Page 16 - Hawaii Renovation - July 11, 2021

16 HAWAII RENOVATION
JULY 11, 2021
BACK PAGE STORY KAHALA PACIFIC FLOORS
Kahala Pacific Floors and Pacific Imports International have
been in business for nearly 20 years, and have experi- enced many changes and challenges during those years. Starting off strictly as an importer of wood flooring, they have adapted to various flooring trends, supply chain challenges, changes in U.S. customs and import regula- tions, and, now, aftereffects of the pandemic.
Starting out strictly as an importer of solid wood and bamboo back in 2002, PII was considered a pioneer in introducing mass-produced prefinished wood and bam- boo flooring from Asia to the Hawaii market under its Bayside label. Next came
engineered wood flooring, which started to explode in popularity in about 2005. PII quickly did the footwork to find quality products in Shanghai, and its Kahala Floors line of beautiful en- gineered woods was born. This lifetime product is still one of the bestsellers. How- ever, as they say, things keep on changing, and it began to import Bayside laminate flooring. However, if you have been following trends at all, you know that laminate totally died a few years ago and now we have luxury vi- nyl. Not ones to get left be- hind, KPF and PII established their Outrigger line of SPC luxury vinyl a few years ago.
Today, what’s truly “hap- pening” in flooring is engi-
neered wood flooring for those who want the real thing, and luxury vinyl for those who want the look of stone or wood but would like a more practical, waterproof alternative that also saves them a few bucks. For wood, the most popular is wide for- mat whitewashed or stained engineered wood. Some have a textured surface while oth- ers are smooth and finishes may be oil or polyurethane. In luxury vinyl, look for SPC, says company president Shirley Pai Hilton.
“SPC stands for stone polymer composite, and this tells you what the floor’s core is made of. Stay away from floppy vinyl floors, like sheet vinyl, which require too much work on the subfloor.”
Hilton says that due to the pandemic — and quirky problems such as shortages of raw materials, shipping containers and limited and higher cost of sailings — prices have been rising and inventories are quite low on many products. However, KPF has aligned itself with some very large importers of wood flooring, such as Pacific Direct Industries, in order to fulfill local flooring orders within approximately two to three weeks. Many of their vinyl selections have also gone up in price due to the previously noted rea- sons but also due to massive tariffs imposed by the U.S. government on Chinese im- ports. However, supplies re- main quite good with many
KAHALA PACIFIC FLOORS CONTACT 808-847-7711
locally stocked items for next-day availability.
Its 3,000-square-foot showroom on Kohou Street features many beautiful engineered wood floors by Kahala Floors, Pacific Direct, Provenza, Ark and California Classics, to name a few. In luxury vinyl, there are literal- ly hundreds to choose from in the Outrigger, Inception, Pacific Direct, Genesis, Arm- strong, Aquarius and Shaw brands, among others. Its showroom is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and no appointment is necessary.
Hilton also encourages
shoppers to sign up for the free monthly webinar —Great Flooring 101. At- tendees will get a thorough education on the various types of flooring available in today’s market, pros and cons of each, explanations of all the acronyms com- monly used, and installa- tion tips.
Best of all, participants re- ceive a special discount on their flooring purchases and a free gift just for attending. The next session will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 17. Call 808-847-7711 to register or email sales@piiwood.com.
BACK PAGE STORY