By Louis Iannaco
Whether it’s a glass mosaic or metallic-accent, earth-toned porcelain or a rustic wood look, the tile segment continues to strut its stuff by incorporating fashion with state-of-the-art technology. The following are some of the leading looks and products for 2009:

American Olean

St. Germain is a colorbody porcelain that emulates the textile look of woven fabric, noted Lori Kirk-Rolley, senior marketing director. The collection is available in nine, matte-finish colors (Blanc, Crème, Chenile, Or, Sable, Chocolat, Sauge, Gris and Noir) and five rectified, modular sizes—12-, 12 X 24-, 24-, 6 X 24-inches and a mesh-mounted 1 X 2-inch straight-joint mosaic. The 6 X 24-inch is particularly well suited for use as floor planks, creating a look similar to hardwood.

St. Germain was designed to coordinate with American Olean’s wide-variety of glass and metal accent pieces. The series’ trim package includes a 3 X 12-inch bullnose, 6 X 12-inch cove base and 1 X 6-inch cove corner, and each product is available in all colors.

Nouveau is a “very modern colorbody porcelain floor tile that features a “pin-dot” visual and a textured surface for a dramatic, yet sophisticated look,” she said. Each of the series’ five contemporary colors—Exposition White, Luminary Gold, Artisan Brown, Industrial Gray and Abstract Black—is available in either an unpolished or light polished finish. Nouveau’s four modular sizes (12-, 18-, 12 X 24- and 24-inch) are rectified, allowing clean, tight grout joints.

A 2 X 12-inch decorative accent that combines the field tile with metallic elements and diagonal patterns is available in three coordinating color combinations and features a larger, more pronounced “pin-dot” texture than the field tile, creating a highly textured look, she said. A 3 X 12-inch bullnose, 6 X 12-inch cove base and 1 X 6-inch cove base out-corner complete the collection.

Avaire

“We have three collections of product,” noted Rob Tarver, vice president of sales and marketing for Avaire/SnapStone, “Standards, Choice and Select. Our entry- level product line is Standards, which includes four 12-inch designs. Our two most popular collections are Choice, which contains 15 12-inch designs and 15 matching 6-inch tile designs. Select contains five 18-inch tile designs, which can be mixed with our Choice collection.

“Many consumers like mixing the two sizes together to create pinwheel designs which add a beautiful and unique look,” he explained. “The two most popular colors within the Choice collection are Tierra and Riverbed. Tierra is a golden bronze slate with strong Umber overtones. This color works well with most consumers’ décor and slate visuals are popular. Riverbed is a brown-pebbled Limestone, allowing for a more rustic appearance.

“The Select collection has a more modern appeal to the visual and is designed to work well in both residential and commercial applications,” said Tarver. “The two most popular Select colors are Stone, which is a marbled Limestone with strong shades of beige and gray. Tucson is a tanned stained concrete with hints of Sienna. Commercial designers and consumers alike gravitate to stained concrete for a more sophisticated visual.”

Crossville

“We are extremely pleased with the response the market has had to our new UltiMetal tile,” said Laurie Lyza, director of marketing, “which has quickly become a top seller. It is what we like to call the ultimate metal tile because it combines the glitz of metal tile with the legendary durability of Crossville’s porcelain stone. It is a rectified, large format tile with a unique micro-mesh texture that suggests a fabric-like appearance. The series has a contemporary color palette and amazing, boldly patterned decos. Customers love UltiMetal because it can be used in commercial areas where metal tile is typically not recommended. It is highly functional, but also a beautiful tile.”

Glass Blox is another great seller,” he added. “What makes it so popular is the color palette with 44 colors, including brights and neutrals and blends. The variety of sizes and the colors, which were developed by Barbara Schirmeister, make this one a designer’s favorite. We also donate 5% of our profit from sales of Glass Blox to The Common Thread for the Cure. We support the organization year-round, but especially during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”

Dal-Tile

Concrete Connection is a glazed porcelain tile with the contemporary, minimalist look of stained concrete, but with a natural surface, complete with detailed veining and square edges; cement meets stone, noted Kirk-Rolley.

The collection is available in six colors (Boulevard Beige, Steel Structure, City Elm, Plaza Rouge, Eastside Brown and Downtown Black) and features a large, modular size package and rectified edges. Sizes include 20-, 13 X 20-, 13-, 6½ X 20- rectilinear, 6½- and a 2 X 6-inch mosaic. The mosaic tile comes sheet-mounted in a stagger-joint that interlocks sheet-to-sheet.

A 2½ X 13-inch decorative border combines pieces of three field tile colors with two metal-glazed pieces in coordinating color tones. The decorative border is available in two color combinations: Retro Warm (coordinates with Boulevard Beige, Plaza Rouge and Eastside Brown) and Retro Cool (coordinates with Steel Structure, City Elm and Downtown Black).

Salerno is a glazed ceramic floor and wall tile that “captures the look and feel of time-worn Italian stone,” said Kirk-Rolley. It is available in four natural colors (Nubi Blanche, Cremona Caffe, Marrone Chiaro and Grigio Perla), and features a comprehensive size package for walls and floors. Sizes include a 2-inch mosaic, a 2-inch octagon and 1-inch dot, a 6- and 10 X 14-inch wall tile and a 12- and 18-inch floor tile.

“A wide variety of visually exciting accents allow homeowners and designers to create a truly customized feel,” she said. “Salerno’s accents include a 3 X 10-inch floral wall accent, a 3 X 10-inch universal smoky topaz glass wall accent, a 10 X 14-inch wall tile accent with a diamond-shaped cutout and a 3 X 12-inch universal floor/wall accent that can be separated into four smaller 3-inch accents. The 10 X 14-inch wall tile accent is designed with the versatile option of using any of the 3-inch accents as inserts, including a floral design, a smoky topaz glass and a universal accent.” A 12-inch universal block random accent rounds out the collection.

Mannington

Last year, the mill introduced two new styles, Serengeti Slate and Antiquity, which are reminiscent of rustic and time-worn slate and stone, noted Jim Dougherty, Mannington’s director, ceramic tile. “These have proven to be very popular with consumers, as the rustic trend in home decorating continues.

“Our porcelain tile line has been undergoing a transformation over the past year,” he explained. “The products we are introducing into the marketplace are all styled and designed by Mannington. This offers consumers the perfect combination of patterns that mesh with American décor trends and the always-popular elegance of European tile.”

Shaw

Lunar and Brushstone are Shaw’s two best selling tile and stone products, noted Jason Kyzer, Shaw’s tile and stone product category manager. “Brushstone, a porcelain tile with the look of adobe walls, is a stylish visual and is available as an accent border, border, mosaic, insert, listello, bullnose, and four tile sizes—12-, 18-, 6- and 3 X 6-inches. Lunar, a porcelain tile inspired by the moon’s surface, is available in the same tile sizes as well as bullnose, mosaic, and rhomboid mosaic. Both meet the value and style needs of today’s consumers, and also contain 40% recycled content.”