SPC, Streamlined

Metroflor’s latest offering, Engage Inception, keeps it simple & stunning

By Kacey Perinelli

As seen in Floor Covering Weekly

[Norwalk, Conn.] Metroflor has a history of innovation in the LVT (luxury vinyl tile) category. As experts in LVT, the company experienced a smooth transition when it entered into the world of multilayer flooring (MLF); its WPC, Engage Genesis, has been well received. Now its newest offering, Engage Inception, an SPC product, is positioned to take the market by storm. Engage Inception is intended to work in harmony with its predecessor Engage Genesis, in order to offer a two-pronged “Better/Best” strategy that will provide consumers with a multilayer flooring solution at different price points for a wide range of applications, said Gary Keeble, director of marketing for Metroflor Corporation. “Metroflor has experienced great success with the Engage Genesis brand, which serves demand for WPC floors and is unmatched in the range of value-added benefits from Metroflor’s proprietary ISOCORE Technology, Ultra-Fresh mold & mildew protection, the attached IXPE underlayment, and much more,” noted Keeble, adding, “Engage Genesis offers one of the top, if not THE top position relative to the value-added proposition.” [caption id="attachment_708" align="aligncenter" width="700"] This vibrant blonde look brightens up the space, while the realistic visuals and beveled edges evoke the feel of true wood. Product Featured: Metroflor Engage Inception in Armor.[/caption] The new Engage Inception line, then, serves as an entry-level SPC product that is ideal for multi-family, residential and commercial environments, depending on the wearlayer chosen (the product is offered with wearlayers of 6, 8, 12 or 20 mil). It also has a 4mm core, coupled with a 1mm HDPE underlayment, resulting in a robust 5mm overall gauge, thicker than many SPCs available in the market. In addition, Engage Inception is consistent with Metroflor’s transparency and sustainability commitment, shared Keeble. “Declare Labels have been published for the entire Engage Inception line — the first SPC product in the world to do so — and Health Product Declarations (HPDs) will be posted in the second half of 2019. Metroflor’s Chinese factory that produces Engage Inception recently received the International Living Future Institute’s JUST label for social equity.”

Built to perform

Engage Inception was designed with the multifamily market in mind, which often specifies based upon construction and price, Keeble told FCW. “Engage Inception provides a lower cost alternative to WPC but with aesthetics comparable to our Engage Genesis WPC flooring,” he said. And Engage Inception offers stunning designs to fit multiple needs. Engage Inception 200 offers two knot-free oak designs — one rustic, the other smooth — in order to offer a streamlined selection to contractors and builders. Engage Inception 120’s White Oak in a classic “flat cut” with cathedrals “evokes the transitional trend in interiors with a palette that coordinates perfectly with today’s color trends,” according to Keeble. Engage Inception 80 is available in a broad mix of classic hues — from natural maple to rich espresso brown – making it an ideal choice for multifamily in all regions of the country. And entry-level Engage Inception 60 provides a streamlined design in a range that fits today’s popular color choices for the builder and multifamily markets. These floors are 100 percent waterproof, suitable for traditionally wet areas such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens and basements. “The extreme density of Engage Inception translates into a very dent-resistant floor. It’s an excellent choice for rooms with lots of activity such as basements, kitchens and bathrooms as well as rooms subject to heavy and hard usage situations like mud rooms and foyers,” noted Keeble. He also shared that the inherent dimensional stability protects from a vast range of climatic conditions such as the high heat and humidity found in the Deep South, noting, “It is suitable for virtually any region of the country.” And the Droplock 100 locking system provides fast, easy, glueless drop-and-lock installation and a tight fit with no need for mid-room expansion gaps in larger installations.

“By introducing a new SPC product alongside the WPC Engage Genesis collection, a two-pronged ‘Better/Best’ strategy provides a multi-layer flooring solution at different price points for a wide range of applications.” – Gary Keeble, Metroflor Corporation

Standing Out

FCW spoke with Bill Shaver, vice president diversified resilient floors for Adleta Corporation. Shaver told FCW that Engage Inception as well as Engage Genesis, Metroflor’s WPC product, tend to stand out on the sales floor, and invite conversation from customers simply based on the look of the product. The first thing that stands out to customers is Engage Inception’s realistic visuals, commented Shaver. “Realistic visuals are first and foremost. The ability of these products to have a beveled edge, which sets your board apart, so you have individual boards on the floor rather than just getting an overall monolithic look from a square edge-type product,” is essential, he said. And, Shaver noted, the films that are being used today are diverse and sometimes use more than one machine, making pattern repeat far less than what is typical of many other products. And Engage Inception has a long list of selling points that the RSA can point to when making the sale. “When a retail salesperson goes out and tries to sell the product, you have multiple items that you can talk about within that product, be it drop-lock technology on the locking system if they’re going to be a do-it-yourselfer, the FX2 or FX3 wear surface would be another and the high density pads that they put on [the product] would be another one.” Shaver explained that Metroflor constantly has something to offer the consumer that sets them apart from everyone else in the marketplace.

“I’ve worked with Metroflor for many years, and one of the things they bring to the forefront of their product line is the ability to build product and build attributes into that product for the consumer that will set themselves apart when it goes out to the masses.” – Bill Shaver, vice president diversified resilient floors, Adleta Corporation.

[caption id="attachment_706" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Engage Inception in an on-trend gray that gives this bedroom a soothing tranquility.[/caption]

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