Hank Heckman, a highly respected floor covering retailer who is credited with advancing the field of installation, died June 17 in Grants Pass, Ore. He was 90 years old.   

With an eye toward expanding its portfolio of hard surface commercial flooring options, Mannington Mills said it has purchased Burke Industries. Known for a range of resilient products including rubber

Shaw said that a recent promotion tied to the 2008 HGTV Green Home Giveaway netted the company close to a half billion impressions. Shaw was a presenting sponsor for the

With an eye toward broadening the impact of its Green Edge sustainability initiative, Shaw Industries has announced two new ‘green’ efforts. The flooring maker has become a “founding reporter” of

Alloc – laminate floors for living – introduces Red Sculpted Oak.  This advanced-designed laminate is part of Alloc’s Domestic line and features embossed-in-register wood texturing in a  rich oak finish. The product is made with advanced laser cut technology to ensure the fine finish extends to each plank edge, resulting in a flawless, authentic look, the company says.

Bamboo Strips is a new hand brushed series in the Bellavita Tile glass mosaic program.

Berry Floor has unveiled its latest finish, Iowa Red Oak. This finely detailed laminate product is an authentic representation of oak wood plank flooring, according to Berry. Available with the innovative HydroPlus feature, this line is designed with extreme resistance to moisture, lifetime durability and beauty in mind.

Introducing NEW from Better Tools the 3G Extreme slotted blade. With a precision engineered geometry and a proprietary treatment process, the 3G Extreme blade results in "our sharpest and most durable blade ever," the company says. The 3G Extreme is now available in Better Tools' patented safety blade dispenser or pouch pack safety tubes. Call (800) 79-TOOLS for more information.

High performance, ultra lightweight EasyBoard from Custom Building Products is engineered for strength and backed by Custom's lifetime warranty. Designed to install like other backerboards, EasyBoard weighs only 6 pounds and cuts easily and cleanly with a utility knife, Custom notes.

Sure Finish, new from Dayton Superior, is a polymer-modified feather finish packaged in 10- and 25-pound resealable pails. Sure Finish is designed to provide an exceptionally smooth finish on a wide variety of substrates including wood, concrete, ceramic and existing resilient flooring. The product has a compressive strength of more than 4000 psi, the company notes.