Articles

Few things pack a punch like a tiled exterior. Elegant, timeless, intricate, and striking, these iconic buildings all have one wonderful thing in common. Read More

Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes rose three points to 37 in December, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Read More

The Bureau of Economic Analysis today released provisional data on the distribution of personal income in 2022, along with full data covering 2021. The distribution of personal income statistics take one of BEA's primary economic indicators—U.S. personal income—and measure how it is distributed across households. This provides a way to assess how households share in the nation's economic growth. Read More

In the first ten months of 2023, total U.S. imports of ceramic tile were 156.7 million square meter, a decline of 10.2% from the same period in 2022 when imports were 174.5 million square meters. This decrease was due to the declines in imports from Spain (-22.5%), Italy (-22.2%), Turkey (-37.5%), Brazil (-19.6%) and Mexico (-4.1%). Read More

Consumer sentiment rose 13.2% to 69.4 in early December, according to preliminary results from the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers. This represents a 16.2% increase year over year. Read More

Countertops are the keystone in every kitchen, tying together the flooring, walls, cabinetry and appliances. With so many different options available — from quartz to granite, tile to engineered stone — it’s a matter of what is most important to the consumer and identifying the right option for them. Read More

The goods and services deficit was $64.3 billion in October, up $3.1 billion from $61.2 billion in September, revised, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Read More

For the third consecutive quarter, single-family growth rates were negative for all geographic sectors of the nation, as exurban areas posted the largest increase in marketshare for both single-family and multifamily construction, according to the latest findings from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) for Q3 2023. Read More

Construction employment, not seasonally adjusted, rose year over year (YOY) from October 2022 in 226 (63%) of the 358 metro areas (including divisions of larger metros) for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics posts construction employment data, fell in 54 (15%), and was unchanged in 78, according to an analysis Associated General Contractors (AGC) released. Read More

The AI craziness is just around the corner. Where it goes is anyone’s guess, especially in the flooring industry. The first place that will be using this is in operations, inventory replenishment and generally, business systems that will be improved using AI. Read More