Hardwood Floors Oct/Nov 2019

CONTRACTORS

2020

Like last year’s survey, the most common cut of flooring was plainsawn (85 percent), and the most common method of installation was nail down over wood subfloors, accounting for 78 percent of the survey responses. In 2018, water-based finishes accounted for 60 percent of the responses, followed by oil-modified finishes at 32 percent. Regarding trends, the contractors that responded to the NWFA survey generally saw a movement toward wider planks and a more natural look. “I believe textured, natural, and low- sheen floors will continue to grow in popularity as the trend toward more natural and earthy elements continues across all design aspects,” wrote one. Darker colors were reported to be trending down as more natural, lighter and medium colors are returning. White oak is in demand with 66 percent of contractors stating that they expect demand to be even higher in 2020. Price competition continues to be a concern for contractors with some reporting a race to the bottom on price. One reason for this is because customers often lack realistic expectations about

felt these products did not negatively impact their real-wood product sales. Several contractors pointed out that the wood-look products typically are used in scenarios where real wood wouldn’t be the best option, and many said that high-end customers still see the value in higher-quality wood flooring. One contractor said: “People want real wood. They use vinyl plank flooring for basements or maybe for rental properties, but not the main living areas of their homes.” In 2018, 53 percent of contractors said they purchased wood flooring directly frommanufacturers, and 89 percent said they installed wood purchased fromwood-flooring distributors. “We have been doing business with the same distributors and manufacturers for many years, and when we need something in a hurry, we can always depend on them,” said one contractor respondent. The percentage of contractors that said they installed wood purchased and supplied by the client rose from 41 percent in 2017 to 46 percent in 2018, and 7 percent of contractors said they installed wood purchased from big-box retailers in 2018. TOP OPPORTUNITIES IN 2020 1. Higher-end jobs 2. Partnering with designers 3. Product diversification

As we move toward 2020, NWFA contractors are optimistic about wood-flooring sales with 40 percent expecting sales to be up somewhat in 2020 and 40 percent expecting sales to be about the same. Contractors cited a growing economy, new construction, and expansion into higher-end markets among the reasons for their forecasts. Compared with 2018, NWFA contractors are reporting wood- flooring installations are about the same (42 percent), up somewhat (28 percent) and up significantly (21 percent). Just 7 percent said that installations were down somewhat (3 - 7 percent) and none reported that they were down significantly. Contractors are still struggling to find adequate skilled labor, with 57 percent of respondents saying they are having problems in this area. Several contractors stated that the younger generation is not interested in manual labor, and those that want to work already have jobs. Fluctuating work throughout the year and a changing market can compound the labor issues. According to Scott Tarpinian of Berlin Flooring:

the cost of high-quality wood floors. Tarpinian said: “People don't do hardwood flooring projects often and so they usually underestimate how much it will cost.” As contractors look toward next year, they plan to continue investing in employee training, offer better customer service, and expand their offering of products and services.

“We may need to find workers because we're busy now, but if we hire somebody, we don't know if we'll be able to keep them employed full-time through the winter. So that can be tough.” Competition fromwood-look products like LVT, WPC, and laminate continues to be a threat to wood-flooring installations, but 53 percent of contractor survey respondents

46 hardwood floors www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com