What Makes a Brand Matter: How flooring brands help retailers build trust, create differentiation and sell value in a crowded marketplace – July 2026

By Meg Scarbrough

Not long ago, the flooring industry’s strongest competitive advantages were relatively easy to identify. One company had the best stain resistance. Another had the most realistic visuals. A third introduced a new installation system or breakthrough construction. Manufacturers invested heavily in innovation, then marketed those advantages aggressively to retailers and consumers.

Today, the landscape looks very different.

Promotion of waterproof superiority has become commonplace. Design trends move rapidly across categories. Product features that once differentiated a collection often become industry standards within a few years. In some segments, competing products may originate from the same manufacturing facilities, making meaningful distinctions even more difficult for consumers to recognize.

The result is a marketplace where retailers often find themselves selling products that look increasingly similar, perform similarly and compete within comparable price ranges. That reality has elevated the importance of something less tangible but arguably more powerful: brand.

“Branding does one thing for a retailer that nothing else can,” says Greg Wrenn, vice president of product and brand at International Flooring Company. “It gives the salesperson something to say besides a number.”

Branding in flooring has evolved far beyond logos, slogans and advertising campaigns. The industry’s most successful brands are no longer relying solely on product attributes to make their case. Instead, they are building trust, creating emotional connections, reducing perceived risk and helping consumers feel confident in their purchase decisions.

The approaches vary dramatically. Some brands lean on decades—or even a century—of history. Others focus on design leadership, customer experience, purpose-driven partnerships or distinctive personalities. What unites them is the recognition that consumers increasingly need a reason to choose something beyond price.

TM Nuckols, president of residential business for The Dixie Group, believes that challenge has become especially pronounced in today’s marketplace. “The residential carpet market today is a virtual sea of sameness,” he says.

As products become more difficult to distinguish, the role of branding becomes increasingly important. 

WHY BRANDS MATTER MORE THAN EVER

The flooring industry has produced some of the most
recognizable brands in the home improvement space. Names such as Bruce, Armstrong, Stainmaster, Karastan and Pergo became synonymous with entire product categories. Consumers who knew little about flooring often knew those brands. 

That level of recognition wasn’t built overnight. It was created through decades of consistent advertising coupled with product performance, consumer marketing, retailer support and trust-building.

While today’s media landscape looks very different than it did during the rise of those iconic brands, the need for trust and the promise of performance remains unchanged. In fact, many manufacturers argue it has become even more important.

Unlike many consumer purchases, flooring is infrequent, expensive and highly personal. Homeowners may spend months researching products, visiting showrooms and evaluating options before making a decision. Once installed, that floor is expected to remain in place for years. 

The stakes feel high. “Nobody wants to take a risk,” says Catherine del Vecchio, vice president of marketing for AHF Products.

That simple observation surfaced repeatedly throughout interviews for this story.

Consumers worry about making the wrong choice. Retailers worry about differentiating products that appear increasingly similar. Designers worry about specifying products that will perform as expected. Contractors worry about installation issues and callbacks.

Strong brands help reduce those concerns. Del Vecchio points to AHF’s stewardship of the Bruce and Armstrong Flooring brands as an example. Through ongoing consumer research, she says both brands continue to rank among the most recognized names in flooring. Consumers associate them with attributes such as durability, innovation, trust and domestic manufacturing.

That recognition carries significant value when a homeowner walks into a showroom. “If a new consumer comes into the store and recognizes a brand, that reduces some of the risk,” del Vecchio explains.

Karastan offers another example of how strong brands can transcend product categories and remain relevant across generations. Introduced in 1928, the brand quickly established itself as a symbol of quality, innovation and luxury within the flooring industry. Through a combination of product performance, distinctive styling and consistent consumer marketing, Karastan became one of the most recognized names in floorcovering, earning a level of brand awareness few flooring manufacturers have achieved.

Today, Mohawk has expanded Karastan beyond its soft surface roots into hardwood, laminate and luxury vinyl, leveraging nearly a century of brand equity to create confidence among retailers and consumers alike. The brand continues to be positioned around premium design, craftsmanship and elevated living, demonstrating how a trusted name can evolve while remaining true to its core identity.

Karastan’s longevity also highlights an important distinction in the branding conversation. While many newer brands are working to build awareness through digital marketing, lifestyle positioning and social media engagement, Karastan benefits from decades of accumulated trust. Consumers may not know every product detail, but many recognize the name and associate it with quality. That familiarity can help reduce uncertainty during the purchase process and give retailers a powerful story to tell. The brand’s evolution underscores a central theme emerging across the industry: while products and categories change, strong brands retain the ability to influence purchasing decisions, create confidence and help consumers navigate an increasingly crowded marketplace.

The impact extends beyond consumers. Retailers benefit from carrying brands that customers already recognize. Installers gain confidence from working with products they’ve used successfully for years. Manufacturers gain credibility through the accumulated trust those brands have earned over generations.

“Word of mouth is going to be important,” del Vecchio says. “People are going to trust what other people have used, whether that’s a friend, a referral, a retailer recommendation…”

That dynamic becomes particularly important in categories where product differentiation is less obvious. Consumers may struggle to identify construction differences or understand technical performance claims, but they recognize names they trust.

THE POWER OF HERITAGE

If trust represents one pillar of branding, heritage represents another. Few companies illustrate that better than The Dixie Group. This year, Masland is celebrating its 160th anniversary—a milestone achieved by remarkably few brands in any industry. 

The achievement is noteworthy not simply because of the number itself but because of what it represents. Over those 160 years, the company has navigated economic downturns, changing design trends, shifting manufacturing technologies and evolving consumer preferences. Yet the brand remains relevant.

According to Nuckols, longevity is not the result of standing still. “A brand has to have a brand promise, and you have to continually live up to and support that brand promise,” he says.

That philosophy has helped guide both Masland and Fabrica, two brands that occupy premium positions within the marketplace.

The challenge, Nuckols says, is maintaining relevance without sacrificing identity. Many companies have discovered that growth can sometimes come at the expense of brand clarity. New product categories, expanded assortments and broader distribution strategies may increase volume, but they can also dilute what made a brand special in the first place. The strongest brands resist that temptation. Throughout its history, Masland has evolved with the marketplace while remaining anchored in quality, design and craftsmanship.

That balance between adaptation and consistency appears repeatedly among successful brands. Del Vecchio sees a similar responsibility in managing Bruce and Armstrong Flooring. “I feel it’s a tremendous responsibility and honor to be able to take these brands into their next chapter,” she says.

The challenge isn’t preserving a brand in amber; it’s ensuring that future generations find the brand just as relevant as previous ones did.

Those efforts involve ongoing investments in product development, design and innovation while protecting the attributes consumers already associate with the brand. “We have to keep those attributes intact,” del Vecchio says. Brand equity, after all, is difficult to build and easy to lose.

Part of that is maintaining a clear identity. “Don’t dilute the brand by trying to be a one-stop shop,” says Catherine Prossen, vice president of business development and marketing at Bentley Mills. It’s a statement that echoes concerns raised elsewhere throughout the industry.

Brands become valuable because they stand for something specific. When that identity becomes blurred, distinction becomes more difficult.

TRUST, EXPERTISE AND THE COMFORT OF KNOWING

While some brands rely on history, others build equity through expertise. Mirage provides a compelling example. The hardwood manufacturer has spent decades cultivating a reputation built around craftsmanship, quality and authentic wood flooring.

Rather than expanding aggressively into adjacent categories, Mirage has remained focused on what it knows best. 

“Mirage built its brand equity by consistently delivering on its promise,” says Anne-Marie Quirion, marketing communications manager for Mirage. The company earned trust by providing reliable product quality, maintaining rigorous standards and supporting retailers, designers and installers.

Consistency matters. Consumers may not remember every product name or collection introduction, but they remember positive experiences. Over time, those experiences become brand equity.

Mirage believes that equity is increasingly valuable in today’s marketplace. “Flooring brands are now expected to offer more than products, especially in a market where many products can feel increasingly similar,” Quirion says. The company’s response has been to focus not only on product quality but also on service and customer experience. That strategy reinforces another recurring: expertise creates confidence.

While competing products may share similar visuals or performance characteristics, consumers often place greater trust in brands perceived as category experts. Mirage has embraced that positioning by focusing on authentic hardwood and leveraging its reputation as a specialist.

The company provides retailers with merchandising tools, storytelling resources, digital content and education designed to help communicate that value.

When competing products appear similar on paper, expertise becomes part of the selling story. “With Mirage, customers are choosing more than a floor,” Quirion says. “They are choosing true hardwood expertise and great experience.”

That concept extends beyond residential flooring. In the commercial market, Bentley Mills has built its reputation around a different type of expertise: design credibility. The Southern California manufacturer has spent more than four decades cultivating relationships with architects, designers, dealers and contractors. Its brand identity combines design, sustainability, customer service and domestic manufacturing.

But Prossen believes the real differentiator goes deeper. “Design credibility and storytelling is our focus when we develop product,” she says. 

Within the specification community, brand recognition often operates differently than it does in the residential market. Success is less about mass awareness and more about trusted relationships. “We find that it is less about logo recognition and more about trust in outcomes and design credibility,” Prossen says.

That distinction is important. While consumers may gravitate toward familiar names, designers and specifiers frequently prioritize brands they believe will help them achieve project goals while minimizing risk.

“When we align with project goals and reduce risk for the specifier, we win,” she says.

Trust, once again, emerges as a central theme.

PERSONALITY, PURPOSE AND EMOTIONAL CONNECTION

While heritage and expertise remain powerful branding tools, other companies are proving that emotional connection can be equally valuable. In an industry that has traditionally focused on specifications, warranties and performance attributes, some manufacturers are discovering that consumers and retailers respond just as strongly to personality, purpose and shared values.

Southwind has become one of the most visible examples. Over the last several years, the company has developed a series of memorable campaigns that lean heavily into its Southern roots. Marketing initiatives such as “Bless Your Heart” and “Spill the Tea” stand apart from the more traditional product-focused messaging common throughout the flooring industry.

Drew Hash, president and CEO, says those campaigns have helped reinforce a position the company has long embraced. “We’ve always tried to be small enough to personalize, but big enough to support,” he says.

The campaigns have generated attention, but according to Southwind’s leadership team, the real objective isn’t advertising—it’s authenticity. “The campaigns work because they’re who we are,” says Seth Gladden, founder of Gladden Group, the marketing firm that created Southwind’s cheeky campaigns.

Rather than creating a manufactured marketing persona, Southwind has worked to extend its company culture into every customer interaction. That philosophy carries through advertising, merchandising, sales support and customer service. The goal is to create a consistent experience that retailers and consumers immediately recognize.

Retailers, Hash says, are looking for more than product suppliers. “They’re looking for partners that can help them grow their business, tell a story and create value beyond the floor itself,” he says.

That perspective reflects a broader shift occurring throughout the industry. As products become more difficult to differentiate, manufacturers increasingly find themselves competing on service, relationships and brand experience.

Gladden points to an old sales principle that continues to resonate. “People don’t want to be sold, but they want to buy,” he says.

Humor, personality and storytelling help lower barriers and create connections that specifications alone often cannot. That doesn’t mean products become less important. It simply means branding creates context around those products. The approach appears particularly effective during slower market conditions.

While many companies reduce marketing investments during downturns, Southwind believes visibility becomes even more important. Brands that continue engaging customers often emerge stronger when demand returns.

That perspective reflects a broader shift occurring throughout the industry. Consumers increasingly want relationships with brands, not simply transactions. The question is how those relationships are built.

BUILDING A BRAND AROUND PURPOSE

One answer comes from purpose-driven branding. TrueTouch has embraced that strategy through its partnership with 4ocean, the global organization focused on removing plastic waste from oceans, rivers and coastlines.

The relationship gives the company a narrative that extends beyond flooring itself. “We wanted to use TrueTouch as a platform to be able to give back and market ourselves differently than anyone else,” says managing partner Josh McGrane.

The partnership helps connect flooring purchases to a larger mission. That emotional connection can become a differentiator in a category where competing products often appear remarkably similar. Yet McGrane is careful not to overstate the role of purpose. “Product performance definitely comes first,” he says.

Consumers still expect flooring to perform. Retailers still expect quality, reliability and value. Purpose is not a substitute for those requirements. Instead, it serves as an additional reason to choose one brand over another when products are otherwise comparable. Performance gets companies into consideration. Purpose can help them win the sale.

The strategy also reflects changing consumer expectations. Many buyers increasingly want to support companies whose values align with their own. Environmental initiatives, charitable partnerships and community involvement can create meaningful emotional connections when they feel authentic.

McGrane believes those connections will become increasingly important moving forward. The company has ambitious goals for building consumer awareness. “We are definitely going to be the next consumer-facing brand,” he says.

Whether that prediction proves accurate remains to be seen, but it highlights an important shift. More manufacturers are thinking beyond retailer relationships and considering how consumers interact directly with their brands.

CURATION IN AN AGE OF TOO MANY CHOICES

If TrueTouch focuses on purpose, Anderson Tuftex focuses on lifestyle. This upper-end Shaw brand has built its identity around beautiful design, sustainability and a carefully curated customer experience.

The strategy targets a specific consumer: design-conscious homeowners willing to invest in products that reflect their values and personal style. That positioning creates a fundamentally different conversation than one centered solely on performance attributes.

According to Bailey Walton, vice president of Anderson Tuftex, the brand was designed to appeal to consumers seeking beauty, craftsmanship and environmental responsibility.

Design sits at the center of that mission. “[It] has always been at the heart of the Anderson Tuftex brand,” Walton says. 

The company’s product development process extends beyond aesthetics alone. Sustainability, wellness and craftsmanship are increasingly integrated into the brand story.

That combination helps create an emotional connection with consumers who view their homes as personal expressions of identity.

The strategy also addresses another challenge facing today’s buyers: decision fatigue.

Consumers shopping for flooring are often overwhelmed by the sheer number of options available. Collections, constructions, colors, textures and technologies can quickly become confusing.

Walton believes curation has become a competitive advantage. “This is becoming increasingly important,” she says. “Consumers are inundated with an overwhelming number of options.” 

Rather than presenting endless choices, Anderson Tuftex seeks to simplify decision-making through carefully coordinated collections and a clear design point of view. The approach reinforces its premium positioning while helping consumers feel more confident about their selections.

That confidence has value. Consumers are not necessarily paying more for additional features. They are paying for assurance that someone has already done the editing for them.

“The emotional connection that binds a consumer to a product is what ultimately justifies a premium position,” Walton says.

That perspective differs significantly from traditional flooring marketing. Historically, manufacturers often emphasized construction details and technical specifications. While those attributes remain important, many premium consumers are increasingly motivated by how a product makes them feel. The floor becomes part of a larger lifestyle story.

THE NEW BRAND BUILDERS

Not every successful flooring brand has the benefit of decades—or even a century—of accumulated brand equity. Some are creating awareness through entirely different means.

One example repeatedly mentioned during interviews was Cali. Originally launched as a West Coast bamboo flooring company, the brand has evolved into a broader flooring and home products business with a distinctive identity rooted in California culture and lifestyle. Unlike many legacy flooring brands that built recognition through traditional advertising and distribution channels, Cali has leveraged digital marketing, direct consumer engagement and strong storytelling to establish its position. 

IFC’s Canopy brand is taking a similarly modern approach, but with a slightly different objective.

“When we launched Canopy, we wanted to create a B2B brand that truly mimics a direct-to-consumer brand,” Wrenn says. “Shopping for flooring is a confusing and extremely painful process for consumers. We wanted to create something approachable, confidence-instilling and demystify the process of shopping for flooring.”

The brand’s name itself reflects that philosophy. “A canopy is shelter,” he adds. “It’s the cover over the life happening underneath it. A floor is the one surface your family is actually on every single day. So we don’t lead with the wearlayer. We lead with the life lived on it.”

That consumer-first perspective extends beyond homeowners to IFC’s retail partners. Wrenn says the company built Canopy around protecting dealer territories, providing hands-on support and creating products retailers can confidently sell without worrying about competing against the same products online or down the street.

The comparison between Cali and Canopy illustrates how the branding playbook has evolved. Bruce, Armstrong and Karastan built their reputations over decades through traditional consumer marketing, retailer relationships and consistent product performance. Newer brands are accelerating that process through digital engagement, storytelling and clearly defined points of view. The channels may have changed, but the objective remains the same: create a brand consumers recognize, retailers believe in and homeowners remember long after the floor is installed. 

WHO OWNS THE CUSTOMER?

One question surfaced repeatedly throughout discussions with manufacturers:

Who owns the customer relationship today? The manufacturer? The retailer? The designer? The contractor? The answer appears increasingly complex.

Prossen notes that commercial projects now involve more decision-makers than ever before. A manufacturer may influence the designer. The contractor may influence installation decisions. The dealer may influence product selection. The end user may ultimately make the final choice.

Residential flooring follows a similarly interconnected path. Consumers research products online before entering a showroom. Retailers guide selections. Manufacturers provide marketing support and product education. Each participant contributes to the purchasing decision.

The strongest brands understand this dynamic and support every stage of the journey.

Mirage invests heavily in retailer education and merchandising. Anderson Tuftex provides tools that help retailers translate design concepts into consumer conversations. AHF leverages the familiarity of Bruce and Armstrong to create confidence before a consumer ever enters a showroom. Southwind focuses on relationships and customer experience. TrueTouch creates purpose-driven narratives retailers can share with consumers.

International Flooring Company approaches the relationship from a slightly different angle. Wrenn believes branding is ultimately about helping retailers succeed at the moment that matters most—when they’re standing in front of the customer.

“Branding does one thing for a retailer that nothing else can,” he says. “It gives the salesperson something to say besides a number. Strip the brand away and all that’s left to differentiate on is price—and the moment a sale becomes a price conversation, the retailer’s margin is gone and the customer’s confidence goes with it.”

Beyond product, IFC emphasizes geographic protection, local marketing support, in-store training and merchandising designed to help retailers tell the Canopy story. Wrenn sees the manufacturer-retailer relationship as a shared responsibility rather than a competition for consumer attention.

“The retailer is the one standing across from the customer when the decision actually gets made,” he says. “The brand is the force behind the point. The retailer is the point that lands.”

Each strategy recognizes that branding is not solely about the end user. It is about strengthening every connection throughout the value chain.

THE BRAND PROMISE

Despite their differences, nearly every executive interviewed for this story arrived at a similar conclusion:

• Strong brands create confidence.

• They reduce risk.

• They simplify decisions.

• They create emotional connections.

• They provide reassurance.

• They help retailers sell value instead of price.

That final point surfaced repeatedly throughout these conversations. Whether discussing heritage, design, purpose or personality, manufacturers consistently returned to one idea: a strong brand gives retailers something more meaningful to sell than a specification sheet. As Wrenn puts it, “Strip the brand away and all that’s left to differentiate on is price.”

In today’s marketplace, that’s a race few retailers want to run.

How they accomplish those goals varies considerably. Yet beneath those differences lies a common thread. Every successful brand stands for something.

That idea may have been articulated most clearly by Nuckols. “A brand has to have a brand promise,” he says, “and you have to continually live up to and support that brand promise.”

The statement applies equally to a 160-year-old heritage brand and a startup seeking its first customers.

The flooring industry’s strongest brands understand that they are not simply selling carpet, hardwood, tile or resilient flooring. And in today’s marketplace, confidence may be the most powerful product of all.