Execs look back over vinyl’s rapid rise

PIET DOSSCHE

founder and former CEO, USFloors

1. Without any doubt, the introduction of COREtec in 2013 by USFloors has been the biggest event that impacted the resilient industry not only over the last 40 years, but since resilient flooring was invented. COREtec created the rigid core revolution with both WPC and SPC exploding in the market and giving retailers a product that solved many of the waterproof concerns consumers had with traditional hardwood and laminate.
2. Other milestones were the technologies of digital printing and surface embossing, which made resilient visually competitive with wood and stone.
3. The shift in manufacturing abroad of a majority of the LVT products, as well as sheet vinyl, created significant challenges in the supply chain, sourcing and inventory management of the category. Supply chain excellence and service stability have become a strategic focus in today’s market. The volatility of tariff implementations across this supply chain has made this even more complex for manufacturers and importers/distributors alike.
4. Resilient flooring became a much more popular choice with the introduction of LVT. It transformed vinyl from a lower-end, budget flooring to a highly desirable design product with its realistic wood and stone visuals, embossed textures and larger plank format. It has taken not only a large market share from carpet, but the hardwood and laminate categories also got majorly disrupted and had to concede to LVT. Also, LVT flooring created an explosive demand for waterproof flooring, especially when rigid core products like WPC and SPC were launched in 2013.
5. We’ve seen the flooring retail segment changing from just the traditional mom-and-pop retail store into multi-channel retail with home centers and online e-commerce retail entering the market.

Final thoughts …

We must increase the profitability in our industry if we want to grow, remain viable and exciting to the consumer, and attractive for young talent and capital to invest in. The race to the bottom must end. Those companies with their main focus on selling on low price need to disappear through acquisition, bankruptcy or shut down for lack of succession.

Margin disciple and greater profitability at all levels in the distribution channel, from manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers, must be restored so capital becomes available to advertise and promote our products.

We are a fashion industry, with products that embellish and beautify the homes and spaces they are installed in, but our image with the consumer is totally different with prices below cost, free installation, free extra rooms, no interest and extended payment plans being the predominant advertising messages. We profile ourselves as a commodity product, a “must have” rather than a “want to have.”

Leadership starts at the top and those companies that lead our industry must set the tone and example for all.

Further consolidation and the need to provide an acceptable return to shareholders will be the driving force to a financially healthier industry with more growth and opportunities for the next 40 years.

STEVE EHRLICH

vice president, business and operations Novalis Innovative Flooring

Flooring categories have evolved as rapidly as luxury vinyl. Every major innovation has built on the one before it, steadily raising the bar for performance, design and what consumers expect from a floor. A handful of turning points stand out because they didn’t just improve the product—they fundamentally changed the trajectory of vinyl flooring and the industry as we know it today.

1. When Novalis got its start in the 1980s, the opportunity was to make self-stick vinyl flooring more accessible to North America through global sourcing and manufacturing expertise. It made flooring more affordable for the average consumer.
2. In the 1990s, new patterns and textures made wood and stone visuals more realistic, transforming vinyl flooring into more of a design choice for the home. Embossed-in-register technology, along with other surface textures, added authenticity and further strengthened its appeal.
3. By the 2000s, LVT had evolved from a value-driven purchase into one centered on design and enhanced durability, delivering industry-leading performance. As printing technology, embossing, wear layers, acoustics, finishes and textures advanced, LVT earned the credibility to compete with hardwood, tile and stone rather than simply imitate them.
4. Starting around 2010, rigid core construction, combined with click-locking systems, revolutionized installation while waterproof construction opened the door to whole-home applications, changing the way consumers thought about where luxury vinyl belonged. Since 2015, luxury vinyl has become the engine behind the resilient category’s growth, disrupting nearly every hard and soft surface flooring segment. Today, it accounts for more than half of all hard surface flooring sales, making it the single largest flooring product category in the U.S. market.
5. Novalis continues to lead the way in innovation, and the journey continues. Locking systems have evolved beyond straight-lay installations, making patterned layouts like herringbone and parquet practical without glue. Larger plank and tile formats have reshaped residential design, while sustainability has moved from the margins to the mainstream, driving meaningful improvements in indoor air quality, recycled content and manufacturing practices. None of these advancements stood alone. Each one created the foundation for what came next.

It’s an exciting time to be part of this industry. Consumer expectations won’t stand still, and neither will LVT. We look forward to what the next 40 years will bring.

The post Execs look back over vinyl’s rapid rise appeared first on Floor Covering News.

Execs look back over vinyl’s rapid rise Posted First on https://fcnews.net