New “Character Woods” collection launch. New logo, sales materials and displays feature premium look.
Dallas, July 14, 2008 – Columbia Flooring has undergone an extensive makeover of its brand, strategically developing a well-edited hardwood product line focused on new, fashionable, quality products, while simultaneously unveiling a new branding approach incorporated into all merchandising elements. Columbia’s launch is flagshipped by an assortment of stylish “Character Woods” featuring a variety of popular surface treatments, including hand-sculpted, recovered, weathered, distressed and time-worn looks.
“To ensure Columbia’s place as the design and style leader in hardwood, we extensively researched current consumer tastes and then boldly responded with a total reinvention of our line,” said Roy Foster, vice president of sales for Columbia Flooring. “We are taking Columbia in a completely new direction with a curated, deliberate approach, offering the ‘right products’ focused solely on the finest American hardwoods in a variety of innovative, fashion-forward looks.”
“Our new line is all about design,” Foster added. “Columbia is now the ‘industry’s specialist in character woods’. Character woods make available the popular surface treatments such as distressed, weathered, recovered, time-worn and hand-sculpted design. We are now offering a full range of 98 character woods across multiple species and multiple colors, in both solid and engineered hardwood. No one else offers this.”
The new Character Woods collection are the first hardwood flooring products that offer such a myriad of surface treatments prefabricated from the factory. Previously, expensive on-site finishing was required to achieve these looks.
In addition to the new Character Woods, Columbia’s launch also includes Domestic Exotics and Traditional Oaks. The variety within each of these categories, in both color and design, makes Columbia the most comprehensive line in the market place. All three lines offer similar color and design options in both solid and engineered wood.
To position Columbia not only as the design leader during this reinvention, but also to solidify its new status of offering unique technical advantages, Columbia has invested in outstanding technologies including SuperiorShield, PureBond formaldehyde-free engineered flooring technology and the Uniclic patented locking system. SuperiorShield Surface Technology by 3M is built into the floor during the curing process to protect the floor against stains, germs and grime, while also improving gloss retention. PureBond technology for engineered flooring is a new innovation replacing traditional urea formaldehyde hardwood plywood construction with technology that adds no formaldehyde to the finished flooring, creating products that are healthier for families and the environment. Incorporation of the revolutionary Uniclic locking system into Columbia’s Intuition collection of domestic exotic woods not only makes installation fast and easy as planks simply snap together, but this innovation also lowers installation costs making the dream of owning a hardwood floor attainable to a great number of consumers.
From a marketing perspective, the new branding was designed to reinforce the beautiful, fresh, authentic, hand-crafted new product looks and is featured comprehensively throughout an entire line of new merchandising materials. The new imagery and visuals encompassing the brand will draw consumers seeking a truly original product to Columbia.
Columbia has made significant capital investments in its production plants so the highest quality traditional and character looks can be produced internally. These investments will ensure that all products consistently meet the most stringent quality standards while giving Columbia the ability to manufacture complex textured products in-house. By being domestically harvested and domestically produced, the new Columbia assortment will offer superior service and availability versus imported products.
Columbia Flooring products will continue to be offered exclusively through a network of the finest North American independent flooring distributors. The changes to the Columbia product assortment and merchandising have been greeted enthusiastically by Columbia’s distributor partners and will start appearing in retail flooring showrooms within the next 30 days.
Character Woods Descriptions:
Silverton – Rustic Walnut, Cherry, Maple, Ash, Hickory and Oak
Silverton offers the rustic look of natural knots, sapwood and heartwood regularly found in native North American hardwood. The depth and texture of the wood is further enhanced by the appearance of rich mineral streaks throughout the five inch wide planks.
Silverton is available in six woods (walnut, cherry, maple, ash, hickory and oak) in 14 matte finishes with high shade variation. Silverton features eased plank edges/ends and is available in both solid and engineered woods.
Amelia – Sculpted Walnut, Cherry, Maple, Ash and Hickory
Hardwoods from the Amelia collection resemble early plank flooring that was painstakingly sculpted by hand. Amelia’s surface details are reminiscent of an age-old hand-scraping technique and feature pronounced wood grain and a lightly scraped edge.
The collection includes five inch wide walnut, cherry, maple, ash and hickory planks in 13 matte finishes. Amelia features sculpted plank edges/ends and is available in both solid and engineered woods.
Chatham – Aged Walnut, Cherry, Maple, Ash and Hickory
Chatham’s five inch wide planks possess the beauty and character of aged hardwood floors that have enjoyed a century of use. Special finishing effects give the appearance of a floor worn to a perfect patina. Subtly contoured surfaces and lightly scraped edges add authenticity to the look.
Walnut, cherry, maple, ash and hickory hardwoods are available in 13 matte finishes. Chatham features sculpted plank edges/ends and is available in solid and engineered woods.
Berkshire – Distressed Walnut, Cherry, Maple and Hickory
The Berkshire five inch wide planks recreate the distressed character of utilitarian floors that, after decades of wear, became beautiful flooring – complete with character marks like hammer dents, nail holes, splits and filled knots.
Berkshire is available in walnut, cherry, maple and hickory in seven matte finishes. The collection features sculpted plank edges/ends and is available in solid and engineered woods.
Hatteras – Weathered Oak
Hatteras’ five inch wide oak floors feature the weather-beaten look of wood exposed to the elements. The collection’s matte Pelican Oak finish is rich with beautiful graining and light chipping along the plank edges. Hatteras features sculpted plank edges/ends and is available in solid and engineered woods.
Beaufort – Reclaimed/Recovered Walnut & Cherry
Beaufort recreates the look of aged floors, complete with filled plugs and patches common to recovered flooring. A lightly-scraped surface creates a contoured feel that is complemented by the collection’s abundance of filled knots and heartwood.
Beaufort’s five inch wide engineered-wood planks are available in walnut and cherry in two matte finishes – Iron Gate Walnut and Balustrade Cherry – with sculpted edges/ends.
About Columbia Flooring
Columbia Flooring is a domestic manufacturer of solid and engineered hardwood, and laminate flooring. Columbia Flooring is sold through independent distributors and is part of Mohawk® Industries which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is a Fortune 500 company.
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Images and samples available upon request.
Website: www.columbiaflooring.com
Media Contact: Cooper Smith
cooper@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191
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