It’s that time of year again when flooring retailers make their product selections for the hottest flooring categories—for their customers and for their bottom lines. While the usual suspects like SPC/rigid core will be at the top of dealers’ wish lists, they are also looking for emerging products or hidden gems to latch onto.
Floor Covering News asked retailers what they think will be the hottest flooring categories for 2024:
CUSTOM RUGS
“I see patterned carpets that can be custom fabricated into area rugs as being a category that will continue to grow. Customers can take more of a design risk on these and can roll up and replace it if their taste changes in a few years. Classics such as Stanton Zambezi [a hand-loomed wool fiber] or Crescent Tattersall are also trending. Animal prints are big, too, like Antelope Ax from Couristan.”
SAM LOCHER
A.J. ROSE CARPETS & FLOORING
BURLINGTON, MASS.
HYBRIDS
“I think laminate flooring will continue to take back some market share from LVP, although the new LVP hybrids (mineral core, RPC, MTC) should help the category from some of the issues the low-end SPC products were having this year, which also has consumers looking at engineered hardwood again.”
ERIC MONDRAGON
RC WILLEY
SALT LAKE CITY
QUALITY, TRENDING DESIGN
“My thoughts are thicker floating installation floors will continue to grow, such as laminate and thicker-core LVP. Waterproof, sound protection and pet-friendly will be top customer concerns for ’24. The lighter, more coastal colors will be the trend with a slant toward retro oaks such as gunstock and butterscotch.”
CARLTON BILLINGSLEY
FLOORS AND MORE
BENTON, ARK.
DURABLE STYLE
“Laminate flooring will be the hottest flooring category in 2024. Laminate now fills the wants of most consumers. Durable, stylish, water resistant and it stays locked together.”
JON DAUENHAUER
CARPET WORLD BISMARCK
BISMARCK, N.D.
WATERPROOF LAMINATE
“We believe the laminate category will make the biggest move. As that category sees more waterproof offerings—and the quality LVP market keeps going up in price—the scratch-resistant advantage of laminate will make it a better value. We have added a few new laminate brands hoping that is the case.”
JOE ELDER
HILLER’S FLOORING AMERICA
ROCHESTER, MINN.
NARROW WIDTH LVT
“Laminate is becoming more accepted by our customer base; however, I don’t see it overtaking LVT. A trend that we are seeing across all hard surface categories is the request for thinner planks for wood looks. I predict most vendors will be offering widths under 5 inches to meet this demand.”
MATT WIEN
MARSHALL FLOORING
MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, OHIO
NATURAL LOOKS
“What I think will be popular are natural tones for wood/luxury vinyl/laminate flooring—clean, not rustic; light finishes, think natural white oak; textured tile; geometric tile; marble-look tile; surface drenching with tile (i.e. same tile on bathroom floor as shower surround/wainscot). We are seeing a terracotta revival, so that will be interesting as more vendors release new terracotta-look series. Also, earthy/organic/concrete-look tiles with a more organic, minimalist feel will continue to be a popular look. Less is more.”
KELLI KADLEC
FLOOR CRAFT, LLC
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.
