Wider/longer planks realistic surface texturing, chevron/herringbone patterns and
improvements in water resistance. These popular trends could very well pertain to the latest introductions in the hardwood flooring category, but we’re talking about laminate flooring here.
Following is a deeper dive into the cross-category trends that continue to gain traction in the category.
Mimicking wood
It’s no accident that the visual trends seen across the laminate flooring segment today mirror that of hardwood. After all, the vast majority of laminate SKUs were designed to replicate the most popular species and stains that consumers crave. These range from the ever-popular white oak planks to popular patterns such as herringbone and chevron. Even planks featuring multiple widths on a single board are cropping up in certain product lines.
Cases in point: the Visions, Landmark and Manor laminate lines from Inhaus. Manor, an already popular traditional look, was expanded with a new herringbone pattern. “The cool thing about this herringbone is that it’s only an ‘A’ panel so it’s an easy install,” said Derek Welbourn, Inhaus CEO. “You’re just clicking it together and you can’t do it default panel by panel.”
Colors in the Manor line are designed to coordinate with Inhaus’ flagship line, Landmark. “We’ve taken the colors that we have in Manor and we’ve matched that EIR to Landmark,” Welbourn explained. “So you can have a herringbone on one side of the room and then the same color in a plank on the other side of the room. We put every bell and whistle that we have in Landmark.”
Traditional hardwood suppliers might have a leg up in this area. Companies like Hallmark, for instance, recently threw its hat into the laminate ring, basing many of its offerings on its best-selling wood visuals. “We duplicated some of our best-selling looks in our Legacy wood collections and our SPC lines in our new laminate offering,” said Mark Casper, vice president of sales. “We also took the best-selling maple looks that we offer in our Tru wood lines and we put the oak colors on clean hickory. On top of that we’ve added as some European oaks.”
Longer boards, fewer repeats
Another cross-category trend is the move toward wider/longer laminate planks. Increasingly, suppliers are expanding plank lengths beyond the 5 x 48-inch format. Mannington, for example, recently launched Everest, a 60-inch-long plank featuring added depth for a more realistic visual. One standout feature of the new laminate line is an innovative bevel designed to more closely mimic real hardwood. Prior iterations of Mannington’s Restoration planks featured a painted bevel; now it’s transitioned to a pressed bevel format.
“It gives more design options for that open floor plan where you have those 60-inch lengths compared to 48-inch lengths,” said John Hammel, senior director, residential hard surfaces, Mannington.
Others are looking to make an even bigger statement. For instance, Hallmark’s new laminate lines come in a statement-making 9.5 inches wide x 7 feet long with a small cut bevel with EIR across the board. Moreover, the product is warrantied against pet accidents, sun fading and spills for up to 72 hours.
Shaw, which re-entered the laminate flooring category earlier this year, is also looking to go big. The company has partnered with a supplier in Europe that’s known for its laminate production capabilities. Shaw’s initial offering will include a 10mm (8mm + 2mm pad) and a 12mm (10mm + 2mm pad). Plank dimensions are 8 X 50 with an AC4 and AC5 rating, respectively, and many of the laminate designs are based on Shaw’s popular wood looks. And the best part is there are fewer overall pattern repeats. “The average is about five to six planks and then you’ll see the repeat pattern,” said Kyle McAllister, director, hardwood and laminate. “This is 20 unique individual planks. You don’t really see that in the marketplace.”
Talking texture
Just as innovations in digital printing have raised the bar on realism in laminate visuals, embossed texturing and surface treatments also play a crucial role in enhancing the authenticity of laminate flooring. Take Mohawk’s RevWood Premier with Signature Technology, for instance. The technology allows 64 layers of textured details with 4x the resolution of some products currently available on the market. According to the company, this allows more than 1,000 color variations when developing new designs.
“With our Signature Technology, which we call the ‘authentic imprint of hardwood,’ the technologies are at such a place now where you’re getting really high style and design, texturing and low gloss,” said David Moore, vice president, product management, Mohawk. These innovations allow suppliers to not only replicate the look of hardwood more accurately, but also the heft of the product. “So they look really good and they’re performing,” he added.
Others are also looking to raise the stakes when it comes to texture. “On the LVT side of the business we’ve added a new technology called Sculpted Edge, and we’re bringing that same thing over to laminate as well,” Mannington’s Hammel said. “It’s hard to tell this isn’t real wood when you look at this product, which is a combination of the visual and the bevel. It’s more uniform and refined.”
Not to be outdone is Johnson Hardwood, also historically known for its hardwood flooring offerings. The company continues to impress laminate lovers with its popular Olde Tavern Series. The eye-catching product line, which won a Best of Surfaces award in the laminate category earlier this year, aims to capture the essence of reclaimed wood. Using embossed-in-register (EIR) technology, the surface texture aligns perfectly with the woodgrain pattern, ensuring a realistic, natural feel underfoot. Knots, cracks and weathered finishes evoke the warmth of vintage hardwood, making it an ideal fit for spaces seeking a blend of charm and unique character.
Advancements in water resistance
Floor covering retailers and consumers have long equated laminate flooring with extreme scratch and dent resistance and durability, but the category has had to play a game of catch up in recent years when it comes to fighting moisture incursion. The good news is laminate continues to make advancements in this area, with more and more producers building upon or adding waterproof/water-resistant properties in their products.
Sequoia from USMills aims to raise the stakes in waterproof laminate performance. The product features a modified, wood-based, high-density core specially treated and engineered to provide greater stability and water resistance compared to traditional wood-based flooring products. The product also features an ultra-dense transparent layer infused with aluminum-oxide particles. Sequoia flooring is further protected with an advanced AC6 finish or wear-layer making it ultra durable and long lasting.
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