That may well be true but this flattery thing has gotten way out of hand when it comes to wood flooring. It is a little bit crazy; every non-wood floor knows that if they imitate wood they are going to get some great sales. True for laminate; true for LVT and its many cousins; true for ceramic tile (now that is crazy double squared); rubber — maybe; and carpet? Soon modular tiles will look like wood with some fuzz! Maybe.
For last year, wood flooring had a modest increase in unit and dollar sales. For the longest time, wood flooring has been very popular in new homes. 2017 showed a strong increase in unit sales of single family homes. It would seem that LVT and laminate are now getting a growing share of new home floors. And they are taking it away from wood. Yes, it looks like wood but it is cheaper and a little bit of plastic is good for the home.
At the upper end of the market, ceramic tile wood look alike is incredibly popular. It really makes no sense to us. Talk about being counterintuitive. Natural tile does not look like wood. So why make it look like another type of floor but not do anywhere near as good with the visuals as what LVT does in imitating the look? Dunno but ceramic tile wood like products are red hot.
It’s interesting that consumers, builders and realtors all know that a wood floor enhances the value of the home and it shows up when the house is put up for sale. It is definitely a big plus when selling a home.
The NWFA (National Wood Flooring Association) conducted consumer research and found that when homeowners were asked for what floor they would have for their “dream home,” 66 percent of respondents said it would be a wood floor. Homeowners like the way wood floors look. The big hit for wood floors is the concern for scratching or marring and the total cost.
From a technical standpoint, the wood industry is working super hard to mitigate or make scratching or marring a non-issue. Justifying the price comes down to marketing and selling the durability, ease of maintenance and the fact that wood is the real thing. Baby Boomers covered it up with shag carpet in the 70’s and feel guilty and want the original floor back.
Many customers say they can tell the difference between wood and their imitators. That is hooey. The retailers can’t tell the difference, and neither can their customers.
Retail sales people don’t have much trouble selling away from wood, especially at the lower price range. Engineered wood is getting hammered at the lower prices. It would seem that every retailer should have an adequate assortment of solid wood floor samples. That is the real deal. And if money is a concern, the retailer can turn to engineered wood floors. That’s the new wood flooring for the 21st century. And they must have a very big assortment that can demonstrate different lengths, different widths, different topical treatments and many different species.
Wood is good. Sell the goodness.