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Flooring Market: Discretionary Replacement Drives Flooring Replacement Projects

According to Principia’s annual survey research with 750 homeowners who recently had a flooring replacement project, over half (58%) of replacement projects were discretionary.  

Flooring has one of the highest discretionary replacement rates among the residential categories Principia tracks, on par with interior or entry doors and countertops. Categories with higher discretionary replacement tend to be more visually prominent and have a strong impact on the aesthetic appeal of the home.

Figure 1: Homeowners Report Products Replaced for Discretionary Reasons in Home Improvement Projects

Discretionary replacement projects are done for voluntary reasons such as material or style updates.  Top reasons cited by homeowners for discretionary flooring replacement projects include:

  • Appearance and durability.  Leading discretionary reasons were due to aesthetics (39%), upgrade the floor’s material quality/durability (24%), or the age of the flooring (20%).
  • Update performance. Replacements driven by product performance such as water resistanceor durability were cited by 8% of respondents as the reason for discretionary replacement.
  • Adding to a home’s value. Upgrading the value of the house was only mentioned by 7% of respondents. Flooring tends to be noticeable, and its condition can reflect favorably or unfavorably on the value and quality of the home.

Figure 2: Homeowners Report Reasons for Discretionary Replacement of Flooring

Necessary flooring replacement projects are typically done due to extensive wear or damage.  

  • Worn out flooring and water damage. The leading reasons were the age of the flooring (71%) or water damage (22%).  Although flooring is not necessarily unsafe when worn or damaged, it can be unsightly and–in the case of water damage–possibly dangerous due to subfloor rot or mold. 
  • Selling home, warranty claim, home addition or fire damage. Other reasons such as the selling of a home, home additions or fire damage rounded out the list with each 2% or less of respondents citing as their reason for necessary replacement.

Figure 3: Homeowners Report Reasons for Necessary Replacement of Flooring

Want more data and insights into the flooring market?

Get the latest residential and commercial market forecast with Principia’s DemandBuilder, a comprehensive demand assessment tool. This product features a five-year market forecast segmented by:

  • Building type
  • Construction type
  • Unit type
  • Region

And covers the following flooring materials:

  • Carpet
  • Carpet Tiles
  • Engineered Wood
  • Flexible LVT
  • Hardwood
  • Laminate
  • Rigid LVT
  • Rubber
  • Stone
  • Tile
  • VCT
  • Vinyl Sheet

Contact us today to schedule a product demo and explore how Principia’s residential and commercial DemandBuilder Flooring can support your growth strategy.