Articles

Stone look ceramic tile trends draw inspiration from the magnificent beauty of the earth’s geological past. Masterpieces of nature like limestone, bluestone, and slate are represented with such precision in characteristics like veining, coal lines, and visible fossils. Stone looks have secured a spot in our trend discussions before and we’re expecting a strong resurgence this year. So, it comes as no surprise that stone looks appear in our countdown to Coverings 2024. This trend showcases the evolution of stone look tiles. Read More

With the presidential and congressional elections occurring later this year, many are pondering their impact on the U.S. economy. There are basically two schools of thought on how federal elections translate to economic conditions. The first is that politicians will stimulate the economy with new spending programs to promote greater support for their economic agenda, hoping that voters will reward them and other candidates in their party at the polls. Read More

Led by larger urban metro markets, single-family growth rates are showing signs of a turnaround as moderating mortgage rates and a lack of existing inventory are contributing to a gradual upward trend, according to the latest findings from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) for the fourth quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, new data on overall production in coastal areas shows that single-family home building is holding steady while multifamily is falling. Read More

The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI), issued by Dodge Construction Network, fell 1.4% in February to 180.5 (2000=100) from the revised January reading of 183.0. Over the month, commercial planning fell 2.3% and institutional planning ticked up 0.1%. Read More

Floor covering demand is highly correlated with interest rate cycles. Interest rate movements affect housing demand, non-residential building construction spending and transportation equipment shipments. Any interest rate decline stimulates flooring sales to households, businesses, builders and transportation equipment manufacturers. Read More

Following a brief uptick in new home sizes in 2021, the average size of a new home continues to inch smaller — dropping from 2,479 square feet in 2022 to 2,411 square feet in 2023, the smallest average size in 13 years — to match home buyer preferences for less square footage. According to NAHB’s latest What Home Buyers Really Want study, home buyers are looking for homes around 2,070 square feet, compared to 2,260 20 years ago. Read More

Personal income increased $233.7 billion (1.0 percent at a monthly rate) in January. Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes—increased $67.6 billion (0.3 percent). Read More

Multifamily starts are predicted to decline in 2024, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Meanwhile, the remodeling sector remains on solid ground and will hold steady this year. Read More

Lowe’s reported net sales for Q4 2023 were $18.6 billion, a 17% decline compared to sales of $22.4 billion in the prior year quarter. Prior-year quarterly sales included approximately $1.4 billion from the additional 53rd week, as well as $958 million generated from Lowe’s Canadian retail business. Read More

Many projects encountered by tile installers involve water management where the only requirement is to direct the water to where it belongs. Unfortunately, when water is not managed appropriately, the results are less than stellar and almost always result in failure. Read More