited about 2025 given the 3.1% decline in volume and 1.8% drop in dollars, it is better than 2024, when the industry was off 3.5% in volume and 4.6% in dollars. And it is significantly better than 2023, when the industry was off 9.1% in volume and 10.1% in dollars. The average selling price of all flooring increased from $1.39 to $1.41, just a shade lower than the ASP apex of $1.44 in 2022. To put things in perspective, when we were recovering from the Great Recession 15 years ago, flooring sales were $16.221 billion and 16.625 billion square feet for an ASP of $0.98. Fifteen years later, the industry is up 45% in dollars but only 2.5% in volume. So the average selling price of one square foot of flooring (wholesale) has increased $0.43 in the last 15 years. As mentioned, the average wholesale price of all flooring in 2025 was $1.41. But in 2021 the ASP was $1.33 vs. $1.21 in 2020 and 2019, which was up from $1.17 in 2018 and $1.11 in 2017.

For historical purposes, in 2022 the industry was up 4.85% in dollars but down 3.4% in volume. This came on the heels of a 16.3% increase in dollars and 6.2% rise in volume in 2021 as the U.S. climbed out of the pandemic; 0.5% decreases in dollars and volume in COVID-19-marred 2020; a 0.4% gain in dollars and 2.8% decline in volume in 2019; 4.6% growth in dollars and a decline of 0.6% in volume in 2018; 3.85% growth in dollars and 3.2% in volume in 2017; 5.1% growth in dollars and 3.8% in volume in 2016; and 4.4% and 3.2% growth, respectively, in 2015.

Keep in mind average selling prices dropped heavily in 2020 because of the pandemic but escalated greatly in 2021 as excessive freight/logistics costs were passed on to retailers.

Against that backdrop, each segment of the flooring industry in 2025 aside from vinyl posted declines in dollars ranging anywhere from 1.2% (ceramic) to 5% (carpet). In terms of units, every category took a step back with vinyl (-1.2%) the only category with a percentage loss under 4.2%. In terms of pricing, every category posted a higher ASP than the prior year. The highest ASP increase on a percentage basis in the last six years belongs to ceramic, which has moved from $1.20 in 2019 to $1.43 in 2025. The only category that has noticeably dropped in ASP since the pandemic years is rigid core as the segment has been inundated with cheap imports.

Interestingly, for the second consecutive year, commercial fared better than residential. While total industry dollars were down 1.8% to $23.529 billion, commercial was actually up slightly (1%) from $7.019 billion in 2024 to $7.091 billion in 2025. Even more pronounced is the fact that the overall flooring industry is down 6.3% over the last two years in dollars but commercial is down only 1.9% in that span. Even more good news: that $7.091 billion is 8.7% higher than 2021’s $6.5 billion. Commercial is growing in the face of some headwinds, namely surging construction materials costs, a decline in the labor pool and some lingering supply chain issues. Financing rates seem to have stabilized although much higher than the 2015-2021 period. The segments that are leading the way are healthcare (including assisted and senior living) and education and, to a lesser extent, retail. Executives say corporate has begun to show signs of life, particularly in the latter half of 2025.

Commercial was truly the bright spot for both carpet and resilient. While carpet overall was down 5% in dollars and 4% in volume, those numbers retracted to 2% and 3.5% declines, respectively, when only considering commercial, which accounts for more than 40% of carpet sold (including Main Street). On the resilient side, a 2.5% increase in dollars became a 6.4% increase when taking only commercial into account. And commercial LVT, which comprises more than three-quarters of commercial resilient, was up over 7.5% in dollars (due in large part to price increases) and about 1.6% in volume.

On the subject of resilient, it’s hardly a secret how rigid core has been driving the category, posting increases every single year except 2023. The category in 2025 was driven by WPC, up 4.2% in dollars and 2.5% in volume vs. SPC, which was up 2.9% in dollars and 1.8% in units. This reflects consumers choosing better goods and a shift away from SPC as some experienced failures with some of the lower-end, thinner, imported SPCs. SPC dollars remain on par with 2020 numbers. The average SPC selling price dipped from $1.68 to $1.61 as companies sought to sell off excess inventory. WPC has dropped from $2.60 to $2.15 in the last six years. SPC average selling price is now on par with 2020 before the inflationary years of 2021 and 2022.

Speaking of which, no product has been victimized by inflation more than ceramic tile, which since 2021 is down 4.1% in dollars but four times that amount (16.4%) in volume. The average selling price hovered around $1.20 for nearly a decade, sitting at $1.24 in 2021, but saw its ASP leap to the $1.40s in 2022. It currently sits at $1.43. This category in 2022 experienced more price hikes than any other due in large part to freight increases. Ceramic is more import-driven than other hard surface categories and is the heaviest of all flooring products on a square-foot basis. So it stands to reason that it would be most impacted by increases in freight costs.

The category that is suffering the most due to the decline in housing sales and new home construction is hardwood. Dollar sales and volume were down 3.8% and 6.8%, respectively, in 2025 to $1.774 billion and 630 million square feet. That’s the lowest level since 2012, when wood sales fell to $1.64 billion and 685 million square feet. Since 2021, when wood reached its pinnacle of $2.67 billion and 1.03 billion square feet, the category is down 33.6% in dollars and 38.8% in volume. Hardwood experienced an unprecedented rise leading up to 2021 partially due to stimulus money and a redirection of consumer spending away from travel, leisure, dining out and toward home renovation projects. At the same time, hardwood experienced significant price increases due to escalating demand for European white oak, which impacted wholesale pricing.

Over the course of the last four years, hardwood has also been victimized by widespread inflation, which has led those consumers who had the itch for renovating their homes to opt for more price-sensitive hard surface alternatives like laminate and rigid core. With the advent of technology, consumers are finding they can purchase a wood look for a fraction of the cost of the genuine article. The only portion of the wood flooring market that seemed to be immune to this phenomenon was the upper-mid to the high end of the market.

Laminate, which had been on the comeback trail up until 2022, has faced some headwinds on said trail these last three years dropping nearly 20% in dollars and nearly 21% in volume. Since 2019, laminate is up 2.7% in dollars but down 7% in volume, making the average selling price 13 cents higher. Three issues here: 1. Home centers, a key channel for laminate, experienced softer sales of DIY products in 2025; 2. We saw a double-digit decrease in shipments from European manufacturers, according to EPLF, over the last year due to higher tariffs, lower demand and diminished global production; and 3. Swiss Krono, which supplies more than a third of the HDF to U.S. manufacturers, scaled back fiberboard production during the latter half of 2025, which impacted overall domestic production. Earlier this year, the company announced massive layoffs.

Much of the comparisons are to 2019 and 2022 because 2019 was the last “normal” year before COVID-19 threw the economy into flux, nearly $2 trillion of stimulus money that created inflation, and the ensuing supply chain disruptions, and the dollar growth the industry achieved in 2022 was attributed to multiple rounds of price increases as suppliers tried to keep pace with rising costs. Container costs remained high before abating toward the end of the year. And freight expenses once product reached these shores were through the roof. To further illustrate the impact of price increases in 2022, the average selling price of all flooring (wholesale) went from $1.21 in 2019 to $1.44 in 2022. It’s dropped only 2 cents since.

No category has been challenged more than SPC when it comes to ASP. After peaking at $1.85 in 2021, the category’s ASP now sits at $1.61. One more fact about SPC: Those average selling prices are driven down by the Home Depots and Floor & Decors of the world, which buy less expensively because of their sheer volume. Home Depot is supplied primarily by HTMX and MSI. Floor & Decor is supplied heavily by CFL and Novalis. Lowe’s has a higher-end product mix with a bunch of suppliers in there. Novalis has significant share there. When you look at the cost to retailers and distributors, it is well over $2.

For a full overview of categories (carpet, resilient, tile, hardwood, laminate), see the June 29, 2026 print edition of FCNews or fcnews.net.

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