During the past century the hardwood flooring industry has plummeted to lows at the ends of three cycles, only to rise again as consumers have turned to hardwood as a desirable form of flooring.
One big question is whether or not we are seeing the start of a new trend — a major increase in imported hardwood flooring. If so, the numbers and circumstances might suggest that we could be coming to the end of our fourth growth trend for domestic hardwood flooring in the last hundred years. If that were to happen, it could reduce some of the pressure that flooring has put on the low-grade supplies on which the pallet industry depends. It is interesting that the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) executive director Ed Korczak believes that hardwood floors now represent over 10% of the dollars in
It appears that tomorrow’s hardwood flooring world may be dramatically different from that of the past. What does this mean to the pallet industry? If it means a shift to imported products, that could ease the pressure on domestic low-grade hardwood supplies. If it means a more versatile product offering that increases the percentage of the flooring market that belongs to hardwoods, it could spur additional growth in domestic hardwood flooring. You be the judge.
