NWFA Holds Advanced Installation School

Feb 7, 2011

NWFA technical school wood flooring learning Las Vegas

The NWFA's Frank Kroupa led the instruction, while volunteer instructors included Wayne Highlander (Basic Coatings), Jason Elquest (Blackhawk Floors Inc.) and Todd McDonald (W.D. Flooring).

NWFA technical school wood flooring learning Las Vegas

01 Houzz Pro Translations

Houzz Launches AI Communication Tools in App

June 17, 2026

01 Houzz Pro Translations

Houzz Launches AI Communication Tools in App

Housing Starts Down in May as Multifamily Starts Plunge

Builder Confidence Below 40 for 14 Months Straight

Dutch Artist Payitforwardpng

Worldwide Wood Floor Art Project Connects Craftspeople

Houzz Launches AI Communication Tools in App

Home services software provider Houzz (Palo Alto, Calif.) introduced new AI-powered mobile features to its Houzz Pro app that include call transcriptions, language translations for text, and offline mode.

01 Houzz Pro Translations

Housing Starts Down in May as Multifamily Starts Plunge

Single-family starts fell 1.9% month-over-month and 6.7% year-over-year to a seasonally adjusted 882,000 homes, while multifamily starts dropped 40.2% from April and 14.2% year-over-year for an annualized rate of 295,000 units.

Builder Confidence Below 40 for 14 Months Straight

Single-family home builder confidence fell two points to 35 in June, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, marking the 14th consecutive month that sentiment has been below 40, a streak not seen since the foreclosure crisis in 2011–2012.

Worldwide Wood Floor Art Project Connects Craftspeople

Jakko Woudenberg, the Dutch Wood Artist of “The Night Watch in Wood” fame, has launched a collective wood floor art project called “Pay It Forward” that currently spans eight countries and 39 participants.

Dutch Artist Payitforwardpng

WFB Briefs: NAHB Calculates Cost of Regulations; Small Business Optimism Falls in May; More

NAHB finds regulations add $131,734 to the cost of a new single-family home, small business optimism fell 0.6 points in May to 95.3, and more.

Temporary Ease on Gas Prices Drives Consumer Sentiment Increase

Consumer sentiment rose to 48.9 in early June, an increase of 4.1 points from May, driven by easing gasoline prices, according to the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers.

Välinge Increases Renewable Energy Use

In its 2025 sustainability report, Välinge Innovation (Viken, Sweden) reported that 73% of its total energy consumption came from renewable sources in 2025, up from 69% the year before.

Mohawk Appoints Paul De Cock CEO

Mohawk Industries (Calhoun, Ga.) has named Paul F. De Cock, the company’s current president and chief operating officer, as its next chief executive officer, effective September 30, according to the company.

Paul F. De Cock will take over as CEO of Mohawk Industries September 30.

Residential Building Materials Hit Highest Prices in Over Three Years

Wholesale prices for building materials used in residential construction climbed 4.4% year-over-year in May, the strongest yearly increase since January 2023, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data.

New Chicago-Area Distributor Aims to Support Wood Floor Community

A new Chicago-area flooring supplies distributor, DOM Flooring Supplies (Elk Grove Village, Ill.), hosted demonstration days at its store, May 20–21. The event marks one of many, as Owner Damien Janaszek says he plans to build a community and bolster education around the wood flooring industry.

Owner Damien Janaszek wants DOM's showroom and warehouse to be a place contractors feel comfortable stopping by and asking for help.

Existing Home Sales Increase as More First-Time Buyers Enter Market

Total existing home sales increased 3.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.17 million in May, the highest rate since December 2025 but still historically low, according to the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Home Builders.

Zillow: Home Seller Activity Falls Year-Over-Year as Mortgage Rates Climb

May home sales rose 4.8% month-over-month to 341,929, but stood 2.9% lower than last year as new listings decreased 0.8% month-over-month and fell 4.1% year-over-year to 422,956, according to Zillow’s May market report.

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