World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) Provides Trend Report from Premiere Floor Covering Show

Anaheim, CA (PRWEB) March 11, 2009 — If the devil wears Prada, then the fashion-conscious demon must walk on animal prints, nude tones, layered looks and leather. For these are just some of the hottest trends in flooring uncovered by the World Floor Covering Association’s fashion scouts at this year’s Surfaces – one of the home market’s top international trade shows – which took place in Las Vegas in February this year.

WOOD AND BAMBOO TRENDS
There were no limits at Surfaces when it came to treatments in wood. High-gloss piano-finish floors that reveal your reflection were seen. As were innovative wood tiles in a surprising variety of whimsical shapes and sizes, including Tetris patterns, puzzle pieces, bricks and even fish scales! New wood surface stains now offer 0% VOC, no off gassing, are non-toxic and of all things, are even edible. Another new process extends the lifespan of hardwood floors with stains that run throughout the wear layer resulting in a highly durable floor that offers everlasting beauty that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

Bamboo floors were also a hit at the show with one company presenting an assortment of oil-finished “woven” bamboo floors infusing cork strands for added dimension, anti-bacterial properties, soundproofing and insulation.

CARPET TRENDS
Carpet and area rugs were all about texture this year — from shag to loops to contemporary felt discs. Also fashionable are rugs and carpets bound with a hint of metallic fiber just to catch the eye. Animal and nature-inspired looks are also the rage, including panther and leopard skin, tropical leaf and flower patterns, tree textures and tribal designs.

In addition to eco-friendly products, manufacturers were paying close attention this year to allergen reducing products and manufacturing methods. One new line includes a broad selection of carpets that incorporates silver and zinc release, which offer the strongest anti-bacterial technology on the market. Another company debuted new friezes using dye-accented color choices achieved through an eco-friendly solution that saves water and is zero-effluent into streams.

One earth-friendly standout at the show was a new shag carpet made with 80% bamboo fiber yarn and 20% cotton. It has the look and feel of silk without the price tag.

TILE TRENDS
As in the wood and laminate categories, high sheen and transparent shine were the hot trends in the tile category. Long, thin rectangular tiles reminiscent of flowing streams were seen, as well as tiles made from authentic crystal and semi-precious stones. New heat slumped glass tiles impart a sculpted, embossed effect giving the illusion of raindrops on the surface, linen textures, crinkled fabric, sand and slate effects.

LAMINATE TRENDS
The hottest trend in laminates this year was highly reflective, glossy finishes in exotic wood formats, as well as stone looks with “natural” embossed patterns and beveled edging. A brand new introduction includes a hybrid product containing natural cork, leather and linoleum surface-treatments that are stabilized on planks.

RESILIENT TRENDS
New resilient products, including vinyl, cork, leather and linoleum, offered not only environmentally friendly introductions, but product launches that were also easy to clean and offered healthful benefits.

One new launch in the linoleum category achieved the Asthma and Allergy Friendly certification mark — which has never been given to a flooring product before. Another debut was a cork and linoleum hybrid called Corkoleum. It is an eco-friendly alternative to vinyl and laminate flooring that is resilient, warm, scratch and abrasion resistant, and easy to clean and maintain. 100% recycled leather planks were also presented in a broad spectrum of natural shades and textures — from glossy bright red crocodile to supple lizard.

“With today’s economic challenges, people everywhere are focusing more on their home environments and creature comforts,” said Christopher Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer of the WFCA. “Manufacturers across the globe have listened to customers and have delivered an array of introductions that are certain not to disappoint.”

The WFCA’s website – WFCA.org — offers detailed information about these flooring categories. In addition, the website provides answers to the most common floor covering questions. Visitors can also find detailed information and practical tips on every flooring category available, including carpet, hardwood, laminate, ceramic, porcelain, resilient, vinyl, cork, stone and area rugs. An overview of each category provides the pros and cons, a product catalog, manufacturing details, varieties and styles available, things to consider before purchase and how to prepare for installation.

When it’s time to buy floors, WFCA.org offers a searchable database of reputable WFCA retail members across the country. All a user needs to do is enter their zip code to receive a list of suppliers in their area.

The WFCA, official sponsor of Surfaces, is the floor covering industry’s largest advocacy organization, representing floor covering retailers, contractors and allied service providers throughout North America. For more information about the WFCA, visit WFCA.org and WFCA-PRO.org.

Some features of bamboo countertops and cabinets:

• Bamboo is currently a popular choice due to its green properties and eco-friendliness
• Same durability as bamboo flooring – built to high standards of craftsmanship
• Cost effective
• Bamboo is a grass and not wood, it regenerates quickly
• Variety of colors offered
• Unique and original look your friends and neighbors are unlikely to have
• Offer more options for modern, contemporary and transitional styles
• Contributes to a healthier indoor air quality

Before you make a decision about what cabinets or countertops to choose, consider bamboo if it fits your design style. These can be a unique alternative that you can enjoy for years to come!

For more posts on bamboo – click here.

Recently, our own Kerry Davis was seen on Designing Spaces offering advice and information on green flooring. Topics were covered such as bamboo, carpet, tile, hardwood, wool, cork and linoleum.

Click here to see the video! TLC Designing Spaces

Hugg This green flooring video here!

Bamboo is a rapidly renewing resource that matures in three years. There has just recently been a bamboo introduced as certified to meeting various environmental production or preservation standards, so it is important to try to learn as much as you can about the bamboo you are interested in before purchasing it. Most bamboo is grown in Asia and the impact of transporting it to the United States market should be considered.

 Benefits of Bamboo:

• Rapidly renewing
• Quickly matures
• Regenerates without replanting
• Requires minimal fertilization or pesticides

Question:

“This is about the third time I have been told bamboo flooring is NOT the best for flooring, and we were considering it for our downstairs. What is the BEST flooring for heavy traffic areas? My husband doesn’t wipe his feet, my mother drags her feet, and our carpeting of one year looks bad. I don’t want to put more tile downstairs…”

Answer:

I understand your dilemma! In my experience (10 years of floor covering sales) bamboo has been a great product IF a quality product was purchased. Also, the carbonized bamboo is softer than the non-carbonized. However, I understand your hesitation after hearing stories of it not being the best choice! The good news is, you have several great choices since it’s easier to get new floors than a new mom and husband! J

Cork :

• There are many many patterns other than the bulletin board look

• Very resilient

• Hides dirt very well (the more movement in a pattern, the more it will hide dirt, unless of course you choose a white floor)

• Very quiet

• Easy to clean

Laminate:

• Scratch resistant (not scratch proof) if mom drags her feet with dirt and grit on them

• Great for high traffic areas

• New technology (if you haven’t looked at it in a while) that looks just like hardwood and is not hollow sounding like it used to be

• Easy to clean when husband doesn’t wipe his feet

Hardwood:

• Choosing a wood with lots of grain will help hide dirt and minor scratches

• Prefinished hardwood will have an extremely durable coating

• Bamboo’s hardness is about the same as black walnut. There is a hardwood scale that measures hardness and a few woods that are harder than both bamboo and black walnut are: white oak, hard maple, hickory, Jarrah and Merbau. (this site is helpful – )www.hardwoodinstaller.com

• Hardwood, like bamboo will scratch and dent, but the harder the wood, the better your chances are of minimizing this.

This seems to be a popular topic – if you have experiences, please share them with us!

Bamboo is a currently a very popular choice for flooring, but did you know it can be used for other things? One company, Bamboo Outfitters offers eco friendly items from clothing, to linens, to soap and bath products made of bamboo. Bamboo is useful in making these products because bamboo fiber is soft and strong and produces products that are durable, soft and breathable. Unlike other natural products, bamboo can be safely dyed in bright and bold colors.

Benefits of bamboo as clothing:

• It absorbs sweat quickly and evaporates quickly.
• Bamboo keeps you warmer in the winter and up to 2 degrees cooler in the summer
• Bamboo is antibacterial so it stays fresher and odor free longer.
• During the manufacturing process, no harsh chemicals are used so this product is ideal for people with allergies or sensitive skin
• Bamboo fiber is smooth and round so it does not irritate skin. It contains a naturally occurring antibacterial called bamboo-kun that resists the spread of bacteria on the skin without any adverse affects.
• Bamboo grows quickly and therefore has high water absorbency which aids in this process. This helps the fabric retain absorbency, in fact, 3-4 more than cotton. It keeps you drier because it wicks away moisture from the body, but doesn’t have the high prices that comes with sports attire with these same properties.
  
• Bamboo is antibacterial, anti fungal and anti static even after is has been washed.
• It’s better for the environment. For more information on bamboo, click here.
• No special care is required to maintain the clothing.

Not sure if bamboo fabric is for you or all that is advertised, Bamboo Outfitters will send you a sample!

Other products made from bamboo are found in the kitchen and bath. Some examples of products for the home made from bamboo are: cutting boards, soap, dish towels, bed linens, body washes, crib linens and bath towels.

Clothing for babies, kids, men and women:

Products for the home:

Do your part by choosing clothing and home accessories that are not only comfortable, better for your skin, anti bacterial, anti fungal and anti static but good for the world we live in!

• Another environmentally sound choice for flooring is bamboo. Bamboo is manufactured from processed strips of cane and compressed to be as hard and durable as a regular hardwood floor.

• Some bamboo is supplied in North America if the environmental impact of transportation is a concern.

Considerations:

• Bamboo floors that are less expensive may not have the highest quality UV protective finish as other floors.

• Radiant flooring can be used under bamboo flooring.

• Bamboo is technically a grass and not a hardwood tree. Don’t let this discourage you from purchasing because the manufacturing techniques make bamboo a strong, hard, durable and dimensionally stable surface.

• To give you an idea of the strength of bamboo, it has been rated to be almost as hard as red oak to slightly harder than red oak. The darker bamboo floors are reported to be softer than the lighter shades because of the heating process that darkens the color.

• The dimensional change with moisture content is also significantly less than that for most common hardwoods.

• Nearly all bamboo flooring sold in North America is produced in the southern Chinese province of Hunan, in an area known as “the bamboo sea” for its extensive bamboo forests.

• If possible to obtain the information, find out if the manufacturer of the bamboo flooring you are interested in allows the bamboo to reach full maturity. According to buildinggreen.com the shoots reach full size in one to two years, but it takes a third year for them to mature to the point where they are no longer feeding the plant. If the shoots are cut before that time, the plant suffers, while after the third year the shoot becomes “dead weight,” and the plant benefits from its removal.

• Contrary to the concerns of some, the harvesting in these forests is not a threat to Pandas, as they live at much higher elevations and eat a different species of bamboo.

Good for the environment:

• Bamboo matures in three years

• It regenerates without need for replanting

• It also requires minimal fertilization or pesticides

• FSC certified bamboo has just been approved so it is important to see what you can confirm about the bamboo you are interested in purchasing.

Options:

• Finish options include a Klumpp coating that comes with a longer warranty because of the quality of the ingredients.

• Klumpp coatings wear extremely well and are certified to be free from toxic substances.

• Bamboo floors are available with the following installation techniques: glue, nail, staple or floating in pre-finished or unfinished.

• The installation process is the same as the process to install hardwood flooring.

Design Options:

• Bamboo is offered in planks, tiles as well as handscraped.

• The handscraped products have limited availability.

• The grain of bamboo is either horizontal or vertical. Vertical graining is a thinner, more linear look while horizontal graining is wider showing the knuckles of the bamboo.

• With horizontal, the pieces are arranged and laminated side by side flatways. With the vertical type the slats are stood upright on edge and then laminated.

• The first colors that were introduced were carbonized and non-carbonized. The result were a natural, amber, brownish color as well as a yellow based color. The brownish amber color is achieved by pressure steaming the bamboo, which creates a darker color through carbonization.

• More recently, colors ranging from rich reds to mochas and blacks are available.

Maintenance

• Like hardwood flooring, bamboo floors need to be swept or vacuumed (without a beater bar) regularly to keep dust and dirt away. Dust and dirt can scratch the finish of the floor.

• Mats should be placed at every entrance to keep the dirt from entering your home.

• Spills should be cleaned up immediately. Spills that sit too long can penetrate the floor and permanently stain the floor.

• To avoid invalidating your warranty, be sure to check to see if a specific cleaner needs to be used. These cleaners can be recommended from the manufacturer.

• Rugs that are non rubber backed should be used to avoid discolorations on the floor.

• Chair and furniture protectors should be used to protect the floors. Fabric or felt types are recommended. Casters should be removed and replaced with felt floor protectors when possible.

• Because sunlight can fade bamboo floors, furniture and rugs should be rotated periodically. Rotating the furniture and rugs will produce a more even color. Use of window coverings also helps protect floors from sunlight.

• High heeled shoes can permanently damage bamboo with dents.

• Like the damage high heels can do, dragging heavy furniture or other items can permanently damage bamboo floors.

The Exclusive Sobu Collection Leads The Trend In Green Design

Sylmar, Calif., Feb. 28, 2008—WALKER ZANGER puts a new spin on the traditional beauty and versatility of bamboo with its exclusive line of mosaic tiles. Crafted from renewable bamboo, the Sobu Collection is truly an innovative design product. This environmentally friendly product is made of a renewable resource; indeed some species of bamboo can grow as much as three feet a day. The Sobu Collection of bamboo mosaics adds warmth and depth to any room and is a visual and responsible delight for homeowners and building professionals committed to using green building products.

While Sobu is made of bamboo, it can be employed in the designer’s palette just like tile.

It’s available in multiple mosaic patterns: Straight, Basketweave, Herringbone, and Random Planking, all of which showcase the material’s delicate veining, rich linearity, and subtle variations of texture and hue. Three colors are available: Gold, which highlights the classic look of cut bamboo; Sable, which adds a warm, reddish brown; and Espresso, a deep, dark brown which complements virtually any color. All colors feature a matte finish and a smooth texture.

WALKER ZANGER Sobu is at home in a wide range of decorating styles, ranging from Asian Zen to Classic Modern to Contemporary. It can add a modern green design to a traditional kitchen backsplash or evoke a sense of serenity for a home spa.

WALKER ZANGER is the world’s most comprehensive stone and tile company. WALKER ZANGER combines traditional tile-making techniques with a modern sophistication that transcends any singular design style. A leading choice for design professionals and consumers, WALKER ZANGER natural stone and tile products, as well as, its new line of exquisite bathroom vanities, can be found in luxury homes, trendy boutiques, lavish spas and resorts, famed museums and fine restaurants around the globe.

WALKER ZANGER is available through 17 beautiful showrooms and exclusive distributors nationwide. To learn more about Sobu and the full line of WALKER ZANGER products, visit www.walkerzanger.com.