Exploring Flooring in Kitchens and Bathrooms

Fashion and function are two of the most important things to consider when replacing flooring, especially in a kitchen or bathroom. Whether it is tile, carpet, hardwood, vinyl, or laminate, the choice is the foundation of a design concept. The ProSource Wholesale® flooring team breaks down the elements involved with helping navigate the home remodel process and how budget, waterproof technology, style, and sustainability factor into the product selection process.

What is The ProSource Podcast?

Creating a design concept for a kitchen or remodeling an outdated bathroom requires an understanding of the products and services available to those looking to undertake such a project. The ProSource Podcast breaks down the home remodeling industry and highlights the merchandise and experience that it requires to achieve your vision. Join ProSource Director of Digital Marketing Content Kevin Devine, as he speaks with those who facilitate the ideal project and offer valuable information for how to choose the ideal products and services that transform your ideas into reality.

Hello, this is The ProSource Podcast.

I'm Kevin Devine

Director of Digital

Marketing content

for ProSource Wholesale.

In this series

will focus on home remodeling,

especially kitchens and bathrooms.

You'll hear from those in the know,

including our corporate merchandizers

showroom team members

and the trade professionals

who ultimately make it happen.

We're glad you've joined us.

Enjoy

today's episode of The ProSource Podcast.

We are joined by Neal Ross.

Neal, appreciate you being here today.

Kevin Thank you for having me.

Well, let's start with an easy question.

why don’t you tell us who you are

and specifically what you do

for ProSource Wholesale. Sure.

My name is Neal Ross.

I'm the vice president of Product and

Merchandizing, and I lead our entire team

on the flooring side

and flooring that includes all carpet,

that includes

vinyl, tile that includes

ceramic, porcelain, includes

wood floors, includes

engineered wood floors.

Anything that you stand on

comes under my guidance.

Okay.

Well,

so in that realm,

how long have you been working

for ProSource Wholesale

and what got you into

the flooring industry?

So I like to tell people

I've been in the flooring

industry my entire life.

I've been walking on it, crawling on it.

But eighteen years ago

was when I got into the business,

and that is when I started

with ProSource.

I had zero flooring experience before

coming to ProSource.

I've been in specialty retail.

I've done sales

both on the retail side

and on the commercial side.

But man,

when I didn't have any experience

in flooring before walking into ProSource

really? Yeah.

Okay. Well, what makes flooring exciting?

What motivates you with that?

You know,

when I first started the business,

I kind of was like,

Wow, this seems like a

you know, it's a it's a it's

a part of the commercial business.

It's part of the contract business.

I really didn't know much about it,

but when I got here, I was like,

you know, the the, the, the pure,

you know, breadth of product

that's available in flooring

is what really drew me to it.

And then

and then really I was like,

you know,

but it's

man it’s a style business

every year

they're coming out with new products

technology.

The the the the

speed at that flooring changes

just every year

with new things that come out.

That's what makes it exciting.

It's just

every day you're seeing new products

come out from suppliers.

So in that sense,

what specifically have you seen evolve

in the realm of flooring

and maybe where you even see it going?

Well,

you know, when I started,

I like to joke that,

you know,

most of the business

that we were doing was carpet

and and I was in charge of carpet

and it was, you

know, was over half our business.

And I've managed it down to less

than a quarter of our business.

So I've done a really, you know, that.

But that just shows you

what the business has done

not what Neal has done personally.

But that's.

Not at all a reflection of you.

No, no reflection of what I do.

But it's just the way

the industry has changed over time.

The what's great is, you know,

we started out and, you know,

you know,

you got carpet

just about in every

in every house in the country.

And then slowly it's been changed out for

you know,

obviously

tile has been around for forever

but you see a lot more tile these days.

New product categories like luxury vinyl

has really taken off

over the past ten years or so

and out to the point

where it's the majority of our business.

It's the largest product category

that we're seeing being sold today.

So, Neal,

when it comes to flooring,

what would you consider to be

the ProSource advantage? Wow.

I think in a nutshell, it's value.

Yeah.

You know, ProSource,

you know,

has claimed value and screamed value

since its inception

30 years ago, you know.

But I think the

that value comes from, you know,

multi parts here. Right.

The first is

when a customer comes in,

you can see the value.

I mean, showrooms are not highly retail.

They're in a in an area where you've

you've got a little more industrial

and then you've got the racking systems

all that.

It just has a perceived value up there.

And the pricing

you're going to see is actual value.

Along with that,

you've got this huge selection of product

and that is an incredible amount of value

to a customer walking in.

They're going to walk in,

probably somewhat be overwhelmed.

The good news is that

they've got an account manager,

they've got an account manager

that will walk them

and guide them through the entire process

of selecting product.

I know you know, personally,

my wife

doesn't like to come into the

ProSource showroom

because people are like,

Oh, she knows products

kind of just like a tangently.

Because she knows me

and I'm like, she doesn't know anything.

She needs help

because it it's such a

wide selection of product and, and,

and I think that that is

a huge value to customers

because with ProSource, you know, if,

if you don't see it, we can get it.

If we can't get it,

it probably doesn't exist.

But account managers are

kind of the key to this, this

this selection process of of,

of narrowing down this ProSource

largest selection

down to the products

that they're going

to need for their project.

And so I think that that's a huge, huge

amount of the value is

is the account manager's

ability and knowledge and expertise

to help the customer

through this whole process.

In addition to that, you've got,

you know,

we've got

a whole set of kitchen about designers

that free design process

as well as added value

for this ProSource,

you know, kind of full value proposition.

So overall

I think ProSource just provides

great value

to the customer, to the trade pro,

and that's kind of where I hang my hat

and I don't think it's just flooring.

I mean,

I believe that's

just throughout the entire

showroom, the, the selection process

and the amount of selection

that's available

both in K and B of flooring,

I think is unmatched

anywhere in the industry

and anywhere in any market. So.

So what

what advancements have really been made

in the flooring industry and

what efforts have you seen

in that specific to the brands offer

to ProSource Wholesale?

So I think that, you know, you've

when you look at our mix

and how it's changed over

time, you know, you've got,

you know, technology

as just a

an overarching piece of flooring.

Let's just let's just start there.

Within every product category,

you see technology changes, right?

When I was

when I was first

when I first came on board,

carpet was a big part of our business.

And that's where people were looking for

technology changes.

They're like, in order for us

to keep all this carpet business,

how can we change?

How can we

how can we advance technologically?

So you were getting new patterns, right

new colors.

There's new color, things

that were happening.

They were printing carpet right there,

printing right on top of the carpet.

I think

some of the

the the work that they did in patterns,

it was like, you know, fully,

fully dimensional things were happening.

So you went

from just a flat piece of carpet

to having all this dimension in there.

And there was loops and cut piles

and all these different things

that are happening.

And, and finally people were like,

Yeah, that's great now,

but what else you got?

And so I think that

what you're seeing now

is huge advancements

in printing technology.

And printing technology

is one of those things.

What's happening now is, is

can be adapted

to almost every product

category, for example, luxury vinyl.

The the better the printing,

the more clarity you're going to see

in the graining of the products that

that you can find today.

Tile tile

is a great

example of digital printing

where they can make any look from a wood

look to a marble look

and have it look hyper realistic.

So the customer with one

type of product

can have multiple

looks throughout their house.

So I think printing is one of those

big things

that's really taking

a big part of the market

and where suppliers are really focusing

a lot of their R&D efforts. Okay.

So I know one and one technology

that it kind of amazes me and maybe

and I'm curious

if it amazes you as well,

is the waterproof technology.

But it's not just that it's out there,

but it has found a way to touch seemingly

every product category

and especially in the realm of carpet.

You would not think that

that would be true. But there it sits.

Yeah, absolutely.

Waterproof

is like the buzzword,

you know, and has been for like the past.

You know, obviously stain and soiling

were really important things

to identify in a product,

especially carpet was big

as we've moved on

in a hard surface category.

Waterproof.

Waterproof is, is everything

it it's something that it's a benefit

that the customer can easily,

you know

imagine in their mind

every time they've spilled

something, right.

They can be like, Oh yeah, I get it.

I don't want that to ruin my floor.

So you're going to see, you know,

like I was mentioning earlier,

about a decade ago,

you see luxury vinyl really coming out

and really becoming a

the the leading product out there.

And that was a product

that everybody could easily say, hey,

this is waterproof,

Don't even worry

about anything that you spill on it.

It can actually take standing water

and what suppliers saw.

They were like, Yeah,

all right, we can do that.

What if we did that

on other products like hardwood?

So now you're starting to see

that waterproof technology and hardwood

where it's got that

same wood veneer that you walk on.

So it's actually a wood product,

but the middle of it

is made out of the same core

that you're seeing in luxury vinyl.

So they're just taking a wood veneer

and pressing it on

top of a luxury vinyl core.

And because of that,

they're able to say like that

is waterproof,

that and the clip technology

that that it's installed with.

So now you've got this

this hardwood product

that a customer can be like

I've got real hardwood

and it's waterproof.

The trick is is the customer

hasn't really taken off yet on that

So they they've see it

they understand it,

but they're like, well, why wouldn't

I just buy a hardwood product

at that point?

So it's, it's, it's,

we feel like it's a growing piece.

We've done some collections with it.

I don't think the customers

have gotten it as much of they've

adapted to the luxury vinyl product.

We're watching it.

It's something we're watching constantly,

but the hardwood we feel

hasn't taken off yet,

but waterproof

products like luxury

vinyl have just soared.

And that is where

all of our account managers

have such

a successful time selling because

there's very few drawbacks

from selling a luxury vinyl product.

And that that piece

in the customer's

mind, you know, they see it, it's it's

waterproof, it's

it's somewhat dent proof,

but they're

they're adapting it

to just about every room in their house.

And I think that's the biggest piece

that.

What sort of efforts

in the flooring industry

have you seen with regard

to being eco friendly or sustainable?

The sustainability efforts

in the flooring industry,

in the products that they brought forth?

Well, I guess you could say that

both in

how the products are made

and then the products themselves.

Yeah, you know,

I think suppliers have kind of

had to lead this in,

in, in a lot of places where they're

producing products that are

environmentally friendly.

It's been going on for years, right?

We've got products

that are made

from let's start on the carpet side.

You've got products that are recycled.

So they've got product

that is made from recycled product.

They have products that are recyclable.

So you've got both synthetic fibers

there.

We've got carpet that is made

that is derived from corn.

We've got natural products such as wool

that is, you know, obviously

made from a sheep.

Where the sheep is

is still kept alive

as part of that process.

So environmentally sound.

Yeah.

So there is

there are a lot of products out there.

What we found

and obviously beyond that, you've got

luxury vinyl.

We've been talking a lot

about luxury vinyl.

It is most popular category right now,

but a lot of that's made

from recycled content.

The core of it,

a lot of

that is either

composite wood

and a plastic polymer

that they've all fuzed together

or recycled contents or a stone

composite polymer polymer

stone composite as well,

all from condensed product

that's been reused from somewhere else.

So there is a lot of that going on.

And then you've got products

like bamboo quick grow products, right?

Then you've also got we've got a company

also that's offering some hemp

product as well.

So these products that grow really fast

and can actually be reused,

utilize again.

Then you've got on the hardwood side,

you have a lot of suppliers

that will actually tag their products

because they're grown

in sustainable forest.

So there's there's

there is all of that going on right now.

But what we haven't seen,

the customer

is the customer that walks in

and really asks for that type of product.

Now they find the color,

they find the design,

they like the style,

and then if it also is environmental,

environmentally friendly,

they will absolutely

they feel better about the purchase.

But we don't have a lot of people

coming in just asking for it.

And I think that is where the

the consumer

and the supplier

have not seen eye to eye yet.

So becomes more of an afterthought.

Yeah, I think it's more what we've we've

we've called the pass as a tiebreaker.

So if a customer sees two products

that they like equally and one is a buyer

environmentally friendly

and one is not, they're like,

I'll go with that.

That makes me feel

better about my purchase. Okay, Yeah.

So if you were to give one bit of

bit of advice

to either a trade pro or homeowner

that's making a flooring decision,

what sort of considerations

would you suggest to them

they keep in mind

when making that selection?

Oh, sure.

You know,

I think the

one of the big ones is is don't skimp,

pay a little extra

and you're going to get a lot more.

You know,

I think in every single product category

that's true.

You've got certain, you know,

let's say in the wood category,

a upgrade a little

bit for a thicker product,

upgrade a little bit for a

a product with a better

finish on it

that will provide more protection

for your wood floor longer

for a longer period of time.

On the carpet side,

you know, a little bit

extra face weight,

you know

will make your product last

look will last longer

and feel better underfoot

luxury vinyl same thing

you can actually

you buy a thicker product

with a thicker veneer

so that if you do happen

to drop something on it

or you know you move your your

you move a refrigerator or something,

you're not going to gouge the product

so that it will last longer

and will look better longer.

So I think at the end

is just making sure that

you are not skimping

pay a little bit extra

and and just in your in

your flooring will last a lot longer.

So it's a little bit of

you get what you pay for.

100% and I think that's it's true

and I think that's

especially true in flooring.

So when we look at all

those advancements

that we've talked about here previously,

how should a trade

professional sort of balance their desire

or want to be trendy or fashionable

against what the homeowner's needs are or

preferences are or lifestyle

maybe dictates? Yeah,

I think there's

there doesn't

have to be a balance either,

you know, really because of number one,

the flooring industry has so much product

available to it that you

if you look, you're going to find it.

If you look hard enough,

you're going to find the style

they're looking for

and the performance you're looking for.

I don't think you have to skimp

because the way that suppliers

are really producing products today

is that they realize that

if it doesn't perform,

no matter how good it looks,

those customers are not going to keep

are not going to be coming back,

especially for ProSource that that's

that's very important

because our trade pros are repeat buyers

and they know and our and our account

managers know

that if they sell something

that doesn't perform,

that that trade pro

is going to remember that

and maybe not come back,

but at least say, I'm

not going to buy that product,

you know, in the future.

And so account managers

I think are great, a great barometers

for what sells out there

because they're not going

to sell a garbage product.

They're always going

to sell the best product

that looks the best for their customer.

So I think there's

you don't have to skimp.

And and I think what's great is not only

is that

that wide breadth of product

available in this industry

out there,

but ProSource is also

that place to find it.

Because you look in our showrooms,

we have such a huge variety of products

and showrooms

like bringing new products

in all the time.

And so you're

you're going to be able to find out

or find the product that you need

that that

that you want

and that it's going to perform

year over year.

Okay, good.

Let's shift

our focus

specifically in the realm

of kitchens and bathrooms.

And when you're looking

at a remodel in there,

it's sort of a chicken

and the egg sort of a question.

What tends to come first?

Does someone or should someone

pick flooring first

and sort of work

their way up from the ground up?

Or should flooring maybe be the

the last choice

after other products,

cabinets, countertops or tubs, vanities

when those are chosen,

is there a particular pecking order?

If you're doing it right,

I think you're doing it

all at the same time.

You're you're really

because you want to make sure

that all of the styles and the colors

that you're putting together

all makes sense.

So if you do, if you just,

you know, create your, your your

or you pick out your cabinet door

color, you create your or

you choose your backsplash,

you choose your countertops,

and all of a sudden you're like,

Oh, yeah, we've got to do the floors.

You’re still going to find something.

But I think that the selection process

is all done at the same time.

And what we found is

obviously the floors are always done

last as far as

the installation is concerned.

But what we're finding is, is that,

oh, I know this sounds crazy, but

construction projects

often go overbudget.

Wow. I know. I know. That's

shocking information

you're hearing here first.

But what happens is,

is that because of the

the availability of so many different

looks in

so many different

kind of substrates of of flooring,

you'll often

see customers

pick out a product that they like,

you know, like,

all right, well, this is the color.

And then all of a sudden they're like,

all right, we're over budget.

Where can we

where can we start to save a little bit?

And sometimes it's the floor

and they might have picked out a,

you know, a hardwood

that they want in their kitchen.

Happens all the time.

All of a sudden,

they're like that

hardwood was $5 a square foot.

We're running over on budget.

What else is there like?

Well, we've got a luxury vinyl

that might be, you know,

three and a half dollars.

And they may be able to find a similar

look in and a similar color in a

a manufactured product

like luxury vinyl or even laminate

that they can, you know, choose instead.

And really and it saves them a few dollars.

And, you know,

we don't always like to hear

that on the flooring side.

We always like the

the flooring budget to be high.

But it is

what happens

just because of the pecking order

of how things are actually installed.

So but is it

really that big of a drop off?

Most times

with performance in that regard?

On the performance side, no,

but some people will really like the

you know, people

like the feel

and the look of an authentic piece

of hardwood in comparison to vinyl.

That is why it's more expensive.

So so my next question is a little long,

so much

so that I'm actually going to read it.

So kind of relax

for awhile. Take a few. Yeah.

So when

you're choosing flooring,

it's never just the floor.

And what I mean by that

especially focus again

for kitchens and bathrooms.

There are other considerations

in a bathroom.

You might have a backsplash,

a tub, surround a shower,

shower walls that are, that are tiled,

it's flooring, It's

just not underfoot per se.

So what changes

have you seen with those products,

whether it be with trends

or just technology

advancements with them?

Well, that's the

coolest thing with with back splashes

decos things like that tile is

is changing by the day and you know it's

one thing is

is within actual tile products

but you've also got this mix and match

where you've got glass,

you've got metals, you've got actual wood

and all of those mixed

in with tile products as well.

And then of course stone and stone looks.

So you can have a view

of an entire variety of products

as a backsplash

to kind of bring out other colors

and other materials

that you might have in that room.

What's cool is

you've got some suppliers out there

that can totally customize

what products you want

and in which design

to do for your backsplash.

So you can go on onto their website,

choose which products you like,

choose the pattern

you like,

and then fill

in all of the different elements of it

and then have a customized version

created for your backsplash.

Now, obviously

there's a little bit

more expense to that,

but just from a general sense

that there's such a huge variety

of tile

available, especially for,

you know, these types of installations

that there's not

no one

showroom could show the the,

the spectrum that's available out there.

But what's great is

our showrooms are really good at is

is taking products and selecting them

that are

that are current

trending in their market.

So whatever process you go into,

they have

they've taken

what sells in their marketplace

and they're showing those exact products

because otherwise

you would have to have, you know, a

100,000 square foot showroom

with just showing back splashes

because there

so many different suppliers out there

and so many different looks in order

to kind of appeal to everybody.

So I just think there's it's variety.

It's just this huge, huge variety

that's available out there.

And that's

what's exciting is you can make any room

just with those little details

really pop.

And I just

it's just an exciting category. So.

So when you say that, I wonder,

is there a concern

that it might be a bit

overwhelming for people

with that much choice or does it become.

No, it's a good thing

because it allows everyone

to personalize to

what their

what their taste is,

what their desire is in that room.

The answer is yes.

It's both of it's both those things.

So, I mean,

your great news is

that we've got great account managers

and we've got great trade pros out there

that help in that selection process

that are able to say,

here, here's what we have,

here's what's available to you right now.

And, you know,

and if you don't like any of these,

we can get it.

That's the other piece

that's great about ProSource.

We can also source

so many different items

that we may not be able

to show in the showroom.

But there's there is

you know, there's a little bit of that

that the issue with a customer that,

you know,

if you show them too

many items, it's hard for them to decide.

But if you've narrowed down

some of the items into what they're into,

what they've already told you

through that kind

of qualification process,

they're going to be

it's going to be easier

for them to make that decision.

And trade pros help with that

process as well. Okay.

Let's pivot for just a second

to another particular area

that's near and dear to your heart.

You talked about all the flooring

that you oversee,

but there's something else

that you oversee

That's our sundries

and our installation supplies category.

So what we're talking about here is all

think grout and tools

and all the things that basically

allow the pros to install those products

and have them maintained afterwards.

So let's talk a little bit

about that piece of the puzzle

and how that incorporates

into the flooring selection process

as well as being that all encompassing

one stop shop.

Yes, there is.

Yeah.

So,

you know, a few years back

we went

big into the sundries

as far as an initiative on our side.

We have several showrooms

that are deep into it

that where the their sales

mix is upwards of 20

to 30% of their business.

What's what

it's that it's almost that

it's kind of the man behind the curtain,

all the things that have to get done

in order for your floor

to look as beautiful

as it is when it's installed.

That's what the customer doesn't see.

I mean, let's

I love carpet, always start with carpet,

but I mean, just the

those those things that happen

kind of behind the scenes

that you don't see that

make your product better.

Carpet, for example,

you've got a cushion underneath there.

The the the better

the cushion that you've you've provided,

the better it'll feel

and sometimes the better it'll look over

long term.

You know,

let's talk

more in the sundries and insulation

side for hard surfaces like tile.

You know

if you're doing wall

tile all the waterproofing that's done,

customer never sees any of that.

But they have that kind of,

you know, that sense of peace

that I'm not going

have to worry about this

every time I take a shower.

That is my is my shower leaking

and then,

you know,

all the other work

that goes in installation

the the floor leveling that

that the thin set

that happens down below

before any tiles install

any ceiling that's done

those those things that that happen are

what make it key to a long term

flooring installation being right

and I know that it's hard

for to

to explain that sometimes to a customer

because it's

it's it's not really a

a perceived value from

from what they can see

because it's all underneath the flooring

and it's just kind of a

it's your insurance policy

for anything that bad that can happen

has been taken care of by the installer.

Okay.

So what do you see

as some of the toughest challenges

for the flooring industry,

whether it be now

or even

a few years into

the future is what we're moving toward?

You know,

I think one of the big ones is managing

sales mix.

I mean, as I mentioned earlier,

you've got

we've had carpet go from,

you know, over

half our business down to, you know, 25%.

And then out of nowhere

in the last ten years,

luxury vinyl was luxury

vinyl wasn't even a category.

It was a new technology that happened

ten years ago.

It got introduced. Today,

it's our largest product category.

So it's managing that because

what happens is,

you know,

you've got suppliers

coming in and out of the marketplace.

You've got products coming in

out of the marketplace.

The showroom has to

has to update their showroom

continuously in order to make sure

that they're showing their customers

the newest products, the newest styles.

So it's that kind of continuous turnover.

Our showrooms

do it on a year by year basis

because of new styles

coming out all the time.

So new colors, new trends.

And then as new technology comes in,

there's a little bit more of an overhaul

that needs to happen.

I mean, if,

you know, before

luxury vinyl came into the marketplace,

laminate, laminate

was a, ah, manufactured

hard surface product.

And then suppliers

started making it

cheaper and cheaper and cheaper

by making it

thinner and thinner and thinner.

Eventually,

you can snap those boards over your knee

and you're like,

Is this a product I want on my floor?

But it was cheap, right?

And it was the it was

and then it

laminate got a bad name

and it was the death of the

of the product category.

And now

we're actually starting to see a,

you know,

kind of Phoenix from the ashes here

with laminate

and you're seeing the better products

being made the way that they used to be

and not thinner and thinner.

They're actually making them thick

and they're making the veneers better

and they're make

and they're hyper realistic.

So we're starting to see

this kind of renaissance

with laminate,

which is pretty exciting

because it's a great product category

that I think a lot of people

had a bad taste in their mouth over

how how terrible

it was being made for a while.

I do remember the popularity of it

and how it did

sort of disappear

and yeah, into the wasteland.

Adjusting that, you know,

adjusting your sales pitch,

you know, year over year

for account managers

have been around for a while.

It's like,

yeah, you know, it's like,

here's the new laminate and you're like,

wait a minute,

You told me you were badmouthing laminate

just a few years ago. Yeah, yeah.

But this is new.

And so those are the things that happen

and just change over time.

And, you know,

we didn't see luxury

vinyl happening at all,

and now it's a full product category.

What's happening?

What's going to happen in the future?

You know, we don't see any

we don't have anything in new in R&D.

That's a brand new product category.

But we're definitely seeing

improvements to all

of the product categories.

And I think,

you know, with

luxury, vinyl is one of those

is that, you know,

I think the hottest trend is the new new

bevel edge

bevel edge technology

that's coming out right now.

You've got a lot of natural

looking bevels that will help

really more of a compare it to hardwoods

that's out there.

So you're seeing that happen right now.

I think the last year

that that has been the hottest thing.

And I know Bevels

aren't that exciting,

but they are for for a customer

that wants that look

and and I think it makes it

that that sale to a customer

that might be

you know questioning

like do I really want you know

a plastic product in my home.

If it's that realistic, it's

hard for them to say no.

So those are some of the challenges

on the higher level

as far as the industry as a whole, it

what if you bring it down?

And what about the challenges

on a project level

when some of those

or even other challenges hit

on the project level

for an individual remodel,

what what

recommendations you have for addressing

those are what challenges

that you know exist?

Yeah, well, I think

bringing back the industry part of this

is that and because the customers

were impacted as well

over the last couple of years,

we've had, you know, a lot of

we had a lot of issues

with continuous price increases

due to labor increases,

freight increases.

Then we had,

you know, a

consider amount,

a considerable amount of the products

that purchase ourselves are imported.

And so you have a

we had an import problem

and so there was a hard

there was a time there

for the last couple of years

where it was difficult to get products

in, at least get a promised

date for customers

to have their product installed.

That was really, really

challenging for account managers

manage that, managing

that on a day by day basis.

So we're

we're definitely seeing less of that.

There's a lot more product

available on

on warehouse shelves right now.

So that's a good thing.

So customers aren't waiting as long

there's a lot more stability and pricing.

So you're not seeing this

huge price increases

or huge price decreases right now.

Right now

we're seeing a little bit of that

of some stabilization of pricing.

So I think that's good.

So I think those are the two biggest

challenges with a customer is making sure

that they can

pay for the product that they

that they were promised

and that that product will will come in

in the time that

that the account manager promised.

So getting hitting timelines,

making sure that those timelines

hit by the trade pro,

that is where we saw

the most challenges

over the last couple of years.

We're like I said, now

we're starting to see those

all kind of go away where

I feel like

we're kind of back to business as normal.

And so that's that's been a good change

within our

within our industry

and within process itself.

How much do you see what the trends

that are out there

and everybody talks about

publications streaming and networked TV

shows, publications,

a lot of talk about different trends.

How much of the of that aspect of it

do you feel impacts

the product selection itself,

or do you think.

You mean like the HGTVs

and the home improvement? Sure, yeah.

All that.

I wish Bob Vila would come back.

I wish he was as well

because feel

it was all about like this old house

and he was

he was all about either restoring or,

you know,

and he was also doing

a lot of historic homes.

And so

a lot of hardwood was being installed.

And we like hardwood.

I mean, it's it's

it's a great product category.

But in those a lot of those those home

improvement shows you see nowadays,

a lot of luxury vinyl going.

And I'm not going to talk about it,

but I do love the product category.

It's actually we've done

very well with it,

but I think we've done it as at a

at the

at a reduction

in our hardwood business

and and hardwood,

I think

is still one

of the greatest categories out there.

So I think there is some of that.

So people come in asking for

a certain type of product.

There's definitely some

trends that have been,

you know, jettisoned out

of, out of those,

you know, barn wood,

you know, the cottage type looks.

And I think I feel like there's

some of that

that that the home improvement

has has waned a little bit from a

from the customers

coming in

and asking for those types of things.

I don't feel like they're as popular as

they were,

but you've got so many new social media

avenues for people to really to

to touch base.

So you've got

I follow

several in

just pure installers

on social media sites

that are just doing cool installations.

And so

but they're not famous, you know,

it's like they're just like,

you know,

it's like Joe in Texas

and I'm following his installations

as opposed to, you know, the

the brand names

that have been out there on in the HGTV

and this home improvement

shows for so long.

I think people are starting to follow

a lot more regular

people like, you know,

following their process of,

you know, hey,

we bought a 1920s farmhouse

and you're going to watch us on Instagram

just update it.

So and these are

just run of the mill people.

I mean, they have some

may might have some remodeling back

background experience,

but they're not the,

you know, the branded,

you know, celebrities

from the HGTV days that we saw in the past.

So I don't

I feel like that's kind of the new trend

and that I'm watching that I'm seeing

and I'm excited about

because I think it's like regular people

kind of doing the work out there

and I like it.

Okay, Yeah.

Well, let's let's close it up with this.

Where do you see flooring going?

Maybe not just for the industry,

but for ProSource Wholesale.

What's what's next for us?

Oh, that's a great question.

You know, we've we've,

I feel that

the like looking

at our sales mix and kind of

and that's

kind of how we look at trends

and how things

that we start there. Carpet.

I feel like it's stabilized a little bit.

We're seeing huge increases in tile

and I think that that is mainly in part

because of that.

It's a complementary product

to our kitchen and bath business.

And as our kitchen and

bath business grows,

I think we're going to continue

to see tile grow along with it.

So I think that's a major, major

growth category for us,

even though it's a very mature category.

Luxury vinyl, I think will still

is still is seeing some growth there.

But we got into the category

so long ago

and so, so much earlier

than the rest of the industry

that we are not seeing the huge year

over year growth

that that the retail

companies are seeing now

just because we've been in it so long.

And so we just don't

see those huge spikes.

We're we're still seeing an increase,

but it's more of a

we're plateauing a little bit.

So I think that's that's

those will continue

as our growth categories,

hardwood, hardwood seeing

is still not having the growth

that or the it's

it's seeing a little bit of shrinkage

mainly because of

you're seeing obviously

very realistic wood looks in luxury vinyl

and you're in the wood

look tile

that dominated

over the last few years as well.

That's sort of waning a little bit too,

but it was

kind of eating into that

hardwood business.

So I would like to see some,

you know,

some of that waterproof technology

we talked about earlier

kind of

come back and

and customers really demand it

because at the end of the day,

they are walking

on a real hardwood floor.

It's just that

the supplier has,

you know, as has upgraded

the core of the center of it

with some waterproof technology

just so that they can have it in more,

you know, in

more higher water use areas of their home

kitchens and bath.

So excited about that

As far as new things,

like I said, laminate,

laminate is having a revival right now.

We're excited about it

and we'll continue to push.

It's our largest growth category

on a very small base.

So we'll continue to do that.

But one thing that we

are excited about

is going outside the home.

So inside the home

that has been residential

replacement has been ProSource

kind of bailiwick for years and years

for over 30 years. Right?

As over the last few years, we've seen

a enormous growth

in the outdoor living category.

And we want to

you know, we want our piece of the pie

there too as well.

So we we've

we already have access to

and have been selling outdoor tile

products, pavers

and outdoor tiles made from porcelain.

And so there's already access

to those products.

And right now

and we are seeing showrooms

better merchandise

and so that the customer can see

they actually have

these types of outdoor products.

So we're seeing a lot of that right now

in addition

to those outdoor products

that we already have access to,

we have partnered with an additional

a new supplier to

get into the decking business.

So we are piloting that program right now

because decking is flooring, right?

It's outside

and so we are excited about it.

We think that there's

a big opportunity there.

We have several showrooms

already in the business.

We have about another ten showrooms

that are getting into the business

from pilot standpoint.

They've got displays coming.

They've got actual live decks

in their showroom

that they're going to be able

to kind

of show a customer

what a deck might look like

if they were to do this at their home.

It's a composite product.

So it's not it's not a wood product,

but it's a very realistic wood

wood looking product.

It's an upgrade from other composite

deck systems that are out there.

And we feel that it is by far

the coloration,

the actual graining of it,

and that it's gorgeous.

And I think that customers

are really going to like it.

So kitchens,

for example, will start to head outdoors.

They should see more outdoor kitchens.

ProSource becomes the source

to make that a reality.

Yeah,

we we've we've really

are going to take a dive here

into this and between

the the

outdoor kitchens,

which I'm

sure you talked about

in prior episodes

and in between that

and the decking material, artificial turf

has been another one

where, you know,

you've got so many

markets that are very water restricted

and people still want that

look of grass around their home.

We can do that now with artificial turf.

And it is it's a great product.

It's got a great feel to it.

It's got a beautiful

look to it, very realistic.

So between,

you know, turf, between decking

and the outdoor paver

tile system systems that are out there,

we feel

we can create these outdoor living spaces

that not just kitchens,

but really, you know, dens

and that

that really bring that outdoor living

or the indoor living feel

right to the outdoor.

So we're excited

about the category overall.

Looking forward to it.

Good. Well, that's all I had.

So I appreciate you taking the time

to talk to us today.

Absolutely. Thanks for having me.

Thanks, Neal. All right.

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us on The ProSource Podcast.

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