The Timber Flooring Market in Ireland has followed an upward trend in recent years and is now at approx. 3.5 – 4.0 million sq metres sold annually, with demand for wood flooring continuing to improve into 2019.
Laminate, the largest product category in this sector, continues to be a strong driver of growth in the overall wood floor-coverings market. While both engineered and solid wood options are more aspirational, laminates’ price points, excellent environmental credentials and improvements in quality and finishes have made it an increasingly popular choice. Value added products with useful additional features, such as 5G click systems for easy installation, improved moisture resistance and longer plank formats, have also helped stimulate demand. Overall the wood and laminate floor-coverings market is predicted to see modest but continual growth rates up to 2021.
BIG FOOT by Trojan
Designed to hide those bigger gaps between floors. This 60mm self-adhesive profile can be used on floors of the same height or floors with up to an 18mm height difference! Get these brand new profiles in a 1m or 2m length, in Gold, Silver, Brushed Steel, Rustic and European Oak only at DS Supplies. https://dssupplies.com.
Dont forget, DS Supplies also fill the extra wide gaps with their 80mm Proline coverstrip. Available in 3m lengths in Silver.
Waxing Lyrical with DS Supplies
T
he ‘Trojan Soft Wax Repair Kit’ is suitable for all types of DIY repairs to floors and furniture, i.e. wood, flooring, doors, kitchen cabinets and is suitable for interior use only.
It is quick and simple for your customer to use. Firstly remove any high points or burrs by using the edge of the applicator provided, then chip a small amount of filler onto the tip of the applicator and press into affected area. Surplus filling can be removed by using the edge of the applicator.
The ‘Trojan Professional Floor Repair Kit’ comes with a melting tool and is hard wearing 
which is ideal for permanent application. It is suitable for indoor and outdoor use and can be used on all types of floors & furniture, i.e. wood, doors and kitchen cabinets. The melting tool heats up in 30 seconds, then all your customer has to do is touch the tip onto the appropriate filling wax block and the filler will then melt onto the tip of the melting tool. The applicator can then be touched onto the damaged area and the filler will run into the affected area.
When in Rome
The “foundation” of our building industry can be traced back to the Romans who developed concrete to strengthen buildings, roads and bridges – many of which are still standing today.
Roman architects were also pioneers in solving the modern day housing crisis by stacking individual floors on top of buildings to create what we now call apartment living. Roads are notably one of their greatest achievements and played a vital role as they set out to conquer neighbouring countries. Their construction consisted of various layers of base materials covered by solid stone. The most prominent design involved interlocking individual pieces of stone in a pattern which became known as “Herring – Bone” due to
its resemblance of a fish skeleton. This Herringbone design was also used in many architectural features, most notably flooring and a quick browse through today’s interior design magazines is testament to its current popularity.
While traditional real wood herringbone floors are the ultimate in luxury they may not be within everyone’s budget. Leading German laminate flooring manufacturer Kronotex, have identified this current trend and are now manufacturing stunning affordable alternatives.
Together with the Whiteriver Group they have created a unique palette of colours with a matching plank format for the Irish market.
Whiteriver Group’s Sales Director Iain Wogan says they have experienced increasing demand for their engineered herringbone range in recent years and the introduction of a quality European manufactured laminate option was a natural step. “Over half of all herringbone installations are accompanied by a matching plank format used to define different areas, typically a herringbone hallway with adjoining rooms finished in a compatible plank” Iain says.
Whiteriver Laminate Herringbone brochures are available by contacting their Customer Service Team sales@wrg.ie / 041 6861000.
Flooring Trends are changing and evolving
Sales in Wood Flooring and related products have remained buoyant through 2018 and so far in 2019, says Charlie Hamilton, Managing Director of Canadia Flooring.
Constant updating of influences on platforms like Instagram ensure that flooring trends are changing and evolving ever more quickly. What was new and in-demand last year is unlikely to be in vogue next year. We believe that when a consumer visits a Canadia Flooring Centre in a retail store, their first impressions are key. They must see and be drawn in by the colours and designs that they have seen online and have pictured in their dream room.
Each year new designs in both Engineered and Laminate flooring are the life blood of our business. We have over 220 Floors on stock in our facility in Tallaght, with an additional 40 new floors being launched between September 2019 and March 2020.
We work closely with our retail partners helping to drive sales and increase their margin. One of the ways this is achieved is by helping to continuously update their offering and product mix.
Another is when a floor has been selected by your customer, we have a matching profile for each and every floor, this finishes the project to a very high standard and at the same time, gets an add-on sale and higher margin for the retailer.
We strive to offer the retailer the complete package. Our quality Canadia Brand, an excellent, always-on-trend flooring collection and a market leading range with matching accessories. Combine these with a strong focus on staff training and our formula delivers growth in sales and market share.
