By Megan Salzano
As the struggle to find qualified tile installers continues to rage throughout the industry, Daltile took to the drawing board to design a tile product it believes will ease the burden—RevoTile.
Billed as a game-changer for the tile industry, the patented, floating floor system is genuine porcelain that can be installed in one day, two times faster than traditional tile, according to the company.
Eric Mondragon, hard surface buyer, flooring division, R.C. Willey Home Furnishings, is one of a select number of retailers to view the product before its official debut in 2020. “I think it’s a product that could be received well in the industry,” he told FCNews. “It’s a solution to an installation problem the industry is facing. Tile is still a viable and attractive product with some of the best visuals out there, but the industry doesn’t have the tile installers to put it down.”
RevoTile installs in three steps. The first step is to place the underlayment. RapidPrep underlayment is a fast, simple, fanfold underlayment that is easy to cover the floor with and easy to cut, according to Daltile. It replaces mortar, thereby eliminating setting time, and also serves as a moisture barrier and shock-absorbing structure. RapidPrep is also designed to improve comfort underfoot while providing compression strength as well as thermal insulation. Furthermore, it is compatible with many types of underfloor heating and reduces sound transmission to the room below, thereby eliminating some traditional disadvantages of floating floors.
The next step is to click the tiles together. RevoTile features a proprietary RevoCore with patented ClicFit technology, which fosters consistent alignment and no lippage. The third and final step is to grout the product with RapidGrout, a premium, pre-mixed, water-based grout specifically designed for tile that features ClicFit technology. The quick-setting formulation is said to install up to 50% faster than traditional grout and never needs to be sealed.
The completed RevoTile floor is waterproof, stainproof, scratch-resistant, dent-proof, fire-resistant and easy to clean. Also, because mortar is not used, a RevoTile floor is easy to remove when the homeowner’s style preferences change over time or when refreshing a retail or light commercial space.
“The most beautiful, durable and waterproof floor is now just as easy and fast to install as any floating floor on the market,” Paij Thorn-Brooks, vice president of marketing for Dal-Tile Corp., told FCNews. “There is no mortar drying time, no messy, two-part grout and no return visits.”
Another perk of the new floating porcelain is its ability to be installed over many existing floors. In fact, Darren Hearns, president, Great Lakes Carpet, told FCNews, “I think the biggest usage for the product is probably going to be for those who don’t want to take up existing flooring. You can save the cost and labor associated with demolition to take up and remove any existing floors.”
RevoTile also allows flooring retailers the opportunity to open the category to the DIY market, some of which have already noted the potential. “When I saw this product, I said this is something that I can offer and it solves two problems,” Mondragon explained. “One, I can offer it as a DIY product and be able to explain to a customer how they can put it down and that it’s going to be a one-day process vs. a three-day process; and two, we can install this and the profitability now comes back into my pocket rather than sending it out.”
When it comes to design, this new line of snap-together tile flooring is said to continue Daltile’s legacy of delivering innovative, fashion-driven products that are the definition of Modern American luxury. Offered in 26 looks—marble, wood, stone and concrete—the curated assortment of design-driven styles is made to reflect today’s most popular colors, textures, finishes and sizes. To help achieve these visuals, RevoTile features Daltile’s state-of-the-art digital printing technology, Reveal Imaging.
“I had my installation managers play around with it and get some feedback from the tile setters,” Mondragon added. “They all had positive reviews. Items have come out in the past with visuals that were not great for what they were asking for it. With this, the visuals are great and it goes together really well.”
