American Furniture Warehouse Case Study

Sector: Retail
Client: American Furniture Warehouse
Location: Conroe, TX
Area: 150,000 ft²
Product: Karndean LooseLay collection, Hartford LLP112, Colorado LLT201, Indiana LLT202

The Challenge

American Furniture Warehouse is one of the top retail furniture companies in the country, with locations across Colorado, Arizona and Texas. When planning began for a location in Conroe, Texas, the company had specific performance criteria for the flooring:

• Durability
• Ease of installation / replacement
• Low maintenance

“Our architect recommended Karndean luxury vinyl,” said Nolan Morrison, an American Furniture Warehouse development executive. “The flooring needed to hold up to the public (typically between 800 and 1,500 visitors a day), to forklifts and to furniture constantly being moved around.”

The Solution

Because of the vast size of the Conroe store – 150,000 square feet – Morrison worked closely with his Karndean representative and the supplier’s purchasing team to finalize SKU selection and procure the flooring, settling on several SKUs from the Karndean LooseLay collection. The collection’s diverse array of styles and colors – more than 40 wood- and stone-inspired visuals in all – provided a broad enough palette to meet the store’s aesthetic requirements, while the unique construction of LooseLay would deliver the performance.

For starters, Morrison wanted to use the flooring to create zoned spaces for areas such as walkways and displays. Karndean LooseLay can be cut in different sizes and shapes to achieve that kind of customization.

“We were considering leaving the main walkway as concrete and wanted to put some type of travertine look in the patio-furniture area, and then the regular display areas would have a wood-grain look,” Morrison said. “Style matters with furniture, just as is the case with flooring. We needed flooring that, aesthetically, could complement the different styles of furniture.”

Ultimately, American Furniture Warehouse chose three Karndean LooseLay SKUs:

• Colorado (LLT201), a concrete-inspired visual
• Indiana (LLT202), which offers a travertine look
• Hartford (LLP112), a wood-inspired visual with rustic character

From a performance standpoint, Karndean LooseLay is made with the supplier’s K-Wave® friction-grip backing. The distinctive wavy backing holds the flooring in place, allowing LooseLay to be installed with or without full-spread adhesive, depending on the volume and type of traffic. The backing also contributes to enhanced comfort underfoot.

LooseLay is 4.5 mm thick, has a 20 mil wear layer, and can accommodate rolling loads. SureFit® technology gives LooseLay planks and tiles enhanced dimensional stability, eliminating the need for expansion gaps and transition strips.

Like all Karndean luxury vinyl, LooseLay is waterproof and easy to clean with a simple pH neutral solution. No expensive, time-consuming maintenance is required.

The Results

Morrison also cited the ease of installation – as well as the ease of replacement – as a positive about Karndean LooseLay.

“For construction purposes, we try to move as quickly as possible,” he said. “We also like that LooseLay is easy to lift and replace if damaged, which is inevitable in a furniture store with this much traffic. Any of our employees can remove a damaged plank or tile and replace it with a new one, and nobody would know the difference. The floor has performed 100% how we wanted it to and has held up very well.”

Karndean LooseLay Product Specifications

Download the full Karndean LooseLay technical data.

Explore the Karndean LooseLay collection.

*Subject to terms
**Slip resistance is measured on ex-factory product. Slip resistance can be affected by many factors including but not limited to: product installation and underlayment, surface contamination, use, wear and how the product is maintained. Textural variation along the surface of the product can affect nominal values.
*** (6” Concrete Slab w/Drop Ceiling)
**** (6” Concrete Slab w/Drop Ceiling + QuietChoice)