Page 32 from my Surfaces diary

I don’t want to sound like a broken record, and I know I say it every year, but it always seems like Surfaces is over before it began. You get off the plane and jump in an Uber, arrive 15 minutes later at your hotel and the next thing you know you’re doing the reverse. Yes, dear diary, Surfaces ends just as fast as it begins.

I knew this was going to be a good show from the start. Positive vibes, dear diary, positive vibes. After a pretty rough January, I knew my luck was changing when I was able to secure the one remaining upgrade on the plane and my gate was B22 rather than the typical B122 for those of you who know Terminal 4 at JFK. (Usually the gate gods have me log 10,000 steps long before my plane lands in Vegas.) We also got the Seahawks into the Super Bowl for my son (a fan since age 8) and we even make a few shekels at the tables. All before the Surfaces curtain was raised.

But you know, dear diary, I have come to realize the best thing about Surfaces is seeing everyone. Whether they are lurking around Mandalay Bay on Sunday night, setting up their booth the morning of Surfaces Eve, walking around the NFA specialty vendor showcase or are three sheets to the wind at Eye Candy, it really is exhilarating to catch up with friends, old and new. It’s like a club. We are all in this together.

Whether I am walking the show floor or back home in New York, the obligatory question that always gets asked is “How do you think the show is (was)?” So, dear diary, here’s my standard answer for 2026: I thought traffic was down a bit, primarily due to a ridiculous winter ice and snowstorm that impacted two thirds of the country the weekend before the show. For many, if you didn’t get out on Saturday you weren’t getting out at all.

With that said, I thought the major players had strong shows. Mohawk, Mannington, Stanton and Engineered Floors were constantly wall to wall with attendees. Exhibitors, for the most part, all came away satisfied.

The second most common question: “What was your one takeaway from the show?” This one, dear diary, was easy. In a word, enthusiasm. In another word, positivity. Exhibitors and attendees alike are looking forward to 2026. The prevailing sentiment was that January was a strong month—certainly compared to last January—and many started seeing a pickup in December. So it’s not that people are tired of being negative; they are truly seeing positive signs.

Question No. 3: “Name a few products that stuck out in your mind, days and weeks after the show.” Mind you, I didn’t see everything on the show floor, but this is what stuck:

Cali took the wraps off an engineered wood called First Press, which looks good and may retail for under $6, basically a buck above vinyl. That’s going to invigorate some retailers’ wood sales. Novalis showcased some new designs, including an Old World style herringbone that gives off speakeasy or home library/study vibes. Nox is always taking sustainability to the next level— Terra being the latest example. But its Modu product, inspired by traditional Korean materials, was colorful and memorable. I don’t think Stanton ever introduced an unattractive product and that now extends to hard surface. Mohawk can’t help but dominate due to sheer size.

How about a few random thoughts? Glad you asked, dear diary. I will always miss Michael Goldberg, but watching his two sons, Mickey and Jason, the kings of rivals Rite Rug and America’s Floor Source, playing blackjack together could never have happened while their dad was alive… You never saw a man get on a roll at craps until you have seen my business partner, Dustin Aaronson, in action… I think Jodie Doyle is going to be good for Triforest/Toucan… Never want to mention the same company twice in this column, but the people charged with Cali’s booth design are among the best in the flooring industry… The Mohawk team may be the only humans on the planet who can get me out on the dance floor… Great spending time with Tom Lape, making his first Surfaces appearance in six years… Len Andolino is a class act… Shaw got it right with the puppies… Looking ahead to 2027, Surfaces overlaps the Builder show and KBIS. Book your flights and dinner reservations early. I’ve officially warned you…

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