Basis of Presentation	6 Months Ended
Jun. 28, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation Nortek, Inc. (“Nortek”) and all of its wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively the “Company”) is a global, diversified company whose many market-leading brands deliver broad capabilities and a wide array of innovative, technology-driven products and solutions for lifestyle improvement at home and at work. Operating within five primary reporting segments (see Note I, “Segment Information”), the Company manufactures and sells, primarily in the United States, Canada and Europe, with additional manufacturing in China and Mexico, a wide variety of products for the remodeling and replacement markets, the residential and commercial new construction markets, the manufactured housing market, and the personal and enterprise computer markets. The Company operates on a calendar year, and each interim period is comprised of two 4-week periods and one 5-week period, with each week ending on a Saturday. The Company's fiscal year always begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. As a result, the Company's first and fourth quarters may have more or less days included than a traditional 4-4-5 fiscal calendar, which consists of 91 days. The three months ended June 28, 2014 ("second quarter of 2014") and June 29, 2013 ("second quarter of 2013") each include 91 days. The first six months ended June 28, 2014 ("first half of 2014") and June 29, 2013 ("first half of 2013") include 179 days and 180 days, respectively. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income (loss), and cash flows of the Company after elimination of intercompany accounts and transactions, without audit and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments of a normal recurring nature necessary for a fair statement of the interim periods presented. Although certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") have been omitted, the Company believes that the disclosures included are adequate to make the information presented herein not misleading. Operating results for the second quarter and first half of 2014 and 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for other interim periods or for any fiscal year. Certain amounts in the prior year's unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 ("2013 Form 10-K") and Current Reports on Form 8-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). New Accounting Pronouncements In June 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-12, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718) ("ASU 2014-12"), which clarifies the accounting for share based payments in which the terms of the award provide that a performance target can be achieved after the requisite service period. ASU 2014-12 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted and an entity may apply the amendments in ASU 2014-12 either (a) prospectively to all awards granted or modified after the effective date or (b) retrospectively to all awards with performance targets that are outstanding as of the beginning of the earliest annual period presented in the financial statements and to all new or modified awards thereafter. The Company will adopt this pronouncement in the first quarter of 2016 and is currently evaluating the impact, if any, adoption will have on its financial position and results of operations. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014 - 09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) ("ASU 2014-09"). ASU 2014-09 is a comprehensive new revenue recognition standard that will supersede nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The core principle under ASU 2014-09 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 also specifies the accounting for some costs to obtain or fulfill a contract with a customer and also provides guidance on disclosure requirements. ASU 2014-09 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is not permitted and an entity may apply the amendments in ASU 2014-09 either retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying ASU 2014-09 at the date of initial application. The Company will adopt this pronouncement in the first quarter of 2017 and is currently evaluating the impact, if any, adoption will have on its financial position and results of operations. In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014 - 08, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity ("ASU 2014-08"), which changes the criteria for reporting discontinued operations. ASU 2014-08 will also require additional disclosures about discontinued operations including, among others, the major classes of line items constituting the pretax profit and loss of the discontinued operation, either the total operating and investing cash flow of the discontinued operation or the depreciation, amortization, capital expenditures, and significant operating and investing non-cash items of the discontinued operation, a reconciliation of the major classes of assets and liabilities of the discontinued operation classified as held for sale to total assets and total liabilities of the disposal group classified as held for sale that is presented on the face of the balance sheet, and a reconciliation of the major classes of line items constituting the pretax profit or loss of the discontinued operation to the after-tax profit or loss of the discontinued operation that is presented on the face of the income statement. ASU 2014-08 also requires entities to provide disclosures about a disposal of an individually significant component of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations presentation and expands the disclosures about an entity's significant continuing involvement with a discontinued operation. ASU 2014-08 is effective prospectively for both (1) disposals of components of an entity and (2) businesses that, on acquisition are classified as held for sale, that occur within annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2014, and interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted but only for disposals (or classifications as held for sale) that have not been reported in financial statements previously issued or available for issue. As of June 28, 2014, there have been no disposals or classifications as held for sale that would be subject to ASU 2014-08. As such, the Company will consider the adoption of this standard upon the earlier of a disposal or classification as held for sale in 2014 or in the first quarter of 2015. In July 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-11, Income Taxes (“ASU 2013-11”), which is intended to provide guidance regarding the presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. The standard clarifies guidance and eliminates diversity in practice on the presentation of unrecognized tax benefits when certain situations exist at the reporting date and is effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after December 15, 2013 and subsequent interim periods, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-04, Liabilities (“ASU 2013-04”), which is intended to provide guidance for the recognition, measurement, and disclosure of obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements for which the total amount of the obligation is fixed at the reporting date, except for obligations addressed within existing guidance in U.S. GAAP. ASU 2013-04 requires an entity to measure obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements for which the total amount of the obligation is fixed at the reporting date as the sum of (a) the amount the reporting entity agreed to pay on the basis of its arrangement among its co-obligors and (b) any additional amount the reporting entity expects to pay on behalf of its co-obligors. ASU 2013-04 also requires an entity to disclose the nature and amount of the obligation as well as other information about those obligations. ASU 2013-04 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013 and will be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented for those obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements that exist at the beginning of an entity's fiscal year of adoption. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company's financial position or results of operations.

Basis of Presentation

Nortek, Inc. (“Nortek”) and all of its wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively the “Company”) is a global, diversified company whose many market-leading brands deliver broad capabilities and a wide array of innovative, technology-driven products and solutions for lifestyle improvement at home and at work. Operating within five primary reporting segments (see Note I, “Segment Information”), the Company manufactures and sells, primarily in the United States, Canada and Europe, with additional manufacturing in China and Mexico, a wide variety of products for the remodeling and replacement markets, the residential and commercial new construction markets, the manufactured housing market, and the personal and enterprise computer markets.

The Company operates on a calendar year, and each interim period is comprised of two 4-week periods and one 5-week period, with each week ending on a Saturday. The Company's fiscal year always begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. As a result, the Company's first and fourth quarters may have more or less days included than a traditional 4-4-5 fiscal calendar, which consists of 91 days. The three months ended June 28, 2014 ("second quarter of 2014") and June 29, 2013 ("second quarter of 2013") each include 91 days. The first six months ended June 28, 2014 ("first half of 2014") and June 29, 2013 ("first half of 2013") include 179 days and 180 days, respectively.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income (loss), and cash flows of the Company after elimination of intercompany accounts and transactions, without audit and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments of a normal recurring nature necessary for a fair statement of the interim periods presented. Although certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") have been omitted, the Company believes that the disclosures included are adequate to make the information presented herein not misleading. Operating results for the second quarter and first half of 2014 and 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for other interim periods or for any fiscal year. Certain amounts in the prior year's unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 ("2013 Form 10-K") and Current Reports on Form 8-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

New Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-12, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718) ("ASU 2014-12"), which clarifies the accounting for share based payments in which the terms of the award provide that a performance target can be achieved after the requisite service period. ASU 2014-12 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted and an entity may apply the amendments in ASU 2014-12 either (a) prospectively to all awards granted or modified after the effective date or (b) retrospectively to all awards with performance targets that are outstanding as of the beginning of the earliest annual period presented in the financial statements and to all new or modified awards thereafter. The Company will adopt this pronouncement in the first quarter of 2016 and is currently evaluating the impact, if any, adoption will have on its financial position and results of operations.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014 - 09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) ("ASU 2014-09"). ASU 2014-09 is a comprehensive new revenue recognition standard that will supersede nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The core principle under ASU 2014-09 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 also specifies the accounting for some costs to obtain or fulfill a contract with a customer and also provides guidance on disclosure requirements. ASU 2014-09 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is not permitted and an entity may apply the amendments in ASU 2014-09 either retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying ASU 2014-09 at the date of initial application. The Company will adopt this pronouncement in the first quarter of 2017 and is currently evaluating the impact, if any, adoption will have on its financial position and results of operations.

In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014 - 08, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity ("ASU 2014-08"), which changes the criteria for reporting discontinued operations. ASU 2014-08 will also require additional disclosures about discontinued operations including, among others, the major classes of line items constituting the pretax profit and loss of the discontinued operation, either the total operating and investing cash flow of the discontinued operation or the depreciation, amortization, capital expenditures, and significant operating and investing non-cash items of the discontinued operation, a reconciliation of the major classes of assets and liabilities of the discontinued operation classified as held for sale to total assets and total liabilities of the disposal group classified as held for sale that is presented on the face of the balance sheet, and a reconciliation of the major classes of line items constituting the pretax profit or loss of the discontinued operation to the after-tax profit or loss of the discontinued operation that is presented on the face of the income statement. ASU 2014-08 also requires entities to provide disclosures about a disposal of an individually significant component of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations presentation and expands the disclosures about an entity's significant continuing involvement with a discontinued operation. ASU 2014-08 is effective prospectively for both (1) disposals of components of an entity and (2) businesses that, on acquisition are classified as held for sale, that occur within annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2014, and interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted but only for disposals (or classifications as held for sale) that have not been reported in financial statements previously issued or available for issue. As of June 28, 2014, there have been no disposals or classifications as held for sale that would be subject to ASU 2014-08. As such, the Company will consider the adoption of this standard upon the earlier of a disposal or classification as held for sale in 2014 or in the first quarter of 2015.

In July 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-11, Income Taxes (“ASU 2013-11”), which is intended to provide guidance regarding the presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. The standard clarifies guidance and eliminates diversity in practice on the presentation of unrecognized tax benefits when certain situations exist at the reporting date and is effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after December 15, 2013 and subsequent interim periods, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-04, Liabilities (“ASU 2013-04”), which is intended to provide guidance for the recognition, measurement, and disclosure of obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements for which the total amount of the obligation is fixed at the reporting date, except for obligations addressed within existing guidance in U.S. GAAP. ASU 2013-04 requires an entity to measure obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements for which the total amount of the obligation is fixed at the reporting date as the sum of (a) the amount the reporting entity agreed to pay on the basis of its arrangement among its co-obligors and (b) any additional amount the reporting entity expects to pay on behalf of its co-obligors. ASU 2013-04 also requires an entity to disclose the nature and amount of the obligation as well as other information about those obligations. ASU 2013-04 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013 and will be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented for those obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements that exist at the beginning of an entity's fiscal year of adoption. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company's financial position or results of operations.