WFB Briefs: Consumer Sentiment Hits Four-Month Low, Mortgage Rates Hit One-Year High

Sep 28, 2026

• Consumer sentiment fell 7.0% to 48.1 in September, according to the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers. The decline marked a 12.7% year-over-year decrease and the lowest reading in four months, down 15.0% from January.

• Mortgage rates reached 7.03% on Thursday, the first time they’ve passed the 7% mark since January 2025, according to NPR. The jump risks squeezing the budgets of homebuyers even more, NPR reported.

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Global Drug Traffickers Turn to Soaked Wood Shipments To Move Cocaine

September 28, 2026

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Registration Opens for TISE 2027 in Las Vegas

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Readers Respond: My Face When Someone Says _______.

New Home Sales Rise 6.4% in August but Remain Below 2025

Global Drug Traffickers Turn to Soaked Wood Shipments To Move Cocaine

Ireland has become the latest country to find cocaine soaked in wood, following seizures this year in Australia, Chile and Spain, according to Wood Central.

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Registration Opens for TISE 2027 in Las Vegas

Registration is now open to attend The International Surface Event (TISE) Feb. 1–4, 2027 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Readers Respond: My Face When Someone Says _______.

We asked WFB followers on Facebook and Instagram what someone could say to make them respond with this face. Here’s what they said.

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New Home Sales Rise 6.4% in August but Remain Below 2025

Sales of newly built single-family homes rose 6.4% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 684,000.

Industry-Wide Synergy Flooring Convention Announces Schedule

Synergy Convention & Expo, the event jointly hosted by Certified Flooring Installers, the Flooring Contractors Association and Flooring Consultants and Inspection Training Services, recently announced its schedule for Nov. 10–12 at the Chattanooga Marriott Downtown in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Remodeling Input Costs Rise 6.6% in Second Quarter

Prices for nonlabor inputs used in residential remodeling climbed 6.6% year-over-year in the second quarter, marking the 11th consecutive quarter of rising costs, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Mullican Flooring Plant in West Virginia To Close

A Mullican Flooring plant in Ronceverte, W. Va., will permanently close around Thanksgiving, costing about 70 people their jobs, according to a 60-day WARN notice of layoff to employees, reported on by MetroNews out of West Virginia.

Sports Flooring

Wood Floor Pros Share Favorite Gym Floors From Summer

We asked WFB followers on Facebook to post pictures of their favorite gym floor projects from the summer. Here’s what they shared ...

Single-Family Starts Climb but Completions Continue To Slide

Single-family housing starts climbed 7.6% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 918,000 units, 5.2% above August 2025, according to a National Association of Home Builders analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.

High Interest Rates Drag Builder Confidence to One-Year Low

Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes fell three points to 32 in September, its lowest reading since September 2025, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI).

CFI Appoints Ray Clark Executive Director

Certified Flooring Installers named Ray Clark executive director, effective Sept. 16. Clark will guide CFI’s growth and elevate the installation profession through education, certification and industry collaboration.

WIFI Accepting Applications for Volunteer Positions

Women In the Floorcovering Industry is accepting applications for its committee’s 2027–2028 term. Volunteer positions are open on the following WIFI teams ...

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