Articles

Shaw Industries Group, Inc. (Shaw) is inviting Apartmentalize 2022 attendees to engage their senses and discover new ways to elevate multifamily design. Apartmentalize 2022 will take place June 22 – 24 in San Diego. Read More

Rising interest rates and ongoing building material supply chain disruptions that raise construction costs continue to act as significant headwinds on the housing market. Read More

While the COVID-19 pandemic hit the hospitality market in the U.S. hard, that segment — food and beverages, lodging, recreation, travel and tourism — has begun to recover. Read More

Privately‐owned housing starts in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,549,000, 14.4% below the revised April estimate of 1,810,000 and 3.5% below the May 2021 rate of 1,605,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Read More

Mohawk Industries has announced the acquisition of Vitromex, Mexico’s third largest tile producer, from Grupo Industrial Saltillo for approximately $293 million in cash. Read More

Due to a decrease in non-residential spending, some commercial markets experienced a considerable dip during the pandemic (corporate, for example, as many more people worked from home). But activity is returning, and several markets are doing quite well — particularly, healthcare and education — resulting in new innovations around high-performing hard and soft surface products, or hybrid alternatives, to meet the need for mixed-use spaces and added flexibility. Read More

In the months January to April 2022, U.S. ceramic tile imports were down 7.0% in square meters year over year, from 66.5 million square meter to 61.9 million square meter, according to Grosser Consulting. While imports in quantity were down in this period, values were up. Read More

Consumer sentiment slid 14% to 50.2 in early June, according to preliminary results from the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers. Read More

The laminate category has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. A mature category, it saw encroaching competition from the explosive popularity of LVT and rigid core flooring, particularly as the waterproof marketing story came to the forefront of the conversation. Although laminate boasted plenty of performance capabilities, particularly its scratch-resistance, moisture was its Achilles heel. Read More

“Home-like environments in the office can lead to more comfortable, and presumably, happier workers. And happy workers, according to current theories, work harder.” Read More