Featured at IBS 2014:
ARMSTRONGAMERICAN SCRAPE HARDWOOD FLOORING
American Quality, Guaranteed to Last
American Scrape™ hardwood from Armstrong provides home builders and remodelers with beautiful genuine scraped wood floor products that are reasonably priced and that are made in the USA.
American Scrape features richly textured solid and engineered hardwood floors inspired by the rugged beauty of the American landscape.This special collection is offered in domestic hickory, known for its rustic character and superior hardness, and oak, an American classic. American Scrape hardwood features planks that have been uniquely scraped to create the authentic look of a time-worn floor. The natural knots, pronounced graining, and distinctive markings add to its unrefined appearance, and is an unexpected value for a beautifully textured floor with natural character that’s made in America.
Additional species are being added to the collection in early 2014. Everything about these floors has an American stamp, including wide width planks (5”) and dramatic colors named for diverse regions around the country.
A portion of the sales from the American Scrape collection is dedicated to supporting Homes for Our Troops (HFOT), a national nonprofit, non-partisan organization that builds specially adapted homes for the nation’s severely injured veterans.
“This is great story about how our investments in U.S .manufacturing and the success of our products is driving results,” says Milton Goodwin, vice president, Product Management-Hardwood. “We are able to provide competitive, differenced products that are winning with builders, remodelers and consumers. This is driving growth which has led us to being able to create more jobs in our communities and give a little back to those that have sacrificed for our country and our freedom.”
The Rustic Hardwood Flooring Trend
Today’s homeowners are looking for design ideas that feel authentic and familiar, that are hand-crafted, or that reveal a vintage flair. Rustic hardwood floors fit naturally into this trend – with textured looks and earthy colors that create a warm ambience and a unique feeling of “home”.
“Flooring design is all about visual and tactile interest. This can be achieved through color, pattern, texture and finish. The three dimensional, undulating surface of sculpted hardwood has the power to completely transform a room,” says Sara Babinski, principal designer for Armstrong Hardwood.
“Wood is appreciated for its inherent natural color and beautiful character with knots, mineral streaks, grain figuring and general uniqueness. There is an evolution underway in surface treatments for hardwood, and it translates into a wide range of choices from Armstrong – including this beautiful rough hewn American Scrape collection,” adds Babinski.
According to Armstrong, rustic and distressed visuals continue to grow in all markets, with particular visuals favored in specific markets. Hand-sculpted and color-wash products are popular in the west and the Southwest. Distressed visuals are more popular in the Southwest and Southeast. In the Northwest, Mid West and Northeast, traditional smooth visuals continue to capture most of the market.“All of these new visuals offer opportunities for trade-ups and increased sales,” says Goodwin.”The quality and value of these new genuine scrape floors make it easy to for a builder salesperson to explain to the consumer the advantages of a trade-up from a traditional strip floor.”
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Textured Looks
Texture has become the new driver in interior design. Rustic wood floors capture this trend beautifully. Hand-scraped hardwood boards, available in a variety of species like hickory, oak, maple, and birch, are individually scraped to create the hand-sculpted look from a bygone era. View the deeply rustic texture in theAmerican Scrape™ collection. Distressed hardwood boards have staining and distressing techniques applied to create the rustic, weathered look of naturally aged hardwoods. Each floor offers active graining and rich character marks like mineral streaks, knots and burls, along with color washing, to emphasize the depth of the wood grain and evoke a nostalgic appeal.
Wide Planks, Random Lengths
Along with texture and color, board size affects the overall appearance of a room. Wide planks, combined with random lengths, create a custom look – as if the boards had been hand-milled by skilled craftsmen. These planks convey a rustic feel that that can dress down a country cottage or dress up an urban loft. Armstrong is adding to its wide-width hardwood flooring options in 2014 to give customers even more choices in an expanded color palette.
Earthy Colors
For many years, the trend was towards darker hardwoods, but fashion forecasters are now seeing a shift towards natural mid-tones, due, in part, to the improving economy. History has shown that as consumer spending goes up, color palettes get lighter. Earth-tone colors continue to engage consumer interest – inspired by the desire to bring the outdoors in and create a deeper connection to the natural world beyond our doorstep. Honey browns and warm golds help create a lighter, more spacious feel in a room, while darker hues, like rustic reds and dark browns, give a room a more elegant and dramatic look.
To learn about Armstrong flooring products for the home, visit Armstrong Floor Products at the International Builders Show,February 4-6, Las Vegas, NV, Booth #C6937. For general information, visitArmstrong.com.
LINKS TO Hi-RES IMAGES:
American Scrape Hardware- White Oak - Natural
American Scrape Hardware-Hickory Gold Rush
About Armstrong World Industries
Armstrong World Industries, Inc. is a global leader in the design and manufacture of floors and ceilings. Based in Lancaster, Pa., Armstrong operates 35 plants ineight countries and has approximately 8,700 employees worldwide.
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News contacts: Michele Zelman, 718-859-6766, Cherry Leaf Communications, Ltd., or