Blazing new trails: The latest, greatest, most durable flooring on the market today

By Patricia Nugent

Our country is founded on a pioneer spirit—the drive to look onward to new discovery and adventure. That glimpse toward what laid over the horizon led our forefathers to the western frontier. In fact, there were so many of them, the mass migration became known as heading to the wild, wild west.

Well, the fearless folks at Guhde Flooring America decided to take their own journey west—3.7 miles to be exact—in moving into a new showroom in Mentor while they renovate their headquarters in Painesville Township.

“It makes sense that since trends often come from the west, we’d take a western side-trip with our new location on the terrace level of the Platinum Center,” says Monica Guhde-Rosa, who is office manager. “We appreciated that renovating our original location would mean a lot of downtime. Serving our clients is the number one goal, so we made the decision to create a boutique showroom in Mentor, building new displays of hand-picked samples to work with.”

The super-chic Platinum Center isn’t only their new home, it’s also a showcase of all they can do. The Guhdes laid all the flooring and tile there, as well as created the eye-catching 3-D accent wall in the reception area. Monica says they can take clients around to show them how different products would appear life-sized.

Since the 1950s, the family-led company has evolved from offering only flooring to becoming a full-service home remodeling firm, with a cabinet division and countertops, plus everything else needed in a renovation, such as lighting, sinks, faucets, hardware, and more.

Product Innovation
Along with her husband, Shawn, who is the sales manager at Guhde Flooring America, and brother Michael, who is operations manager, the tenacious trio heads to Las Vegas each year to discover emerging trends at the international flooring show. And their affiliation with Flooring America opens doors to an endless selection of products.

One of the newest product introductions that’s amazing homeowners is the LG line of luxury vinyl flooring.

“It takes us to places we’ve never gone before in terms of freedom and creativity,” says Shawn, who mentions they carry a full display in their showroom. “Wood and stone looks appeal to contemporary or traditional aesthetics. And its durability is unparalleled.”

Another trending innovation is heated flooring under tile. The team reports this is one luxurious element to a master bath that people are raving about.

“It’s become a staple in our bath renovations,” says Shawn. “What makes the latest models so amazing is they come with Wi-Fi connected thermostats so you can control the timing and temperature from your phone.”

A New Kind of Durability
When it comes to flooring, whether it’s hard surface or carpeting, Shawn and Monica say any product you order today will be light years away from the last flooring you installed.

“The advancements in materials and manufacturing mean anything you choose will last longer and look better than ever,” says Shawn. “You’ll probably end up changing it because you’re tired of it rather than because it’s worn. And from the standpoint of water resistance, pet resistance and scratch resistance, these floors are practically indestructible compared to their earlier iterations.”

VIP Service
When it comes to customer service, the family credo of treating the customer with a VIP attitude rings true through the generations. Monica and Mike Jr. learned from their parents, Mike Sr. and Diane, who learned from Mike Sr.’s dad, who founded the business. And Shawn married Monica years ago, bringing decades of flooring sales experience to the mix.

“We’ve been doing this for 65 years and it shows,” says Monica. “We’re always looking for ‘what’s next’ to bring it to our clients but staying in touch with the ‘where we’ve come from’ part is just as important.”

Mining for Gold
The “rush” toward gold accents in home décor the past several years in fixtures, faucets and cabinet hardware has made its way into the overall landscape of kitchen and bath design.

“Gold is the perfect touch to mix with the warmer, more natural colors we are seeing,” says Monica Guhde-Rosa. “The new Inverness style of Cambria includes stunning molten gold veining and debossing against a smooth white background that gives the design a gently textured composition and organic quality. The renovations we’ve used Inverness in are gorgeous. It also lends itself nicely to backsplashes, bars, fireplaces and accent walls.”

She reports that after so many years of seeing cool gray in every renovation, homeowners are opting for the warmth of creams, taupes and browns, as well as more natural-look wood.

Guhde Flooring America is located on the terrace level of the Platinum Center, at 7200 Center Street in Mentor. It’s conveniently accessible from Route 2 and I-90. Call 440-639-1990 for a one-on-one appointment with one of the designers, or visit GuhdeFlooringAmerica.com for more information.