Articles

Personal income increased $26.1 billion, or 0.1 percent at a monthly rate, while consumer spending increased $155.4 billion, or 1.0 percent, in June. Compensation increased in June while pandemic-related assistance programs declined. Read More

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 6.5 percent in the second quarter of 2021, reflecting the continued economic recovery, reopening of establishments, and continued government response related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More

"Sales continued to trend lower in June as some builders slow sales contracts to manage supply-chains, amidst longer delivery times and higher construction costs," said Chuck Fowke, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a custom home builder from Tampa, Fla. "While lumber prices have shown some improvement in spot markets, these declines take time to translate into lower construction costs. Moreover, other items like OSB remain elevated." Read More

"While lumber prices have just recently begun to trend downward, builders continue to deal with rising prices of other building materials, such as oriented strand board, and major delays in the delivery of these goods," said Chuck Fowke, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). "We are thankful that the White House recently held a meeting to seek solutions to these supply chain issues that are harming housing affordability." Read More

"Builders continue to grapple with elevated building material prices and supply shortages, particularly the price of oriented strand board, which has skyrocketed more than 500 percent above its January 2020 level," said NAHB chairman Chuck Fowke. "We are grateful that the White House heeded our urgent plea to hold a building materials meeting with interested stakeholders on July 16 to seek solutions to end production bottlenecks that have harmed housing affordability." Read More

"Remodelers in many parts of the country are experiencing very strong demand for their services," said NAHB Remodelers chair Steve Cunningham, CAPS, CGP, a remodeler from Williamsburg, Va. "So far, remodelers have been able to accommodate most customers, but as the backlog of projects in the pipeline grows, there is a tendency for them to take longer to start and complete." Read More

In its July update to the Kitchen & Bath Market Outlook, the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) revised its 2021 industry sales projection upward to $170.9 billion, up by a substantial 21.4 percent from 2020’s $140.8 billion in kitchen and bath spending and nearly 8 percent higher than the initial estimate for the year. Read More

Catalina Research has released its industry update for the first half of 2021. According to the report, U.S. floor coverings sales came roaring back in the first half of 2021 as rising COVID-19 vaccination rates and a surge in personal income gave consumers confidence to replace their flooring. Read More

While last year was extremely difficult for the U.S. ceramic tile market, which was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis and declined for the second consecutive year, 2021 is off to an excellent start. Through 1Q 2021, total U.S. ceramic tile consumption was up 17.8% by volume vs. 1Q 2020.1 If the current pace continues for the full year, U.S. consumption would reach a record-high of 3.34 billion sq. ft. Read More

The annual RēCo Market Intelligence Report has held strong for 18 years. Below are the results for the Ceramic Tile category.  Read More