Alterna Premium Tile: Easy to Choose, Easy To Install, Easy to Sell

July, 2009 -- New Alterna™ premium groutable tile from Armstrong, with its distinctive designs and detailed textures, is designed to help boost retail sales with new standards in style, installation options and underfoot comfort.

An exclusive manufacturing technology ensures virtually no pattern repeat among the tiles for a look that is more natural than other products in the market today. Randomized installation requires no turnblock methodology, so it is easier to install and requires less time. The tiles also can be installed without grout for a butt fit visual or accented with a coordinating grout color.

Alterna

The oversized 16"x16" tiles offer well-defined surfaces and natural colors, including rustic stone, traditional marble or textures reminiscent of classic architecture. Forty skus are offered in nine different collections and 10 different grout colors are available. Color-coordinating grout and even a no-grout alternative provide multiple options.

"This is a true first in the flooring industry; it is the most natural-looking resilient floor available," says Yon Hinkle, product manager, Residential Tile. "Other products have two or four tiles that repeat -- over and over and over. Alterna offers more unique patterns. With fewer repeating tiles, you get a truly natural look. And it can be installed with or without grout -- it's up to the customer. It's that simple."

Unlike traditional grouts, the Armstrong grout does not require sealing, another time-saving feature. "And, when Alterna is installed without grout, a seam sealer is not required -- a time-consuming process that is not necessary for our product but is necessary for many others," adds Hinkle.

According to Scott Rozmus, president, FlorStar Sales, Inc., the tile has what appears to be an "infinite repeat," with a wider tile-to-tile variation than anything currently at retail. "The Alterna collection offers a spectrum of designs, colors and textures coupled with the realism of a grouted installation. It's more foot-friendly than ceramic, but with the same great looks. Customers have already told us that Alterna's visuals are superior to anything currently in the marketplace. The resiliency of the product makes it appealing in cooler climates or anywhere consumers are seeking more comfort underfoot.

"While LVT is a hot category, Armstrong has redefined it, offering stunning visuals with easy installation. We've already sold several truckloads, even without having samples. Dealers are providing stocking POs in what is arguably the worst flooring environment in 20 years. Nothing can say more about retailer confidence in the Armstrong brand, Alterna's great looks and FlorStar service than that," says Rozmus.

The tile features Armstrong's most advanced aluminum oxide coating providing scratch, stain and wear resistance. As a resilient floor, it offers a more forgiving surface against everyday accidents such as spills. The tile is durable, with a heavy duty 160 gauge thickness and a four-sided rounded edge. The tile installs on any level of the home over virtually any subfloor.

"We believe that Alterna provides a great selling opportunity in terms of looks, ease-of-installation and pricing," says Hinkle.

Selection Made Simple

The Alterna™ Combo Display has been carefully designed to make both the shopping process for consumers trouble-free and the selling process for retail sales associates easy. The display highlights the beauty of the product. Selection is made simple through a combination stacker and bin merchandising system. Featuring over-sized grouted tile boards to simulate flooring installations, as well as loose 16"x16" tiles for color selection and a take-home sample vehicle, the display allows customers to choose the color that best coordinates with their décor. "A divider tab positioned between the loose samples will help educate consumers on the selection process and product benefits to further facilitate the sale," says Hinkle. The product brochure in the display also supplies grout recommendations for each individual SKU.

To complete the flooring installation, consumers can choose between 10 coordinating grout colors, or choose no grout at all and use a butt-fit installation -- each method is simple. When applied with grout, the tile sets in just three-to-eight minutes, and the floor is ready for light traffic in about 24 hours. Plus the grout itself -- Armstrong Premixed Sanded Acrylic Grout (S-693) -- is resistant to cracking and chipping and offers superior stain resistance. Only one gallon covers 250-300 square feet. It will not fade, darken or discolor over time.

Alterna utilizes Armstrong's S-288 adhesive, a transitional pressure sensitive adhesive that combines the benefit of the ease of initial installation with the security of superior long term performance associated with a hard set adhesive.

The premium tile is made in the United States at Armstrong's Kankakee, IL manufacturing facility. The product is always readily available, creating a shorter supply chain and resulting in a lower carbon footprint. Like all Armstrong resilient floors, it is certified as a low-emitting product under the FloorScore™ program and is compliant with California Section 01350 for low VOC emissions, recognized as the strictest in the country. The grout and adhesive also are low VOC products which can further contribute to healthier indoor air quality.

Alterna™ is backed by Armstrong's Lifetime Residential and Five-Year Light Commercial warranty and will retail for approximately $5.49 per tile, uninstalled. For more information, please visit www.armstrong.com.