In a perfect world, you could install natural spalted maple flooring to make a dramatic design statement. The wood has a very dark, irregular grain pattern caused by natural decay for a look unlike any other. The problem is that if you actually walked on it, the boards might crumble to pieces.
Replicate that same wood with laminate flooring, however, and you'll have a durable surface with a unique appearance. "You can do a lot of things with laminate that you can't do with the real thing," notes Al Boulogne, product manager for laminate business at Mannington Mills, which makes laminate spalted maple flooring.
Laminate flooring manufacturers' ability to mimic exotic or hard-to-find wood species is just one reason their product is gaining market share and, until the housing slow-down, was showing double-digit annual growth. Technological innovations that make laminate look and feel more realistic also are driving sales, along with improved wear layers for added durability.
"It's the fastest-growing segment of Armstrong," says general manager of laminate Milton Goodwin, adding that the market shrunk about 5 percent to 8 percent in 2007 after years of progress.
Statistics from research firm The Freedonia Group's "Hard Surface Flooring" study, published last year, show that laminate flooring accounted for 26.3 percent of non-resilient flooring demand in 2006. The firm expects that figure to grow to 32.5 percent by 2011, and for overall laminate flooring demand to expand at close to 11 percent per year through 2011, faster than other types of hard-surface flooring.
Manufacturers and pros attribute the growth to swelling consumer interest, partly because the surfacing is being installed in more areas of the house. "The upstairs used to be always carpet," says Darren Braunstein, vice president of Worldwide Wholesale Floor Coverings, which has retail locations around New Jersey. Now, he says, more bedrooms sport hard surfaces such as laminate.
"The public has become much more concerned about hygiene, pollution in the air, and the resources needed to create a product," says Anthony Riggi, product manager for Abet Laminati Commercial Flooring, adding that carpet has taken the biggest hit from this trend.
Accurate Accents
Laminate flooring is set to step into the void left by carpet with more realistic textures, plank sizes, and appearances. In addition to wood-grain styles, slate and modular stone or tile are popular targets for laminate replicas. "In the big picture, realism is where it's at," says Don Cybalski, creative director for Pergo. In the newest laminate flooring, he says, "the color is more real, the picture is more real, the depth is more real."
In the most common type of laminate, which is made by fusing a decorative paper image to an MDF or HDF core board with a melamine plastic overlay, one of the most important advances Cybalski sees is in texture. A process called embossed-in-register, in which a metal plate stamps and presses a pattern into the floorboard, allows the texture to match its wood-grain or stone pattern. While the technology hit the market about five years ago, "now it's become expected," Cybalski says. "This is still a high-end technology, but it's filtered down to mid-end, even low-end products."
The evolution of the individual plank format has been even more important, states Mannington Mills' Boulogne. Whereas traditional laminate flooring comes in 8-inch-wide planks made to look like two or three strips of wood, some modern laminate features the same 5-inch-wide format as hardwood flooring. "It brought the category so much closer to realism," Boulogne says.
Furthermore, some laminate planks include microbevels for a even more authentic look. "When you click it together, it has an indentation that makes it look like a regular wood floor," notes Stephen Luciani, owner of Coachlight Carpets, a flooring dealer and installer near Cape Cod, Mass.
Shiny Sensations
In recent introductions, manufacturers increased the clarity and gloss levels to better echo finished hardwood flooring. Despite a premium price tag, these products have had "incredible" success, says Worldwide Wholesale's Braunstein. "If it's shinier, it makes it look like the grain is more three-dimensional," he says. "People are spending more for nicer, better-looking products."
In fact, though it is his priciest laminate at around $3.99 per square foot, a high-gloss exotic flooring is one of his most popular laminate sellers, Braunstein says. While it is less expensive than exotic hardwood flooring, its price is close to standard hardwoods, he adds.
Though consumers' willingness to pay extra for the look of real wood may be surprising in a down market, David Small, marketing director for Pergo, points out that homeowners can rest assured that enhanced wearlayers will protect their investment. "Improved scratch-protective overlays ... minimize dulling and scratching to keep the floor looking brand new longer," he says, citing the company's LusterGard Plus layer.
The bottom line: Manufacturers recommend the pros install a laminate flooring with an extensive warranty, which can range from 15 years to a lifetime, for a floor that makes a dramatic—and long-lasting—statement. -- BUILDING PRODUCTS
Consumers used to have three options for wood-look laminate flooring: oak, light oak, or dark oak. But current top-selling products include distinctive choices like Brazilian cherry, rustic terra-cotta, white-washed oak, and modular tile.
"Oak is still popular, but consumers are really stepping out," says Pergo's Don Cybalski.
He attributes the interest in exotics to the popularity of home improvement magazines and television shows. Laminate flooring allows them to get rare, in-demand, or high-priced styles within their budget, adds Armstrong's Milton Goodwin.
"A lot of consumers will want, say, Santos mahogany," he says. Whereas the real product could cost as much as $25 per square foot, "now we can offer them an alternative that is $6 per square foot and also offers better durability," he claims. Similarly, modular tile looks offer the appearance of a custom-designed floor without the added installation expense.
High-pressure laminate, the material used in countertops and for high-end residential flooring, can feature natural fibers from recycled coffee sacks or real wood veneers, which are laminated to a very dense backing and coated with melamine plastic and an overlay of aluminum dioxide, according to Abet Laminati's Anthony Riggi. The process creates an extremely durable, impact-resistant product, he says, "where you don't have to tell your guests to take their high heels off."
| Wilsonart. The Styles collection includes four new 3 ½-inch-wide and eight new 5-inch-wide plank products. The spalting in the 5-inch-wide tapestry maple (pictured) creates pleasing and subtle hues of light caramels to rich chocolate, according to the manufacturer. As part of the Classic collection, all Styles products carry a 20-year residential warranty covering wear, fade, stain, and topical moisture. 800-433-3222. www.wilsonart.com. |  |
 | Mannington Mills. Acacia, burlwood, and Brazilian cherry (pictured), are the newest looks in the company's Revolutions plank line. Acacia and Brazilian cherry both feature the manufacturer's OptiClear finish, which complements the smooth graining and subtle texture of the exotic species, the maker says. All of the new products come as 5-inch-wide single planks, the most popular format in hardwood, the manufacturer adds. 800-356-6787. www.mannington.com. |
| Formica. With a semi-piano, random-pitted finish, the 10-millimeter-thick Mirabella collection has micro-beveled edges and long, narrow planks measuring 54.33 inches by 4.45 inches. The line's eight visuals include metropolitan walnut, Virginia walnut, Brazilian chestnut, Larissa chestnut, Ava plum, Ethan plum, Swiss pear, and Brazilian mahogany (pictured). The collection carries a 30-year residential limited warranty. 800-777-5145. www.formicaflooring.com. |  |
 | Berry. The Mansion flooring line features the BerryLocPlus locking system, which installs in a single motion, reducing installation time, says the firm. The collection's six new exotic décors include Brazilian cherry (pictured), which features a natural wood embossment. The boards are 10 millimeters thick and feature a limited lifetime warranty. 888-929-7994. www.berryfloor.com. |
| Mohawk. Carrolton, a new 8-millimeter laminate in the company's Elements collection, is a three-strip design offered in eight colors, including oak, walnut, hickory, and maple. The product's InstaClic glueless installation system allows for fast angled or sliding installation, according to the manufacturer. Even when the space is tight, the system ensures a secure locking action, the maker adds. 800-241-4900. www.mohawk-flooring.com. |  |
 | BHK. Six new exotic and traditional wood patterns are available in the Moderna SoundGuard glueless laminate lineup. Morado (pictured), kempas, jacaranda, country maple, and black ash all have two-strip planks, while Nordic fir features a single plank. SoundGuard features a sound-deadening system with a sound insulation backer affixed directly to the back of the flooring panel, the maker says. 800-663-4176. www.bhkuniclic.com. |
| Bruce. The Park Avenue collection features premium, piano-finish wood visuals that capture the look and feel of real exotic wood, according to the maker. Five visuals include ironwood in two shades, pradoo, makore, and exotic walnut (pictured). The product's 12-millimeter thickness provides improved in-room sound, meaning it sounds more like a genuine ¾-inch hardwood floor, the manufacturer adds. 800-233-3823. www.bruce.com. |  |
 | Abet Laminati. With 14 new, funky designs based on Memphis patterns from the 1980s, the Serigrafia line of high-pressure laminates now includes 37 total choices, according to the maker. Each sheet is individually silk-screened and measures 51 inches by 120 inches. 800-228-2238. www.abetlaminati.com. |
| Pergo. The Vintage Home line now features the realism of AccuWood textures and a premium attached underlayment for more authentic sound, according to the manufacturer. Available in five new styles—Berkshire oak (pictured), Hudson oak, Eastwick oak, Lenox oak, and Nantucket pine—the collection showcases a multi-dimensional process that replicates the pattern, layering, and sensation of hardwood, the maker adds. 800-337-3746. www.pergo.com. |  |
 | Armstrong. The Grand Illusions collection is said to feature true wood looks in four exotic species, including Melbourne acacia, pictured. Defined by a high-gloss piano finish, the planks are 5 inches wide and show only one board visual per plank, creating a more realistic installed appearance, the company says. The floors also feature a "kissed edge bevel" that is half the size of a standard microbevel. 800-233-3823. www.armstrong.com. |
| Shaw. The Americana collection showcases five wood species, including figured teak, Georgia pecan, and Tennessee hickory (pictured). Offered in 5 7/16-inch-wide planks, the collection features micro-beveled edges that accentuate each plank, according to the maker. The line also features the manufacturer's Loc N Place installation, which requires a single-action angle and drop in which the ends of the planks click vertically. 706-278-3812. www.shawfloors.com. |  |
 | Quick-Step. The Arté collection includes inlaid, oversized square medallions that are intricately patterned and rich in wood tones, according to the maker. They can be used on their own or paired with Perspective collection planks. Medallions also can be used as a focal point or as a room border. The collection is available in Versailles light medallions or dark medallions, pictured. 866-220-5933. www.quick-step.com. |