All Over the Floor

Flooring renovations are often triggered by the building of new homes and facilities or by the sale or purchase of buildings. The purchase of a new home inspires someone to install all new hardwood floorings. New residential construction during 2000 to 2005 generated demand for massive volumes of new carpet. However, the economy has constricted upon us all. In response, new construction has nearly ground to a halt. Foreclosures and bankruptcies have ruined the credit of many and raised the credit scores required for loans. So, the buy and selling of property has plummeted.

Today, we spoke to a young lady whose family has been in the flooring business for 24 years. They are closing their doors at all locations. They received 90 percent of their business from builders. When new construction virtually died, they unsuccessfully attempted to shift towards retail residential. Another of our friends who binds carpet (like us) has also been crushed by this sluggish economy. These stories are very regretful.

Being part of a family owned company, we relate to our friendly competitors. The flooring companies which survive will be those of the best reputation and with the strongest liquid capital positions. What does this mean for consumers of vinyl, ceramic, stone, etc.? We are offering the most aggressive pricing in our company’s history. Our reduced pricing is compounded by better prices from the flooring manufacturers. Now is a great time to receive wonderful pricing on your new flooring.

We are very grateful for our customers for keeping us busy.

Undoubtedly, Coverings in Orlando is the ultimate tile and stone experience available in the United States. At Coverings, we see products ranging from customized mosaics measuring taller than eight feet comprised of tiny glass pieces for the wall to massive slabs of translucent onyx for your countertops. Literally, tile with embedded gold costing more than $500 per square foot. Decorative tiles are integrated with metallic tiles as trim pieces. Granite is blended with marble; coral competes with travertine; and porcelain imitates slate. Tiles with every possible surface finish are on display: polished, brushed, hammered, and more. Supplementing the main materials are the exhibitors who supply allied products, for example, grout, mortar, transitions, sealers, underlayments, floor heating systems, etc. In addition to the ceramic, glass, and stone products, Coverings also has a few resilient, hardwood, and laminate flooring exhibitors. The relationships that we forge at events like these indirectly puts our customers in touch with the finest products from around the world.

We dedicated this last week of April to attending the Coverings convention in Orlando, FL.  Coverings specialized in ceramic and stone products and tools. Wolfe Flooring’s ability to provide extraordinary results to our residential and commercial customers depends upon our relationships with excellent flooring manufacturers. Thankfully, this international and world-class event draws representatives from more than 90 countries, including China, India, Korea, Italy, Spain, and Israel. More than 1,000 suppliers to the flooring industry exhibit at Coverings. We always enjoy seeing the latest innovations from regulars such as Florida Tile, Mapei, and TEC. But, what makes Coverings especially great is meeting the companies who traveled across the world to be with us.

Today, I met Lawrence from China, who, is only about 24 years of age and speaks very broken English. Lawrence was his company’s sole representative. Lawrence, like a young lady that I met from Italy, was in the United States for the very first time. Both Lawrence and the Italian sales representative were very happy to be in America, and specifically central Florida. Although there are many exhibitors who have exhibits costing more than $5o0,000 and are staffed by more than a dozen professionals, there are also smaller family businesses like the India-based company of a woman named Gijji.

We are very thankful for all the suppliers who enable us to offer the most artistic and durable ceramic and stone products available on Earth.