Las Vegas—Coverings 2026 was held here March 30-April 2 where it celebrated its 36th edition. This year the show spanned more than 400,000 square feet across the North and Central Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center with 1,000 global exhibitors from 40 countries.
Exhibitors shined on the show floor, touting high-fashion booth designs showcasing their latest innovations in tile and stone. The show also included a packed keynote with acclaimed actor, musician and humanitarian Gary Sinise—the show also unveiled an expanded Coverings Cares initiative benefiting the Gary Sinise Foundation, which supports veterans and first responders.
“The show has been great this year,” Jamie Rich, Coverings’ managing director, told FCNews. “The keynote is something we’ve been all abuzz about—not just us on the staff, but I think the industry. Hearing his story and hearing how the industry does help already but how we can be more involved to support projects like that—it’s a really inspiring message.”
Rich added that education is always a major touchpoint at the show, and this year continued that focus. “We have a great education program, but it’s also nice to bring education onto the show floor,” Rich said. “The attendees at Coverings are extremely busy. So it’s nice to be on the show floor and have [an education stage] just a couple of rows down. You don’t need to walk far or invest an hour of your time into a session—which a lot of attendees do, and that’s great, but it’s nice to have those stages available, too.”
And while education is an important aspect of Coverings, product innovation is what keeps attendees coming back for more. “The show floor is always the star,” Rich noted. “There’s no competing with what’s going on down there. It’s truly remarkable.”
Overall, Rich noted that the four-day event was a success—if the vibe was anything to go by. “It’s been super positive,” he said, citing activity on day one. “I do visit a lot of exhibitors, and they’re busy, they’re doing their business and they’re making the deals, which is what it’s all about.”
TCNA lays it all out at Coverings
As is traditional at Coverings, the Tile Council of North America hosted its annual press conference on day two of the show where Eric Astrachan, TCNA executive director, outlined the health of the ceramic tile market.
Last year, according to the TCNA, U.S. ceramic tile consumption totaled 2.57 billion square feet, a 4.9% decline from the previous year. Imports continued to dominate the market, with total shipments reaching 1.86 billion square feet, down 3.7% year over year. Imports accounted for 72.4% of total U.S. consumption, up from 71.5% in 2024.
Spain remained the top exporter to the U.S. by volume, representing 21.4% of imports. Italy followed with 17.7% and India with 16.7%.
By dollar value, Italy led all exporters with a 31.5% share of U.S. imports, while Spain held a 28% share. Mexico followed at 8.6%.
“It’s the fourth consecutive year that the market has contracted,” Astrachan said. “It was $3.76 billion in terms of value, and that’s down about 0.8%. So that reflects [price increases]. Clearly, the ongoing issue of affordability is affecting the housing market, the uncertain tariff picture is affecting the housing market and demand for tile. Uneven construction activity, increasing trucking costs, all of that is contributing to some decline in demand.”
Checkerboards are back
As the most fashion-forward and style-conscious category in the industry, tile suppliers are often ahead of the game when it comes to design. The tile industry is also among the first to embrace the advanced technologies that make those designs possible. This year, that prowess was on full display as new products reflected today’s home and design trends with unmatched technological expertise, realism and performance.
One design trend apparent on the show floor was the concept of timeless design made modern. That’s what the checkerboard pattern is bringing to the table, and this year’s exhibitors didn’t not disappoint.
“We’re seeing a re-trend into timeless classics,” said Fallon Crawford, national director of sales at MSI. “That plays into this [checkerboard] niche. We’re also seeing that in things like smaller hexagons, etc. Things that are bringing in a classic feel to an older home.”
MSI’s Casa Duet delivers a bold visual impact without complex installation. In a 24 x 24 size with a matte finish, it is designed for accessibility and style.
While offering an on-trend look, Casa Duet also solves a pain point. “People are always asking for checkered floor tiles, but the issue that comes with that is you’re mixing two lots of product,” Crawford explained. “This is a 24 x 24 tile, and it’s pre-scored, so you can grout the 12 x 12 pieces and it’s ready to go.”
Stonepeak, a Coverings Best in Show winner this year, offered up its Classic Boutique. Inspired by Italy’s rich architectural history, the line blends the familiarity of traditional marble looks with the refined character of boutique-level design. The checkerboard visual spans a curated range of on-trend, marble-inspired hues, along with a comprehensive selection of formats—including 12 x 12, 12 x 24, 24 x 24 and 24 x 48.
“Look at the dimension and depth of it,” said Sofia Sabattini, director of marketing. “We’re calling these the everyday masterpieces because it’s for everyday use in traditional formats, but they’re absolutely gorgeous.”
Wonder Porcelain, a Coverings Best Display winner, unveiled Tuxedo at the show. The line features an authentic black surface, touting a rich, light-absorbing tone to create a dramatic visual. Paired with the company’s Arctic Style, an eye-catching black and white checkerboard look was achieved.
But that’s not all. Wonder Porcelain makes the line’s mosaics in-house. “At the end of last year, we started making the mosaics in our plant in Tennessee, which is kind of cool because we’re more competitive price-wise. And the quality and the control is what we really like. We’re not at the mercy of a third-party vendor. And now that we make this in- house, the quality is perfect and lead times are tight because we control that.”
Textiles for a new age
Rich colors. Unique designs. Textiles have always led tile by the hand. This year, exhibitors took textile visuals to the next level.
Florida Tile, for example, unveiled one of the most jaw-dropping lines on the show floor: Threadscape. The line is directly inspired by the artistry of textile and high fashion: the textured surface of a hand-stretched canvas, the familiar rhythm of a linen weave or the structured geometry of a plaid tweed suit. The graphic features a refined, canvas-like movement, while the tactile punch adds dimension.
“I had just come back from cabinetry where color drenching is trending,” explained Tressa Samdal, senior director of marketing and product management. “So we are bringing the richness of that into something like tile. This also falls into the tailored craft trend, which falls into that quiet luxury niche. But we also wanted to create something that was sustainable—in terms of lasting. And what’s more timeless and lasting than menswear?”
Portobello America came to the show floor with Loom, which aims to elevate color from a static design element into a tactile exploration. Through advanced ceramic innovation, the collection’s relief surface achieves a true matte finish with a soft, woven-like effect. “It’s a very special technology that we have in our factory [that we use for this,]” said Veronica Gripp, senior brand and communications leader. “I would say that we are the only ones here in U.S. working with this technology.”
Loom is defined by its palpable texture, showcased in a curated palette of rich, earth-inspired hues—ranging from deep, textured burgundy and mossy greens to warm taupes, cool grays and cream. This palette, combined with the woven relief, creates a unique, handcrafted and textile feel.
Sensory experiences
Touch. Feel. Cleanability. Tile is no longer a 2D experience. The full experience is all about including texture to complete the 3D sensory experience.
Del Conca, a Coverings Best in Show winner, unveiled Roma and Bergen. Both collections include the company’s new Trace technology and expand its stone portfolio with enhanced depth and definition, helping users achieve a more natural, premium look while maintaining the performance and consistency of U.S.-made porcelain.
“You can see the flow, the movement of the travertine,” said Mauricio Inglada Rubio, vice president of marketing and sales. “We wanted to have a travertine with character. There are so many travertines out there—but this is a little more special. The texture is synchronized with the design. It’s 3D, it’s more natural.”
Crossville showcased its new Cleve collection, a carbon neutral porcelain tile that captures the character of quartzite in its layered veining, crystalline sparkle and natural striation. The line features FeatherSoft finish, an advanced surface innovation that provides an exceptionally smooth and silky touch for a modern aesthetic while meeting DCOF (Dynamic Coefficient of Friction) recommendations for interior floor applications. The company’s new Reunited line also decked out the booth. Reunited offers a soft aesthetic with a tactile feel—also featuring FeatherSoft—for both residential and commercial spaces.
However, the company’s Slate line was another showstopper. Slate is a 2mm, thin‑format porcelain panel that is designed to merge minimalist, Scandinavian‑Japanese design cues with advanced sustainability. “
“Because it’s only 2mm thick, there’s some benefits to that,” explained Scott Jones, director of product development. “One is in the production. It uses hybrid kiln, so that means a lot less natural gas than a normal kiln. We’ll use 70% less fuel in the normal curing process. And then on the transportation—you can load a lot more on a container. So it’s got a terrific story.”
Elongated shapes
Forget the subway tile of old. This year it’s all about elongated rectangles and fluted designs. MILEstone, for example, unveiled Calissa Plank at the show. While the collection covers a variety of current design trends, elongated shapes is one of them. Produced using Digital Texture technology, Calissa Plank captures the subtle depth and natural variation of wood in elongated 12 x 70 and 10 x 60 plank formats. It also features complementary mosaics—a 16 x 17 Blossom Deco and a 10 x 60 Strips Deco, designed to reinforce linear continuity.
“The elongated shapes—they are more popular than ever,” said Patricia Acosta, corporate communications manager. “And subway’s gotten boring. So this is a way to be a little bit more modern and expand upon that further. Even some of our recently produced collections have that elongated option.”
Atlas Concorde was at the show with a variety of new designs, including its new Fray X collection, a celebration of its 10- year anniversary. Fray was originally launched in 2016 but this year Fray X enters the market with a distinct textile/concrete look, a minimal, matte finish, trend-forward neutrals and versatile sizes—including 24 x 24.
“[In 2016,] Fray, which has been our bestseller since then, was a more distressed type of look. Rough. Industrial,” said Davide Saguatti, director of marketing. “Now we’re taking it to a smoother, modern version.”
