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Editorial Director Castle Castle Building Centres Group Ltd.
Jennifer Mercieca
Art Direction and Design Espress Labs Inc.
Contributors
Lawrence Cummer
Lisa Gordon
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Jennifer Mercieca
Director of Communications
Castle Building Centres Group Ltd.
905-564-3307
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Published and designed exclusively for Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. by Espress Labs Inc.
On the cover: Metrie
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2025
Volume 30 Issue 5
CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS
Lawrence (“Law”) Cummer is a freelance writer and editor and has been a frequent contributor to Contractor Advantage, Ideas and Rough Construction for nearly a decade. Over his more than 20-year career, Law has written about contracting and construction, general business, information technology, health and safety, personal finance and almost every topic in between. He has a passion for storytelling and sharing how people can work better, easier — and “smarter” — from contractors to technologists to business executives.
Lisa Gordon is a freelance writer and editor based in Port Dover, Ontario. For nearly 25 years, she has specialized in creating custom content for trade and association magazines, websites, newsletters and marketing materials. Contact her at mustangmediaservices.ca.
MAARTJE VAN KRIEKEN
Maartje van Krieken is the founder of The Chaos Games Consulting and host of The Business Emergency Room podcast. An international speaker, business triage expert, accredited coach, and former frontier oil & gas leader, she equips executives and leadership teams with tools to navigate chaos, drive decisions, and lead through volatility by unlocking powerful people dynamics with her infectious energy and decades of global experience. Learn more at www.thechaosgamesconsulting.com
LISA GORDON
LAWRENCE CUMMER
6
CHANGE IS UNDERFOOT
Warmer browns and beiges are returning to the flooring landscape
22
DRIFTING ISN’T A STRATEGY: 8 STEPS TO STAY ON COURSE IN TURBULENT TIMES
The storm isn’t coming. It’s already here. And many leaders are realizing they’re sailing without instruments. The current business climate is a storm of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Strategic plans are outdated overnight. Decisionmaking feels like a risk. And yet—standing still isn’t an option. Leaders are under pressure to keep moving, whilst everything keeps shape shifting.
DEFINING DETAILS
Evolving profiles, colours, and materials are helping millwork redefine what it means to finish a space with style.
CHANGE IS UNDERFOOT
Warmer browns and beiges are returning to the flooring landscape
Written by Lisa Gordon
When they enter a room, people almost always notice the flooring – whether it’s colour, texture or composition, we tend to take note of what we’re walking on. Flooring can bring a theme together, add warmth, and provide a comfortable surface to step on.
Flooring expert Jeff Morrison is Vice President –Lumber & Building Materials (LBM) for Goodfellow Inc., a coast-to-coast Canadian distributor of hard surface flooring, including hardwood, vinyl, laminate and, most recently, ceramic.
He said vinyl remains the highest volume product among consumers, likely thanks to its affordability and livability. With a waterproof membrane, vinyl is a lot more resilient than other flooring options. Homeowners are attracted to the ease of installation and low maintenance of vinyl, with Morrison noting that, “kids coming in with snowy boots in the wintertime are not going to hurt the floor.”
Over time, he said, “the resolution of the décor paper has become so realistic-looking that you get a low cost, low maintenance floor that looks real – and that basically drove the vinyl market.”
Loose lay, dry back, and glue down vinyl tiles are regaining momentum, Morrison observed. He has also noted that wood plastic composite (WPC) core vinyl tiles are increasingly in demand. He feels this is because stone plastic composite (SPC) is more rigid and less pliable over uneven surfaces. “SPC is a great product, but we have noticed if there is a lot of deflection in the subfloor, the SPC can pull apart.”
The demand for hardwood flooring is holding steady. “Wire brushed, wide plank oak is still the most popular,” Morrison said. On the consumer side, engineered hardwood flooring is outselling solid, although builders still install a lot of solid hardwood flooring, he added.
In Western Canada, especially on the Prairies, laminate has seen a bit of a resurgence. Morrison feels the drier climate reduces expansion and contraction issues and pointed out that many consumers see laminate as a tried, tested and true product. Advancements in laminate construction have helped to further its longevity in the market.
Photo courtesy of Goodfellow Inc.
“The laminate industry came back with some waterproof qualities added to their core, where they could compete with vinyl,” he said, adding that it is still a good market for laminate, especially in the home renovation category.
“A lot of contractors and homeowners still want 12 mm thick laminate, especially when they want to match it up to surrounding floor coverings.” He explained that installers prefer to install laminate over having to build up the subfloor or incorporate a reducer to match the thickness of ceramic.
Photo courtesy of Goodfellow Inc.
Photo courtesy of Goodfellow Inc.
Ceramic flooring is a new category for Goodfellow. Morrison said ceramics is all about having the right products, with the desired colours and sizes. Larger tile sizes are trending, and while other flooring may be moving away from grey tones, a darker slate-look ceramic tile is popular for Goodfellow, said Morrison. “I find tile is a market on its own, and it doesn’t always follow the trends of other floor coverings.”
The general flooring market is a little slower than normal, Morrison feels, which he relates to the boom in sales during the pandemic years and lower than average new home starts. The main progression, he noted, has to do with colour.
“People are not moving back to a narrow hardwood plank, for instance; it has just been an evolution of colour.”
As colour preferences evolve, lighter grey floors are giving way to darker tones, especially in the “greige” category, with Morrison adding that warmer tones are likely the future of flooring.
“Lighter colours are still there, but we are seeing more demand for the browns and slightly darker colours, although I don’t think we will see a resurgence of the really dark options.”
Photos courtesy of Goodfellow Inc.
Taiga Building Products, a Canadian flooring and building materials supplier for more than 50 years, has clocked a regional trend when it comes to flooring preferences.
“Canada is a big country and different provinces are strong with different products,” said Rene Laprise, Taiga’s Flooring Director. “Western Canada wants to work with SPC, but they want 5 mm or thicker products. In Eastern Canada, people still love laminate.”
Laprise feels that advances in laminate flooring construction have helped to retain its popularity. The more water resistant the laminate, the more
expensive it is – with available water resistance ratings ranging from 24 hours to 500 hours.
“If you want to be successful in laminate now, you definitely must offer water resistant laminate,” he said. “People are looking for a water-resistant product.”
No matter which you choose, flooring has limits when it comes to water exposure, warned Laprise. “Water resistant and waterproof is good, but if you install flooring in your home and you have a flood, you will still need to replace the product due to mould, etc.”
Photos courtesy of Taiga Building Products
Laminate is known for being a very dependable product that resists scratches better than vinyl, making it a good choice for people with pets.
“People know laminate. It has existed for years with few issues,” said Laprise, noting that some SPC vinyl locking systems have had issues in the past.
“After some months you could see spaces in between the planks. Now, some people don’t want to buy SPC because of that.”
To address some of these locking system issues, Laprise announced that Taiga will be offering a new vinyl flooring product.
“There is a new product development coming in the field called ABA solid polymer core (ABA SPC) flooring – a mix of SPC with a layer of foam SPC, which will be launching in August. I think that will be the next generation of SPC.”
According to Laprise, this new product, called Trio EPC, is 30 percent lighter, very stable and more flexible.
“We will promote it as a good replacement product that is still water resistant. [It has] an 8 mm total thickness and is being launched with a 5G drop-lock system on it to keep it a high-end product.”
Photos courtesy of Taiga Building Products
A super matte finish and anti-microbial coating, coupled with the weight of the box being less for the end user, should appeal to consumers.
When speaking about colour trends in the flooring market, Laprise said grey is fading out slowly.
“Grey is still good in the Atlantic region, but it phased out in Western Canada a year and a half ago,” he explained. “There is still some demand in the West for grey, but it’s very small. We changed to natural tones, with beige and natural tones now being the most popular colours. I think a Scandinavian feel, with a natural look, will continue in 2025 and probably 2026.”
While Laprise said it’s hard to predict the next trend, he believes lighter and medium toned flooring will be prominent, while dark flooring falls from popularity.
Ultimately, Laprise feels flooring trends follow kitchen design: “I think that’s the trend leader, the kitchen.”
Moving forward, he noted that medium browns have become a bit more popular recently – perhaps signalling a move back to a traditional wood flooring look.
“I think the flooring market will be strong over the next few years,” concluded Laprise. “Taiga has definitely invested to develop the flooring market in Canada.”
In some ways, old is becoming new again, as the flooring market heads towards natural looking, wider planks that may conjure up images of light-filled Scandinavian ski chalets. The warmth of medium browns with a more traditional feel are replacing the greys that have dominated in residential design over the last few years. Our experts suggest this trend will continue into 2026.—
Photos courtesy of Taiga Building Products
DRIFTING ISN’T A STRATEGY: 8 STEPS TO STAY ON COURSE IN TURBULENT TIMES
Written by Maartje van Krieken
The storm isn’t coming. It’s already here. And many leaders are realizing they’re sailing without instruments. The current business climate is a storm of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Strategic plans are outdated overnight. Decision-making feels like a risk. And yet—standing still isn’t an option. Leaders are under pressure to keep moving, whilst everything keeps shape shifting.
You are not alone, research shows that:
• Two-thirds of executives struggle to make decisions fast enough during volatile times.
• 70% of business transformations fail, often due to misalignment and unclear direction, and that was in the ‘old world’.
• Half of leaders admit to delaying decisions when markets become unstable.
Here’s the dilemma: when chaos hits, everyone is working hard, but without coordinated direction. The energy is real, the effort is sincere, but there are only limited results to show for it. Conventional business management practices are largely geared towards maintaining steady state operations, or planned projects, changes or growth. Planning cycles are driven by calendar years, historical performance data and negotiated delivery times. But today, you do not have the level of control over your world for these tools to still facilitate progress. And to make it through this storm, leaders need more than motivation, they need navigation, as after this one, there will be another, and another.
That’s where the chaos compass comes in. A framework to help leaders regain grip, restore clarity, and move forward in alignment. Business, like sailing, has situations in which doing nothing when a situation arises is unthinkable, disastrous even. Taking the decision-making mechanics and people dynamics tools and practices from these worlds and translating them for use in a business context is the key to success in a volatile world.
The Chaos Compass does precisely that, and here are its 8 elements.
1. GET YOUR BEARINGS
Start with situational awareness. Map out what you know and don’t know inside and outside your organization. Involve a wide variety of people to create trust, buy in, and get those perspectives from those angles you do not see yourself. Where are the bottlenecks, disconnects, gaps and opportunities?
2. IDENTIFY YOUR NEAREST SAFE HAVEN
If the storm worsens, where do you go? Determine if you can stabilize while operating, or if you need to carve out space to regroup. How long could you afford a holding pattern based on liquidity and current contracts if needed? Can you pause noncritical activity can create the bandwidth to work current priorities and think?
3. RECLARIFY THE DESTINATION
Is your original goal still valid? Has success been redefined? Do you need some near term interim short-term targets, so your team has direction and urgency without false certainty. Redundancy in communication is going to help you iron out ambiguity, misalignment and identify where your definition or boundaries need sharpening. Clarity directs Energy.
4. DIAGNOSE THE BIG LEVERS
Focus on the two to four areas to invest time and resources in to get you back on track towards success. Focus is key to success in turmoil, so deprioritize distractions and non-critical tasks to free up capacity and ‘noise’ in the system. Make sure the interdependencies between these efforts are identified and resourced.
5. DECISION MAKING MECHANICS
Good and fast decision making is facilitated by deploying decision making frameworks, they are simple, fit for purpose and hence not complex to implement. You need the clarity on the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why now’ the structure will provide, to ensure that the actual effort and energy can go into making the best possible decision based on data and risks.
6. EMPOWER PEOPLE
Time to empower your people to ‘get on with it’, with clarity on destination, priorities to work, and the mechanics and boundaries in place, redirection of effort becomes autonomous. Strive to delegate down to the lowest practical level for expediency. Remember that task assignments may need to deviate from the org chart as was.
7.
RELIABLE TOOLS & DATA
Ensure your people, partners and leadership are equipped with access the right resources to do their work, more is not better. Performance Data, decision logs, communication plans—ensure your tools are relevant, real-time and responsive.
8.
EXECUTE & ADAPT
Now don’t bow out before the finish line, execute plans till the intended outcomes have been achieved, yet reassess your environment regularly. If the winds change, your course should too. Agility doesn’t mean random, it means responsive. The need to course correct is not a sign of failure, but a sign of your business resilience in its pursuit of progress.
To be successful in the current climate there is no sense in waiting for clarity, or the storm to pass. You cannot afford to do so, when the next one is already forming. You don’t need calmer weather to lead. You need rhythm, direction, and the willingness to move while things are still swirling. With the right navigation system, businesses can make smarter and faster decisions under pressure, align teams behind shared goals, and start building resilience—not just surviving chaos, but strengthening through it. —
DEFINING DETAILS
Evolving profiles, colours, and materials are helping millwork redefine what it means to finish a space with style.
Written by Lawrence Cummer
Design lives in the details, and millwork— mouldings, trim, and doors—though often understated, has a powerful impact on a home’s aesthetics, adding depth, character, and cohesion to every space.
Millwork is the unsung hero of interior design: subtle in presence but profound in effect. It also demands a level of precision that even handy homeowners often leave to specialists. Errors are obvious and difficult to correct.
“If you want something truly pristine in your home, millwork is the final touch. While a homeowner can install trim, a specialized contractor or installer is more likely to handle it—because you want that installation to be flawless, with no gaps and all the finishing details they bring,”
says Yanick Miron, Director of Allied Products at Taiga Building Products.
“The extra level that the contractor brings is important—and that’s why they get paid for it. Sometimes it’s just the details that separate a good job from a perfect job.”
It’s no surprise, then, that the market for mouldings and interior doors is showing steady growth and resilience despite broader economic pressures. High property values and evolving trends continue to drive many homeowners to renovate and improve their existing homes rather than move.
That said, Miron notes that many style trends have been stable for the past few years.
Photo courtesy of Taiga Building Products
MINIMALIST PROFILES:
PRESENCE WITHOUT FUSS
In both mouldings and interior doors, there’s a clear move away from ornate, decorative trim toward simpler, more refined profiles, according to industry watchers and vendors.
In mouldings, flat stock, soft bevels, and gentle curves are becoming the go-to for baseboards and casings, says Rae Dorothy, Moulding Product Manager at Metrie. And while the look is more
understated, the scale is growing: “We are also seeing a trend toward larger profiles, with baseboards at 5” to 8” and casings from 3” to 4”.”
Dorothy’s counterpart, Sean Greenhill, Door Product Manager at Metrie, sees similar popularity in minimalist designs with a twist: “This trend continues but is slowly evolving to add warmth in interior finishings—clean lines that avoid a cold, sterile feel.”
Photo courtesy of Metrie
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Hardy Rahn, Vice President of Sales at Alliance Door Products Canada, notes a subtle shift as traditional design elements begin to blend into modern, minimalist styles. “We’re constantly innovating to stay ahead of the curve and keep pace with evolving trends,” he says.
While interior door styles have moved away from moulded designs toward clean, flat profiles, Alliance has responded with collections like FineLine and Elemental—flush doors featuring routed grooves that echo the scale and simplicity of today’s trim and moulding trends.
It’s a trend in both renovations and new builds. “A lot of new homes are looking for flat or flush trim but with a bit of a groove so it’s not as jarring as a completely flat profile,” Rahn says. He points to a current design flare around wall paneling, particularly beaded or slat panels—which add subtle texture and profile without the intricate detailing common decades ago.
The look is cleaner and more restrained, offering visual interest while staying true to modern minimalist aesthetics. Rahn suggests that as homes become smaller, having too many design elements can be overwhelming.
Photo courtesy of Alliance Door Products Canada
Of course, in a country as large as Canada, trends vary from coast to coast. David Stojni, Vice President of Sales for Specialty Building Products at Alexandria Moulding, notes that while clean lines and flat profiles dominate in Western Canada, the East is seeing “a bit of a trend for Colonial profiles.”
Still, he stresses, “These are not the elaborate crown mouldings of the past.”
Photos courtesy of Alexandria Moulding
Courtney MacKay, Social Media Coordinator and Co-owner at Moulding Warehouse Ltd. in Nova Scotia, also notes the popularity of a touch of traditional style. “There’s been a shift from stark minimalism to warm traditionalism. I’m not surprised; there’s a timeless elegance that comes with a more traditional style.”
Photo courtesy of Moulding Warehouse Ltd.
COLOUR AND DESIGN TRENDS
While many still gravitate toward black and white tones for mouldings, Dorothy says a bold trend is emerging around colour drenching, in which doors and mouldings are painted the same hue as the walls and ceiling for a dramatic effect.
Greenhill notes that black remains a very popular accent colour for doors, not just on exteriors but also interiors where a standout door is used to make a statement. He adds that the barn door trend has peaked after its meteoric rise in recent years.
Black remains strong, though some designers are shifting toward more versatile
neutral tones—especially in interiors where flexibility and warmth are key.
Two-panel square interior doors remain the most popular design, having displaced the six-panel style years ago, Greenhill says. The former makes up 25% of top sellers, while the latter accounts for 15%, according to Metrie data.
The trend of using mouldings, like shiplap, to create unique wall accents remains popular with some homeowners, inspired by social media. Dorothy says she’s seeing growing interest in biophilic designs—incorporating more natural elements into interiors—and in build-ups that combine multiple profiles for a more detailed look.
Photo courtesy of Metrie
On the other hand, MacKay sees a move away from geometric accent walls: “We’re not seeing as many geometric accent walls in homes today; the once-popular modern style has fallen out of favour.”
“While flatstock remains a popular choice, it’s now often paired with traditional wainscoting, panel moulding details, and a resurgence of crown mouldings. Shiplap remains popular in farmhouse-style homes.”
While geometric accent walls fade, vertical paneling and slat designs are gaining traction as modern alternatives.
“Vertical paneling is still a standout this year, used to make rooms appear taller. Options such as vertically installed shiplap, slat wall paneling, and simple flatstock patterns are still being used to achieve these looks,” Dorothy says. “We’re also seeing more rounded versions, with fluted or convex effects.”
Photo courtesy of Moulding Warehouse Ltd.
MATERIAL MATTERS: RISING INTEREST IN MDF
Budget remains a key factor in home upgrades, and economic pressures in 2025 are shaping homeowner and builder decisions more than ever. While interior doors and mouldings offer a relatively affordable way to make a big visual impact, rising costs, trade tensions, and market uncertainty are prompting many to seek cost-effective materials.
One standout is MDF (medium-density fibreboard), which continues to gain popularity for its affordability, smooth finish, and versatility. Recycled MDF panels appeal to budget-conscious and eco-aware consumers, offering a sustainable alternative to solid wood without sacrificing style.
“The macroeconomic environment has impacted products like finger-jointed and hardwood mouldings,” Stojni says. “Consumers may be gravitating toward MDF now because hardwood has been affected by tariffs.”
Rahn adds that there’s been a noticeable increase in the use of paint-grade materials, especially MDF and various hardwoods. Paint-grade materials’ compatibility with precision grooving techniques provides a seamless match between cabinet doors and mouldings—particularly in kitchens, where MDF’s smooth surface and affordability make it popular.
Photos courtesy of Alliance Door Products
CLOSETS GET UPSCALE UPGRADES
Despite economic pressures, many homeowners and builders are looking for a little extra when it comes to closet doors, says Sonia Parodo, Eastern Canada Sales Leader for Concept SGA Inc.
“Homeowners are investing more in their homes. They’re buying higher-quality closet doors, such as contractor doors with high-end ball-bearing systems, aluminum frames, or soft-close options.”
She adds that higher-end systems were once prohibitively expensive, but now homeowners can achieve a dramatic improvement in appearance and performance—often paying just 20% to 25% more for top-quality materials and aesthetics.
“Just three years ago, contractors would call for the most economical options. Now we’re seeing them looking for the best. We just sold one contractor 300 doors with high-quality aluminum frames and soft-close technology.
“People are building high rises with high-end pools, gyms, and facilities. They want closet doors that look the part.”
In terms of materials, Parodo says that in the good–better–best spectrum of frame options, laminated wood is losing ground as designers and homeowners favour metal (good) and aluminum (best) for quality and appeal.
And variety is in demand. SGA specializes in custom doors and can create up to 28,000 distinct models, incorporating acrylic-based colours, PVC, high-density panels, frosted glass, mirrors, natural wood, and more.
“Homeowners are bringing a lot of creativity to the closet. They don’t want to be the same as the neighbours,” she says. Photos courtesy of
SOMETHING FOR EVERY HOMEOWNER
From clean-lined minimalism to warm traditionalism, today’s millwork choices reflect a growing desire for individuality. With a wide range of profiles, finishes, and materials available, homeowners aren’t limited by convention—they’re choosing mouldings and interior doors that speak to their personal style, adding cost-effective character and cohesion to their spaces.
“Homeowners are embracing softer traditional styles, but we still see plenty of modern and craftsman styles being chosen as well,” MacKay says. “It’s wonderful how much choice there is for homeowners when it comes to mouldings. It’s something relatively costeffective that can give a home new life.” —
Photo courtesy of Moulding Warehouse Ltd.
Photo courtesy of Taiga Building Products
Photo courtesy of Metrie
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