Best Surfacing Products of 2018
SoundBar
Arktura combined its Soft Sound and LED fixtures in this flexible acoustic-lighting solution. Made of recyclable PET plastic, SoundBar is Class A and C fire-rated, comes in more than 30 colors, and has an NRC rating of up to 0.9. The LED modules are dimmable, available in three color temperatures (3000K– 4000K), and deliver approximately 960 lumens. Designers can specify baffles 3" or 4" wide x 4", 6", or 10" high and up to 8' long.
Ebanys
What appears to be upholstered fabric is actually Paola Lenti’s 24"-square wood rug modules, designed in collaboration with Italian flooring specialist Listone Giordano. Each cushiony square is polyester and expanded-polyethylene padding stitched to a sheet of wood veneer; the combination takes on the quality of a textile. Listone Giordano applies a proprietary Mano Opaca oil-based finish to the veneer surface.
Thermally Modified Ash Hardwood Wallcoverings
These wall tiles are made from beetle-damaged ash timber once considered unusable. CFP Wood’s technique of using high-pressure steam and heat to halt the wood’s decay converts it into a maintenance-free material the manufacturer renders as dimensional wallcovering for interior and exterior applications. Six compositions come pre-installed on mesh backing, for easy installation.
Laguardia
Craftsmanship makes Laguardia wood flooring stand out. Colors are applied in eight steps, reproducing an age-old chemical weathering process, and its ¾"-thick planks are cut into random lengths ranging from 6' to 7' for a handcrafted style. Part of the company’s InLove collection, it can contribute to LEED, Living Building Challenge, WELL, and Green Globes certifications.
Moiré Collection
As a broadloom or modular tiles, this collection from Mannington adds interest to commercial carpet. Lines layered in crisscrossing, gradating bands of color appear to shift in hue and depth as the user’s perspective changes. The 24"-square tiles come in three patterns: Pure Wavelength, Ray Tracing, and Visible Light. Broadloom is only available in the latter.
Orbit
One of the latest offerings from Designtex is a composite latex-polyester wallcovering with patterns informed by findings about biophilia—the idea that there’s a beneficial connection between people and nature. Its digitally printed patterns abstractly reference experiences in nature such as dappled light and falling rain.
Inside Shapes
Stockholm design studio Form Us With Love helped Shaw Contract develop these playful carpet tiles: each 24" square contains CNC-machined diagonal, arced, or triangular cutouts, allowing designers to create their own puzzle-like geometric flooring compositions. The company also offers 17 premixed sets in 12 colorways.
Nutopia
Besides design input from Gensler, Nutopia has the distinction of being Mohawk Group’s first carpet made using its ecofriendly yarn-processing system. As one of the company’s certified Living Products, the 12" x 36" planks feature a solution-dyed nylon that’s made without water, in a process that renders it natural and wool-like, in four coordinating patterns and up to nine colorways.
Xorel Artform
Carnegie has expanded its series of inventive interlocking acoustic panels with four new shapes—Arc, Criss, Cross, and Circle 3D—available in up to four sizes, depending on which style. All feature the company’s Xorel fabric on two acoustical substrates: either Quiet- Core (1" thick, formaldehyde-free, and Class A fire-rated) or Mi-Core, (¾" thick, tackable, Class A fire-rated, and moisture- and warp-resistant).
Center Cut Ceiling Panels
Armstrong Ceilings now offers its Calla, Lyra PB, Ultima, and Optima PB panels with precut 3½" or 5"-square or -round openings to integrate USAI’s trimless downlights. The factory-finished panels enable designers to achieve the flangeless look without having to field-cut the apertures for recessed lights. Formats range from 24"- to 48"-square, depending on the product line, and are Class A fire-rated, as well as humidity-, sag-, mold-, and mildew-resistant.
PIXA Screen
Sensitile has developed a larger, thinner version of its PIXA tiles and slabs that is suited to screening and space-dividing. The ½"-thick, 4' x 8' sheets feature the same concrete field punctuated by transparent resin apertures in seven perforation patterns. PIXA Screen can also be cast in custom shapes.
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