[Jiashan, China]
When CFL brought Atroguard to market in 2013 it did so with the intention of offering a product that combines the natural visuals of hardwood and the rigidity and scratch and stain resistance of laminate with the same water resistance found in vinyl.
And, according to distributors, Atroguard has the right formula to meet market needs. According to T&A Supply’s president and CEO Mark Strecker, “The water-resistant laminate story was new to our customers at that time, but it has been a game-changer,” he said noting T&A has been carrying the product line since 2014. “As we approach 2018, the construction of Atroguard is still unique when compared to all the other products now entering the market, and we continue to introduce new and innovative decors.”
Atroguard president Thomas Baert, said that a key component is that the product can be wet-mopped, allowing it to be installed in places such as kitchens and bathrooms.
“
LVT was doing great but had major downsides, such as scratch resistance, and WPC’s indentation was very far from ideal, not to mention the limits in design structure and patterns which are more limited than laminate. The technology for industrial volumes of SPC (rigid core) was under development but not yet there,” Baert shared with
FCW.
But through its proprietary, and patent-pending, manufacturing process, CFL has combined in Atroguard all the positives of laminate along with some unique benefits found in other hard surface products — such as scratch, stain and water resistance — plus a new 72-hour topical spill warranty.
“Starting with the raw materials, we developed with our supplier a denser, more stable SureCore and have optimized our production process to fit this new type of core. We then specifically developed our power sealer, to seal off all moisture coming from the edges [of the planks]. It’s the combination of these factors that makes Atroguard work,” offered Baert.
In addition, Atroguard provides the design-right visuals to meet demand, noted Baert.
“We have a broad range of fashion-forward design visuals, available in varying lengths or random widths across many species offerings, including handscraped or embossed-in-register real wood surface structure,” he said. “Our biggest advantage is the number of unique visuals [we offer], making it very realistic and hard to see repeats once the floor is installed, as opposed to vinyl or WPC floors for which this is, technically, more difficult to achieve.”
Memphis-based BPI too has seen significant success with Atroguard thanks in part to the line’s performance and visual attributes.
“We launched the program a couple of years ago when no one was really focused on
water-resistant laminate, and the story resonated with our retailers. Atroguard has helped to bring back a focus on the laminate category — not just with great decors, but also as a great reminder to consumers just how well a laminate product can perform,” said Austin Starnes, BPI’s hardwood product director.
Atroguard is Greenguard certified for low VOCs and its durability makes it well-suited for light commercial applications.