On this 12 months’s business outlook survey, near 70 p.c of NWFA members reported unfavorable impacts from wood-look merchandise equivalent to LVT, WPC, and laminate. That quantity is up from the prior 12 months. It’s clear the wooden flooring business continues to face stiff competitors from artificial merchandise which have gained market share, whereas making an attempt to duplicate the appear and feel of pure wooden.

On a current journey to Nashville, Tennessee, I had the chance to tour the Southern Dwelling Concept Home, which is positioned about 30 miles exterior of the town. The Concept Home is created with sustainability in thoughts and to showcase the newest improvements in dwelling design. Subsequently, it didn’t shock me in any respect once I noticed the within of the Concept Home was crammed with hardwood flooring, paneling, cupboards, and mouldings. In actual fact, I used to be stunned by simply what number of wooden parts had been utilized in the identical room – in lots of locations, coordinating wall panels, flooring, mouldings, door and window frames, and furnishings had been introduced collectively to emphasise the house mixing in with nature.

You’ll be able to see it for your self within the September concern of Southern Dwelling. The design was very centered on sustainability, sourcing vintage and native furnishings, and prioritizing pure supplies. To suit into the rolling hills of Appalachia, nothing matches the panorama higher than forest merchandise. Of word, particularly to flooring, the home options present developments like wider planks and pure hues combined with each pure and painted wooden surfaces on the partitions and different accents.

Examples like this, which exhibit that designers and householders need wooden of their houses, preserve popping up. Someplace alongside the shopping for journey a steer towards “wooden look” as a substitute of actual wooden appears to occur. Whether or not or not it’s the price range, a client not understanding the distinction, or preconceived notions of faux wooden merchandise being simpler to keep up, there’s a discord between these elements and the accessible options which may be provided with actual wooden flooring merchandise.

We all know the confusion can occur on the level of sale. That’s the reason the NWFA not too long ago launched a brand new gross sales course geared toward serving to business professionals successfully promote actual wooden flooring in an more and more aggressive market. The progressive course challenges this pattern, asking a crucial query: “If prospects need wooden, why promote them an imitation?”

“Promoting In opposition to Wooden Flooring Look-alikes” offers a number of efficient methods for positioning and promoting actual wooden flooring as a substitute of vinyl, laminate, and LVT flooring options. The interactive, video-based course equips individuals with the instruments and data wanted to champion the worth, magnificence, and authenticity of actual wooden flooring. Now accessible on the NWFA College (NWFAU) as a part of the gross sales program, the course encompasses a mobile-responsive design, permitting learners to entry course supplies anytime, anyplace, from any machine.

The NWFA additionally continues to equip wooden flooring professionals with extra supplies to market actual wooden flooring to householders. The “Actual Wooden. Actual Life.” toolkit is out there for
free to NWFA members and comprises digital and print advertisements, reality sheets, pattern social media posts, and the Home-owner’s Handbook to Actual Wooden Flooring. These sources could also be downloaded at nwfa.org/consumer-outreach.

Moreover, the NWFA’s participation within the Actual American Hardwood Coalition (RAHC) is ongoing. The RAHC has a mission to extend client consciousness, market stability, and business gross sales of all actual American hardwood merchandise by means of client outreach and advertising and marketing campaigns. RAHC not too long ago launched its new Construct Your World™ promoting marketing campaign in partnership with Magnolia Community. Operating by means of January 29, 2024, the marketing campaign is a primary for the American hardwood business, and contains tv, digital, and social media promoting parts. Go to realamericanhardwood.com to test it out and discover ways to take part.

These are just some of the methods you might be concerned with spreading the phrase about the advantages of wooden flooring and pushing again towards the competitors from faux wooden flooring. Extra details about “Promoting In opposition to Wooden Flooring Look-alikes” and different academic alternatives provided by means of NWFAU is out there at nwfa.org/nwfa-university/.