by Emily J. Cappiello
Coverings 2012 will be bursting at the seams as more than 800 exhibitors from around the world show off the latest and greatest in tile. New inkjet products, eco-friendly offerings and new accessory pieces will be on display as retailers and distributors gear up for the selling year ahead. The following are some of the companies and their launches along with those from the Italian and Spanish pavilions, which were highlighted in the April 2/9 issue of Floor Covering News:
Bellavita Tile
Bellavita will be showing off Cascades, which is available for wall installations indoors or out. Cascades is both highly frost and chemical resistant, therefore available to be used in places ranging from residential kitchens to commercial pools. Coming in two modular sizes, 2×8 and 4×16, with 1/8” grout joint, the line is recommended to be installed using a thin-set latex or polymer. It is suitable for all wall applications, including columns when used vertically, interior and exterior applications and for both wet and dry applications. Because of the fine nature of the glass tile, 2mm of non-sanded grout is recommended. Cascades comes in nine colors.
Crossville
Crossville will be introducing Shades at Coverings 2012. The line’s contemporary palette is a mix of nine refined tones with linear detailing. Six shades of gray—ranging from warm to cool—can stand alone to create monochromatic looks or mix-and-mingle for patterned designs. The subtle, linear details can be installed in a single direction or placed randomly.
Shades by Crossville comes in 24”x24”, 12”x24” and 6”x24” tiles. As part of Crossville’s “Get Planked” program, the line can also be produced in custom sizes for extended versatility and truly custom applications. Shades’ modern, decorative accents—1”x3” honed, stacked mosaics in warm, cool or white combinations and internationally-sourced metallic mosaics—offer stylized, finished designs.
Manufactured at Crossville’s plant in Crossville, Tenn., Shades by Crossville is produced with a minimum 20% recycled content. The line is suited for residential and commercial installations and may be used on interior floors and walls, as well as exterior walls.
Florida Tile
Florida Tile will be heading to Coverings with new High Definition Porcelain (HDP), Petra Art Stone and VitraArt looks.
Recently, the company updated its VitraArt program to include the Tranquil and Harmony lines. Tranquil, a collection of clear glass, is composed of 12 colors in six sizes. Harmony then takes those colors and develops them into six blends available in three modern sizes. VitraArt Harmony and Tranquil both include a minimum of 80% recycled glass content.
Petra Art Stone has an array of collections to browse and includes Polished Travertine, Rustic, Slate and Tumbled Marble.
New to the company’s HDP offerings is Gallant. Gallant is presented in a large format 18×18-inch matte porcelain floor tile and is complemented by a 9×18 ceramic wall tile in a shiny finish. Available in six colors, cach color is matched with its own coordinating listellos, chair rails and corners as well as floor and wall bullnose and mosaics. Gallant is GreenGuard and Porcelain Tile certified.
Marazzi USA
Marazzi’s Silk series has the look of a vein-cut travertine in a modern, colorbody porcelain that meets the needs of residential and commercial installations. A three-dimensional digital print technique reproduces the striations and mineral deposits found in natural travertine in this multi-sized, line that is complemented with mosaic and decorative trim options. Three rectangular sizes are joined by a square 20”x20” module. Multiple mesh-mounted mosaics and listelli further accessorize the series: A 2”x2” mesh-mounted mosaic is available in all colors, while a stacked mosaic features all colors in a 12”x12” module. Rounding out the series are cove base, cove base angles and single bullnose trim that add the final touches to a well-dressed room. Silk also contains 21% recycled content and is domestically produced.
Mediterranea
Mediterranea will be showing off the Boardwalk Series. The line is designed to emulate the weathered hardwood planks found on the boardwalks across the U.S. and features fully rectified tiles in a full 48” length. The collection comes in four colors named after America’s most distinctive boardwalks–Atlantic City (ash), Coney Island (walnut), Myrtle Beach (whitewash) and Venice Beach (amber). Using its Dynamic HD Imaging technology, Boardwalk is offered in 8” x 48” and 6” x 24” sizes, complete with 3” x 24” bullnose trim pieces.
Ragno USA
Ragno USA’s newest porcelain, Vesta, is made for residential installations. Available in three colors–blue/green, ivory and noce–the line comes in 6.5”x6.5”, 13”x13” and 20”x20” modules, facilitating customization opportunities for both floors and walls. . Two different listelli – one combines each color with fawn metallic rectangular glass insets; the other features 2”x2” metallic units in various patterns –accent the series, which includes 21% recycled content.
Ceramic Tiles of Italy
The new Italian Pavilion will continue to serve as a central hub of activity and hospitality at the show. Located in the middle of nearly 50 exhibits from Italy’s leading tile manufacturers, the pavilion will create a valley that channels the flow of circulation through the exhibition spaces. Surrounding the central stand will be nearly 50 exhibits from Ceramics of Italy member manufacturers showcasing their stylish and sustainable new tile collections.
Flair.7 by Caesar is characterized by the merging of light and color. Appropriate for residential and commercial spaces, this porcelain stoneware collection is available in the modular sizes 24″x24″ and 12″x24″ and in the new 30″x30″ format. Flair.7 is available in seven colors and a matte finish.
Wood Talk is a new floor covering from Ergon. Derived from tree trunks, each piece of wood contains its own sequence of lines and colors. Wood Talk is offered in two sizes and four shades: white smoke, beige digue, gray pepper, brown flax.
Italgraniti’s Mineral D is a new full-body porcelain stoneware collection inspired by natural stone. Italgraniti uses digital technology to create a vein pattern that changes from piece to piece. Available in five colors, nine sizes and two surfaces (matte and anti-slip), it can be used for walls, floors, indoors and outdoors as well as heavy traffic areas.
Lea reproduces the granitic texture and characteristic gradations of Belgium’s Pierre Bleue stone for the Blue Mountain collection. Thanks to new processing methods, the texture is enriched by gray-black veins that are different for every piece. The line is available in four colors and six formats.
Evolution Marble by Marazzi is a through-body fine porcelain stoneware collection inspired by marble. Evolution is available in two colors, beige and bronze, two finishes and a range of square and rectangular formats.
Mirage’s Heritage is a blend of antique and modern. Heritage is available in six colors, three surfaces–natural, smooth and structured–and various sizes ranging from 6”x24” to 24”x48”.
EcoDream from Novabell is a collection of porcelain floor tiles that uses HD digital technologies to recreate the warmth of wood. Thanks to the range of tones and nuances of each tile, EcoDream has a natural and vivid look, according to the company. Available in the colors of sessile oak, ash, honey, chestnut and oak, the collection offers different formats.
Doghe 0.3 from Panaria features a wood effect in a 3mm thickness. This collection comes in three colors and sizes including 100x300cm, 100x100cm, 20x200cm, 20x150cm and 20x100cm.
Pietra del Nord, a new tile collection by Rex, is available in a variety of sizes, from mosaics to 80x180cm, and comes in five colors as well as in two surface finishes: Soft and matte.
Lodge from Settecento is a series of glazed and rectified porcelain stoneware inspired by rustic, reclaimed wood. Available in four colors, the line is available in 9”x38” and 6”x38”. In addition, there are two surface options: A hand finish for laying the tiles indoor and cross-cut with an anti-slip R11 surface for outdoor installations.
Tile of Spain
This year marks Tile of Spain’s 25th year at the Coverings trade show and the brand will be hosting 42 Spanish ceramic and stone manufacturers will showcase the latest ceramic tile technology and design choices.
Aparici will introduce its Neutral series, available in eight colors featuring several different relief patterns, and its Jungle collection, tiles that imitate a mosaic of different types of wood.
Apavisa plans to showcase Archconcept, a new indoor/outdoor ceramic collection that provides new volumes to vertical surfaces, including hexagons with volume in its core and square panels with raised and folded corners. The tiles are created with stone, metal and cement finishes.
Azteca’s highlight of the show will be the Denver collection in white body for walls and porcelain for floors. Its matte finish and non-repetitive design provides a dynamic design for any surface, without repetitive patterns.
Azulejos Plaza will preview several new products including its Ecowood series of Eco-Logik tile, with more than 85% of its components coming from recycled materials. It’s available in four colors and can be used indoors and outdoors.
Azulev will present its Enigma collection that merges the minimal aspects of cement with subtle intrusions of stone. This new tile is developed on colored body porcelain tiles with digital technology and high-tech applications.
Ceramicas Fanal will highlight its newest wall and floor tile series entitled Studio, in various coordinating formats, that complement each other and work together to create stone-inspired living spaces in shades of ivory, sand, natural and gray.
Colorker will feature its new collection, Natura. The line is made up of porcelain tiles with the realistic look of natural wood that has been aged to create an almost antique-looking finish.
Grespania’s newest feature product is Coverlam, a laminated and rectified porcelain stoneware tiles manufactured using a new production process that offer numerous design possibilities. The thickness has been reduced to a minimum–3.5mm making it possible to produce large-format, lightweight tiles with all the features of porcelain stoneware.
La Platera will show its Colorado series of tile that conveys warmth and brings the feel of natural wood indoors as well as its new States and Scavo series. The company will also feature its innovative Pixtile, a new concept in ceramic tiles that allows for creativity and customizable ceramic tile mosaics.
Land will showcase its Fahrenheit series, a tile resembling metal with an aged-effect that is available in curved 3D pieces, as well as its Portland collection of hexagonal tiles that look like concrete.
Keraben will present new sizes, colors and finishes to its current Stone Studio collection, an interpretation of natural stones through large format ceramic tiles, which includes Petit Granit available in shades of black, graphite, gray, mocha, light brown and cream.
Parmesa will offer several new fashion forward collections including Moods with its versatility and a palette of 10 colors in 7.9” x 23.6” red body format. The company will also showcase its latest digital printing capability with the introduction of tiles resembling with onyx, marble and stone.
TAU will showcase innovations such as its new S3 Technical Ceramic Wall, a system where technology can be hidden behind a beautifully tiled wall. The Technical Ceramic Wall is a vertical extension of a removable floor behind which wiring and fittings for domestic appliances, devices and electrical equipment is concealed.
Undefasa will showcase several new products including its new Manhattan series of porcelain large format floor tiles inspired by natural stone. This new floor tile collection is available in four colors: Gray, beige, slate and brown.