DriTac Flooring Products LLC

DriTac continues to change the flooring industry with its products.

Not many companies can say they brought products to their industry that were ahead of their time, but DriTac Flooring Products LLC can proudly do so. “There are numerous examples through the years where we came to market with high-tech, innovative products that changed the landscape of how hardwood and resilient flooring were installed,” President Yale Block says.

Based in Clifton, N.J., DriTac serves the domestic and international markets with eco-friendly flooring installation solutions. Block explains that the company started operations in 1956 with its DriTac 6200 product, a pressure sensitive adhesive for vinyl and wood flooring installations.

DriTac 6200 flooring adhesive sustained the company for many years, but DriTac proved its flexibility when it responded to an industry-wide market shift in the 1990s. The U.S. Clean Air Act of 1990 forced many flooring installation companies to rethink their product choices, as solvents used in wood flooring adhesives were banned due to ozone depletion.

“DriTac 6200 was extremely unique in the marketplace. We recognized this shift to water-based adhesives and 60 years later, this one-of-a-kind product still maintains a very large and loyal base of contractors that refuse to use anything else,” says Wade Verble, the vice president of business development and product manager for DriTac’s underlayment division.

The company also began adding new products, including DriTac 7500 Eco-Urethane wood flooring adhesive, which also remains in its lines to this day.

“It’s a solvent free, zero-VOC moisture-cured urethane adhesive,” Block says, adding that it also earned certification from the Green Plus program. “[It] was well ahead of its time and remains one of the very few, truly green urethane wood flooring adhesives on the market today.”

One to Rely On
Today, DriTac offers more than 50 product SKUs and maintains a focus on offering eco-friendly products. “As we begin 2019, the overwhelming majority of our line is considered green,” Executive Vice President Myrna Block declares, adding that approximately 60 percent of DriTac products are VOC-free and third party tested and certified.

Another important area of focus for DriTac, Verble notes, is maintaining its well-known integrity. “We stand behind our products and customer satisfaction is our primary goal,” he says.

Block agrees. “DriTac’s primary company objective is to produce and deliver the highest quality, eco-friendly flooring solutions across the country and around the globe with excellent service and a deep appreciation for our valued customers,” she says. “We’re known in the industry for being a highly responsive company that offers solutions to meet the needs of our customers.”

DriTac also takes pride in the fact that it is U.S.-based. “We are one of a very few flooring adhesive manufacturers that are owned and operated in the United States. We take great pride in being able to make that statement,” Block says.

A Winning Combination
Within the past few years, DriTac has added flooring underlayments to its lines. These products, Senior Vice President of Sales Chuck Hall notes, are compatible with the company’s adhesives and moisture barriers, making DriTac a single-source supplier for its clients.

Verble concurs, noting that as the industry shifts toward multi-layer flooring products, DriTac is evolving and providing problem-solving solutions for this category. Flooring underlayment will play a major role in the industry shift towards MLF products. “We’ve coupled two major flooring installation components together to help propel us in the industry moving forward,” he says.

It also allows DriTac to address customer challenges of attaining moisture control and sound control, which is often required for larger-scale, multifamily and high-rise applications. “By using our stringently tested adhesive and underlayment solutions in conjunction with one another, we are able to extend a fully warranted total sound and moisture reduction system to end-users,” Hall says.

“We strive to provide our customer-base with premium-grade installation solution options and allow them to choose based upon preference. Some installers prefer our innovative single-component sound and moisture control system adhesives and others choose the double-stick application method.”

Good Fits
DriTac is currently in growth mode, Verble says. Recently, the company introduced a rubber underlayment line with plans to introduce a rubber finished sports floor line later this year. “In 2019, we intend to launch a full recycled underlayment program along with a recycled rubber sports flooring line,” he reports.

Both lines are made from 100 percent post-consumer waste and are natural fits for DriTac. “The rubber flooring line allows us to add to our already substantial portfolio of eco-friendly flooring installation solutions,” he says.

“Similar to DriTac’s line of sound and moisture control system adhesives, our full line of flooring underlayment focuses on sound abatement and fits the overall scope and model of providing problem-solving solutions to our valued customer-base,” he says.

Branching Out
Verble is proud of DriTac and how it has stayed committed to its core values, particularly under the leadership of owners Yale and Myrna Block. “They set the standard for integrity and that has a trickle-down effect on our company from top to bottom,” Verble says.

The company plans to continue adding to its product line and diversifying with forward-thinking installation solutions. In 2018, DriTac added two premium-grade foam underlayment products — DriTac 8301 Impact and 8302 Double Impact — which were widely accepted by its customers.

“The successful introductions of DriTac 8301 Impact and 8302 Double Impact set the tone for expansion to a full line of foam and rubber underlayment,” he says, noting that it led to the development of 10 new SKUs. “Both foam underlayments made tremendous inroads in a short period of time and this significant impact has led the charge in allowing our underlayment division to flourish.”

But as it grows, DriTac plans to continue listening to its customer base. “That’s a big part of how we approach customer service,” Verble says. “Putting that into action [involves] listening to the needs of our customer-base and providing them with innovative, problem-solving solutions that positively affects their bottom lines.”