The global flooring market has faced tremendous challenges and changes in the past few years due to urbanisation, rapidly evolving construction industry, as well as the changing preferences of the consumers. The market is likely to witness more of these in the forecast period.
The rising cost of lumber is the first element that is anticipated to result in price increases for floorings. The cost of hardwood floors will increase if the price of lumber does. Due to a lack of trucks and the unavailability of some species, lumber prices have soared.
A generalised shortage of drivers is anticipated in the transportation sector, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, fewer drivers result in greater transportation costs, which are then passed on to the consumer, much like the labour shortage indicated above.
It is also anticipated that retail prices for laminate flooring will rise. The increase in the price of raw materials is likely to affect the laminate prices, which is the root of the problem. The price of MDF sheets, paper, resins, and glues, as well as the cost of licence agreements, energy expenses, and transportation costs, are also rising.
Due to recent technological advancements, the flooring market has entered an exciting, though hard and sometimes stressful phase. Materials are becoming stronger, more chemically resistant, better made, biodegradable, and recyclable as a result of new technologies and environmental initiatives.
However, these beneficial developments are accompanied with unintended repercussions and circumstances that are brought about by complacency with the present situation, naivete, and subject-matter ignorance.
One of the major causes of floor failure can be soil type and its chemistry, size, compaction, drainage, moisture content, or even testing. For instance, uneven or poorly compacted soil might impair the concrete floor’s flatness (FF) or levelness (FL), leading to undulations that may damage some or all of the floor system’s components.
The soil is further expected to get affected due to changing weather conditions. The weather conditions invite moisture infiltration, mould growth, and indoor air quality problems, are added to this.
For facility managers and their staff, this could have serious consequences in the future. To safeguard the concrete foundation and structure of the building, a floor must be able to withstand the level of chemical attack that it will be exposed to.
Floors that have deteriorated also pose a hygiene risk because bacteria can accumulate in surface fractures.
This risk is particularly higher in hospitals that use specialised chemicals. It is important to consider how the floor may respond to exposure to corrosives. It is important that hospitals improve working conditions, therefore ergonomics is expected to be a big challenge in flooring selection.
Throughout their shifts, nurses frequently walk 4 to 8 miles, which can result in problems including back and knee pain, bone spurs, and plantar fasciitis. Flooring needs to find the correct balance between energy restitution and force reduction to overcome these ergonomic challenges.
Most of the time, the makers concentrate on producing expensive, heavy-duty flooring. These issues, in the opinion of experts, can significantly restrain the expansion of the market for flooring as the accessibility and affordability declines.
Additionally, experienced flooring specialists are retiring, leaving the present training programmes in the hands of installers with less experience who may not always have the same degree of expertise. Contractors worry about upward wage pressure brought on by upskilling. This is a significant challenge for the growth of the flooring market.
CHANGES IN THE FLOORING MARKET
The technology of floor coverings has advanced significantly, along with concrete technology in impressive fashion. The emergence of more heterogeneous product types, which include basic components utilised in other products and even the blending of unrelated hard surface and textile products, is also being witnessed. By gluing polyvinyl chloride backings to carpet tiles, the textile industry uses resilient flooring.
The different kinds of raw materials that are regularly employed in the building sector are also characterised by versatility and diversity. Today, there are many options available to designers and technologists, including rare and exotic wood species from across the world and a variety of flooring materials with a variety of textures, including speciality ceramics and glass, stone, and stained concrete.
Some of the improvements, though, also present new challenges. When adopting the new materials, one frequently runs into limitations or needs to make modifications. Despite being aesthetically pleasing, exotic raw materials can introduce special sensitivities to species and origin identification, alkali, moisture, or dimensional growth factors. Untrained workers risk a serious and expensive failure if they place these items in an unprepared setting with moisture and alkaline-related circumstances.
Lately, more enduring floor coatings and sealer formulations have been created, owing to the technological developments in maintenance products and practises. Emerging methods and technologies, including dry buffing, Nanotechnology, and UV-cured site-applied coatings, have also gained prominence. Alternative cleaning methods like enzyme cleaning have been made available by the green cleaning movement.
Due to increased attention being paid to antibacterial and healthy flooring as a result of the pandemic, resilient flooring sales may increase. A development that affects both the residential and commercial market segments is limiting the transmission of pathogens.
Due to factors like remote learning and working, along with the general restrictions on meetings and activities, consumers nowadays not only spend more time at home, but they are also acutely conscious of hygiene. Along with rising awareness about the importance of hygiene, the demand for sustainability is also on a rise.
Enhancing the building’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) points also involves installing sustainable flooring. Cork flooring, for example, is a good choice for a cleaner home or office. It is a water-resistant, naturally antibacterial, and environmentally friendly substance. Customers that prioritise wellbeing may find Cork appealing.
Ceramic tile is another option for flooring that aids in stopping the spread of germs. With the application of steam or cleaning agents, its solid surface does not degrade.
Another flooring material that is frequently utilised is die-cast aluminium. The floor has the benefit of not polluting the environment and not being easily deformed because a standard wood floor is replaced with a metal-die-casting base plate.
With the addition of a sound-insulating layer and a rubber mat, the aluminium die-casting floor reduces and cancels out noise produced when people walk on it and when it makes firm contact with the ground. These factors are strengthening the flooring and aluminium die casting market.
These are just a few of the challenges and changes that the flooring market has faced. The construction and flooring sectors have changed significantly throughout the years as a result of the needs of consumers and businesses changing. Consequently, the flooring market is likely to face a lot of new difficulties and changes in the future.
