Contractor Advantage September / October 2021

HOMEOWNERS EYING FLOOR COVERING ALTERNATIVES

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INTERIOR DOORS AND MOULDINGS 2021 TRENDS

September/October 2021

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Editorial Director Castle Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. Jennifer Mercieca Art Direction and Design Espress Labs Inc. Contributors Lawrence Cummer Danila Di Croce

Advertising Inquiries Jennifer Mercieca Director of Communications Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. 905-564-3307 jmercieca@castle.ca Material Contact Maryam Bashir Marketing Coordinator Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. 905-564-3307 mbashir@castle.ca Published and designed exclusively for Castle Building Centres Group Ltd.

by Espress Labs Inc. On the cover: Metrie

ABOUT CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021 Volume 26 Issue 5

CONTRIBUTORS

LAWRENCE CUMMER Lawrence (“Law”) Cummer is a freelance writer and editor and has been a frequent contributor to Contractor Advantage, Ideas and Rough Construction for nearly a decade. Over his more than 20-year career, Law has written about contracting and construction, general business, information technology, health and safety, personal finance and almost every topic in between. He has a passion for storytelling and sharing how people can work better, easier — and “smarter” — from contractors to technologists to business executives.

DANILA DI CROCE Danila Di Croce is a Toronto-based writer with over 10 years of experience in the fields of media and education, including a Masters in Media Production from Ryerson University. Throughout her experience, Danila has worked in the areas of public relations, marketing, radio and television broadcast, and has contributed to various national publications on a wide range of topics including entrepreneurship, building construction, workplace health and safety and hospitality.

JEREMY ESKENAZI Jeremy Eskenazi is an internationally recognized speaker, author of RecruitConsult! Leadership, and founder of Riviera Advisors, a boutique Recruitment/Talent Acquisition Management and Optimization Consulting Firm. Jeremy is not a headhunter, but a specialized training and consulting professional, helping global HR leaders transform how they attract top talent at some of the world’s most recognized companies. For more information on Jeremy Eskenazi, please visit: www.RivieraAdvisors.com.

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CONTENTS

TABLE OF OF TABLE

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HOMEOWNERS EYING FLOOR COVERING ALTERNATIVES Flooring has been seeing major price increases in the past year, primarily due to supply chain and logistics.

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HOW TO MORE EASILY HANDLE HIRING THROUGH PRIORITIZATION A recruiting best practice to balance multiple hires and not lose the ever-important speed to hire.

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INTERIOR DOORS AND MOULDINGS 2021 TRENDS The pandemic has certainly forced many lifestyle changes, primarily how much time individuals spend at home. // SEPT - OCT 2021

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HOMEOWNERS EYING FLOOR COVERING ALTERNATIVES

Written by Lawrence Cummer

Photo courtesy of Taiga Building Products Ltd. 6

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Flooring has been seeing major price increases in the past year, primarily due to supply chain and logistics, according to industry watchers, but homeowners are still seeing great value from floor upgrades.

Meanwhile, innovations and improvements around vinyl, laminate and tile flooring are bringing them into greater homeowner focus.

“Lumber prices have definitely been on the rise over the last 18 months, and have literally gone into unprecedented pricing models,” says Sven Johnson, director of flooring and wall division at Taiga Building Products Ltd. “Flooring in general, and specifically hard surface flooring has followed the rise in costs as well.”

Johnson says in his four decades in the business, he hasn’t seen cost increases like he’s currently seeing; however, he suggests that even amidst new pricing pressures, the cost of flooring is more affordable than a decade ago.

“The good news in flooring is that today there is more value to it than in years past,” he adds.

LUXURY VINYL TRENDING While luxury vinyl is not new to the market, Johnson says it is “now being called out for” by homeowners. “Luxury vinyl has gone through a huge innovation period and consumption of it is high,” he says. “Innovation and technology have allowed the product to be produced with a larger scale, so there’s a lot of supply available.”

Those innovations, he says, in products such as his company’s Stonewear SPC Vinyl planks are allowing the flooring alternative to exceed consumer expectations.

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“You can’t get better than the real thing,” he says. “Hardwood is still in its own class and every product tries to emulate this,” he says. But, at the same time, current SPC (stone plastic composite) can offer hardwood-like aesthetics with other benefits, especially that of water resistance.

According to Jeff Morrison, vice president of national accounts at Goodfellow, it is not the price delta between wood and vinyl flooring — which has held relatively stable — but the advantages and aesthetics of SPC that are driving what he calls “the SPC revolution.”

Demand remains high for both flooring options.

“As much as the price of wood flooring has gone up, we aren’t selling any less of it,” Morrison says. “We’re selling more hardwood through the pandemic than before it.”

Still, SPC continues to make gains, he adds.

“We’re seeing more and more demand for it as an alternative to all floor coverings, whether hardwood, laminate, ceramic tile or linoleum.”

The reasons, he says: the incredible strides in recent years around overall aesthetics, look, quality, performance and ease of installation.

Photo courtesy of Goodfellow

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FEATURE STORY // HOMEOWNERS EYING FLOOR COVERING ALTERNATIVES Photo courtesy of SHNIER

SPC is starting to mirror all the major trends popular in hardwood flooring, he suggests: “We’re hitting on all the trends; we have low-gloss, wire-brushed, wide-planked, long-length,” he said. “We’re offering thicker profiles, up to 8mm thick, with wide-plank, wire-brushed look, painted bevel and the resolution of the print on SPC in some cases makes it very difficult to tell it isn’t ‘the real thing’.”

Morrison points to Goodfellow’s recently launched Avalanche and Northern Expressions lines of SPC, which capture those higher-end aesthetics trends some homeowners are seeking. He says the company has SPC from more entry-level to more premium fashioned-focused choices, “We’re trying to bridge all tastes and price points with offerings.”

LAMINATE’S RESURGENCE A once-popular floor covering option is having something of a comeback. Laminate, which has been seeing declining interest over the past five years, is now seeing a “resurgence” in interest, says Greg Vrantsis, national accounts sales manager at SHNIER. He attributes this to innovation. “There’s new technology that has advanced the core, that makes it water-resistant or in some cases waterproof.” He says in addition to water resistance, the ease of installation is what drives homeowner interest in both laminate floor coverings and vinyl planks or tiles.

“There’s minimum preparation needed on the front end, a lot of these click-floating products can // SEPT - OCT 2021

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FEATURE STORY // HOMEOWNERS EYING FLOOR COVERING ALTERNATIVES actually be installed on an existing subfloor,” he adds. “If you have linoleum, ceramic or hardwood, you can actually lay the flooring right on top with minimal skill set.”

laminate flooring. “Because it’s such a strong trend, having seamless, transition-less boards,” he says. “Across the gamut, we’re trying to achieve that with all flooring categories.”

That DIY-friendliness translates to faster installs, reducing costs for homeowners, ease for contractors and ultimately an ability to take on more jobs during what is proving to be a busy year.

TILE OPENS THE DOOR TO CREATIVITY Tile has always had its place in the home, but high-resolution digital printing has given homeowners so many options to think outside the box, suggests Linda Cellucci, showroom administrator for Centura Tile.

Of course, core stability is essential whether engineered wood, vinyl — such as SHNIER’s popular CoreStone Plank line — or laminate — as in the case of its H2O Guard water-resistant

“Most tile now is digitally printed, so it looks like the real thing, but with just a better performance,”

Photo courtesy of SHNIER

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Photo courtesy of Centura Tile

Cellucci says. “And the beauty of it now is that you can heat it with a heated floor underlayment.

So, some people go ‘oh, it’s so cold,’ but it doesn’t have to be.”

With its realistic ability to mimic the appearance of other materials from wood to stone to metals, while being 100% waterproof, tiles afford homeowners a lot of room for creativity, while reducing maintenance.

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“There are just so many more aesthetic options,” she says of today’s high-resolution digitally printed tiles. “I have a line of wood-like tile called Cottage, which is digital and there’s a texture.

When installed it looks like the real thing. It’s beautiful, with variation so you don’t get the same plank over and over.”

“Then I have another wood-like line called Colorart, and it is crazy. It looks like someone has

FEATURE STORY // HOMEOWNERS EYING FLOOR COVERING ALTERNATIVES Photo courtesy of Centura Tile

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FEATURE STORY // HOMEOWNERS EYING FLOOR COVERING ALTERNATIVES taken boards off a barn that has been painted six or seven times, and it is spectacular. Two very different looks.”

“So, depending on what you want to do and where you want to apply it, the world is your oyster.”

Ceramic and porcelain tile flooring allow for an easy approach to creating a mixed-material design, as well as use on walls as well as the floor.

With its range of textures, designs and finishes, “tile will take you as far as your imagination and budget allow,” Cellucci says.

INSTALLATION IS ALWAYS CRUCIAL Even with easier-to-install options, proper installation is crucial, reminds Geoff Keats, vice president of allied products at AFA Forest Products.

He echoes that alternative flooring options like SPC and laminate are economical than wood flooring but are of primary interest due to the range of offerings in terms of colours, widths and size.

Photo courtesy of AFA Forest Products

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Photo courtesy of Goodfellow

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FEATURE STORY // HOMEOWNERS EYING FLOOR COVERING ALTERNATIVES Photo courtesy of AFA Forest Products

Earth tones and neutral colours are the big current trend, experts say. It’s a trend that’s seen in AFA’s lines, whether laminate — such as its Renaissance collection — or SPC — like its Volcano line.

While performance improves across floor covering categories, he says contractors need to pay particularly close attention to installation and best practices.

“Contractors need to be aware that as technology changes, so do installation techniques,” he says.

This need for contractor education is a significant focus for AFA, working closely with the National Floor Covering Association.

To keep up with best practices, especially in a new product category, he recommends turning to the experts, many of whom can be found on the // SEPT - OCT 2021

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FEATURE STORY // HOMEOWNERS EYING FLOOR COVERING ALTERNATIVES Photo courtesy of Taiga Building Products Ltd.

Internet. “The big one is the industry association, the NFCA, and then ensure that your flooring dealer is working closely with its suppliers.”

“Laminate is not going to be installed the same as hardwood; vinyl is not installed the same way 18

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laminate is. SPC is not installed the same as laminate. Work with your local flooring suppliers and look to the Internet. A lot of flooring suppliers have good links to installation methods, but I’d start with national associations.” —

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HOW TO MORE EASILY HANDLE HIRING THROUGH PRIORITIZATION

A recruiting best practice to balance multiple hires and not lose the ever-important speed to hire.

Written by Jeremy Eskenazi

Sometimes hiring is crazy busy with a multitude of job vacancies and a frantic need to fill positions immediately. Sometimes, it’s a much slower paced and you can work with the team as is. Regardless of what is driving the volume of hiring – the end of a quarter, event seasons, product orders, etc.

– your company needs to come up with a plan of attack to bring talent into the organization and maintain a reasonable speed to hire against the expectations that have been set with your teams.

Some years create unexpected highs and lows in recruiting, and the challenge when hiring picks

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up quickly is that it is hard to turn the engines back on to full speed if you split your attention evenly across every job.

When factors that are external to your company change, it often means your industry or the locations you operate in change at the same time. If you all slow down and then re-start hiring at the same time, there will be more choice for candidates, making your mission to attract the best talent to build your company tougher. Layer that on with all that you put into the candidate

experience, making sure every candidate is kept up to date, receives clear communication, and you are training all of your hiring managers to play their role in securing talent, it quickly feels like there are not enough hours in the day!

If you are hiring for multiple positions and they are all taking up equal amounts of your time, you are missing out on the most important element of strategic recruiting: Not every job is equally important!

You must evaluate each job and spend your time accordingly.

Wow, that felt good to say, because it’s true and not everyone is willing to admit it. Yes, every candidate is important and should be treated with the same talent acquisition process you have developed to leave a positive feeling about your employer brand. No, not every job takes the same amount of effort or has the same number of specialists in the market to warrant spreading your time evenly to find them.

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So, what kind of jobs need to be prioritized? This is where you, as an expert on your business, step into the recruiting consultant role regardless what area of HR or management you are in and start with the question, how valuable is this role compared to others? Here are four ways to assess job value and hiring prioritization.

1. The job delivers on customer requirements and is usually customer-facing. This is important because it effects your bottom line (note this chorus starting!). Your busines would be in trouble if you were to leave this role open for too long.

2. The job drives direct revenue or pipeline for the company. This is important because it effects your bottom line. Driving revenue is not the same as saving cost. This role directly brings in revenue and helps drive demand for more revenue generating activities.

3. The job is innovative or directly influence your products or services. This is important because

// BUILDING BETTER BUSINESS

it effects your bottom line. If the roles that make or deliver your products or services are vacant, this is a direct hit to your company’s potential to earn revenue.

4. The job’s difficulty in finding in the market.

Some roles are much harder than others to find talent for. Maybe the skills are very new, or they are very specific for your industry. It might be that the locations you want to hire in don’t have

many local people who do that type of work or would be willing to leave their current role to consider joining your company. Do this research up front to know where to start.

Now that you’ve had a chance to think through these four top drivers, your hiring prioritization list is headed in the right direction. But wait, there is more!

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Many companies focus on how to lower operating costs, or roles that help you eventually lower operating costs and those are important too.

But not as important as feeding growth, so more time should be spent on the roles that effect your bottom line. Every company will have different titles and levels working on these tasks, so customizing your plan is important. The activity of

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looking at all your open jobs and deciding where to spend your time is the strategic part of ramping up hiring and making the best use of your time.

With your top jobs and the toughest to find well planned, you can then move onto your strategy and action plan. Knowing the WAY to find the talent you and prioritize that effort is important too. Not all searches are created equally. Your

// BUILDING BETTER BUSINESS efforts may include using a search firm, placing an ad, using referrals, leveraging social media, etc. These efforts all take time (and sometimes money!), so knowing where your biggest priorities are will help you decide what to approach first.

Prioritizing jobs sounds simple and it can be if you and your team who are involved in hiring new talent are taking this step. For those hard-to-find roles, make sure your team is prepared for the search. Take the time to train hiring managers,

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investigate HR process improvement, and invest in training for recruiters and those who touch your candidate experience in any way. Having an optimized recruiting function that knows which roles to focus on first, how to engage candidates for a consistent experience, and sets realistic expectations on the effort each role might take to bring into your organization will set you and your team up for success, no matter the hiring volume. —

INTERIOR DOORS AND MOULDINGS 2021 TRENDS

Written by Danila Di Croce

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Photo courtesy of Metrie

The pandemic has certainly forced many lifestyle changes, primarily how much time individuals spend at home. As such, it is no surprise to learn that many are choosing to invest in their homes, whether it be a change to a different style dwelling, a large-scale renovation, or a smaller-scale update such as, interior doors and mouldings.

“With many people at home, they are inspired to transform rooms in their homes, which has created

more demand for products like ours,” explains Peter Branidis, director, product and channel marketing at Metrie. “Even small improvements can make a big impact on people in the home, and our products work well to satisfy a weekend DIY or a full remodel. So regardless of whether it’s new construction, a purchase of an older home, or just a refresh of a current home, people have been investing where they’ve been spending most of their time.”

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In fact, the influx of projects was so great that it created difficulties in the industry regarding demand and supply. Courtney Mackay, manager of Moulding Warehouse explains, “We had huge issues with sourcing MDF and plywood underlay.

We found ourselves calling all over Canada for materials. Lucky for us we did not give up and were able to keep up with demand.”

So, what kind of changes have been occurring during all of these projects? Donna Gerrits, vice president of sales and marketing at Alexandria Moulding explains, “Wall treatments such as shiplap are still a big trend with home renovation and new construction in lake house country. Most of these options are still being painted white.”

In regards to mouldings Gerrits has noticed the following modern look: “The moulding trends are still quite simple square, more contemporary profiles, and the size of the mouldings continue to get larger with the open concept, high ceiling homes being built today.”

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Both Mackay and Branidis echo Gerrits as they too have noted similar trends. Moulding Warehouse has seen an increase in the sales of shiplap, as well as a move from colonial style mouldings and doors to more modern styles in the residential sector, while in the commercial sector flatstock material continues to be primarily used to offer a modern, clean look. Similarly, Metrie continues to see strong growth in their Heritage series line of interior doors which offers the modern 1, 2 and 3 panel designs, while mouldings trends continue towards clean lines.

When considering all the choices for home projects, Branidis suggests the following: “For a residential project I would tell anyone to select from our Metrie Option {M}® product line. This is a single source for all your moulding and door needs to achieve a desired, on-trend look in your home. They are organized by popular décor trends to make it really easy to select products perfect for the space.” For further trendy options consumer can also look to Alexandria Moulding

FEATURE STORY // INTERIOR DOORS AND MOULDINGS 2021 TRENDS Photo courtesy of Alexandria Moulding // SEPT - OCT 2021

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FEATURE STORY // INTERIOR DOORS AND MOULDINGS 2021 TRENDS as Gerrits recommends their “M Collection of Urban Modern Mouldings.”

Overall, the most important thing when it comes time to choosing interior doors and mouldings is to know what one wants. “My top recommendation to a residential home owner would be to have a clear idea of what you want your end goal to be,” explains Mackay. “Go online, do your research about which styles you love, which styles go with your pre-existing furniture if you aren’t also upgrading that. Create you Pinterest boards, and do not be shy about bringing them into your local moulding and door showroom to get advice on how to make you vision a reality. We all love seeing your ideas.”

For commercial projects, Mackay also suggests the importance of research: “I would definitely consider what style is in your area. Is the demographic more traditional or are you in an area with a more modern flare? Knowing your audience is key when choosing which style to go with in your complex or build.”

Apart from style aesthetics, consumers need to also consider sound engineering and lighting aspects when making their choices. “Sound reduction would be the biggest issue people are solving when selecting a door,” Branidis explains.

“In addition, a new trend we are seeing is the need for more light, so the desire to add in some French doors to a home is making a comeback across

Photo courtesy of Moulding Warehouse

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Photo courtesy of Moulding Warehouse

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FEATURE STORY // INTERIOR DOORS AND MOULDINGS 2021 TRENDS Photo courtesy of Moulding Warehouse

markets, as people want privacy but also want to keep their home light and bright.

some may have [had to] substitute their first choice with what was available at the time.”

Interestingly, due to the pandemic, consumers have also had to consider the limitations of stock availability when making their decisions, as Gerrits explains, “with the supply constraints

Moreover, the pandemic has also affected costs in the industry, with lumber prices soaring over the last year. Thankfully the surge in demand helped keep companies afloat as Mackay states,

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FEATURE STORY // INTERIOR DOORS AND MOULDINGS 2021 TRENDS Photo courtesy of Alexandria Moulding

“The increased price in lumber was thankfully coupled with a high demand, therefore we were lucky to have loyal clientele who stuck with us throughout the worst of it.”

It is that community support that has been critical during these varying times, not only for Mackay’s company but others as well. Branidis

explains the importance of Metrie’s support strategy: “During these difficult times, having trust and strong relationships with suppliers and customers ensures that we can work together and co-create solutions through any adversity.”

Gerrits also reflects on how positive relationships in the Alexandria Moulding community have // SEPT - OCT 2021

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FEATURE STORY // INTERIOR DOORS AND MOULDINGS 2021 TRENDS Photo courtesy of Metrie

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FEATURE STORY // INTERIOR DOORS AND MOULDINGS 2021 TRENDS Photo courtesy of Alexandria Mouldings

been critical to pull through these past months successfully, as she states, “Communication and empathy to our employees, our customers, and our vendors has been key throughout this pandemic.”

With an optimistic future ahead, companies and consumers are now excited to not only have businesses return to their full capacity but more importantly to get out from their homes and return to a sense of normalcy. “I think I can

Photo courtesy of Moulding Warehouse 40

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speak for all of us when I say we are most looking forward to having regular face to face interactions with our customers again,” explains Mackay. “In the construction industry we are all one big family, and it’s been hard not seeing our regular clientele on a regular basis. This pandemic has really shown us the value of loyalty in our customer base, and we’ve come to really appreciate how our community supported us throughout these hard times.” —