John Blanton, national sales manager for Fritz Industries

By Louis Iannaco
Las Vegas—Ceramic tile’s popularity has much to do with the desire to bring nature indoors. To that end, tile producers have been offering a more refined, subtle look. Urban contemporary styling and finishes mixed with a palette of darker, natural colors could be seen in many Surfaces booths. Also quite prevalent were larger-format tiles, thinner grout lines, more rectified product, mosaics, glass and metal offerings, as well as increased floor and wall combinations.

New from Daltile was Concrete Connection, a glazed porcelain tile with the contemporary, minimalist look of stained concrete but with a natural surface, complete with detailed veining and stained edges—basically cement meets stone. Available in colors such as Downtown Black, Eastside Brown, Plaza Rouge, City Elm, Steel Structure and Boulevard Beige, the collection varies in sizes from a 20-inch field tile to a 2 x 6-inch mosaic sheet.

A 2 1/2 x 3 decorative border combines three field-color tiles with two metal-glaze pieces in coordinating color tones. The decorative border is available in two color combinations: Retro Warm and Retro Cool. Trims, bullnose and cove base corners round out the line.

International Wholesale Tile (IWT) enjoyed a record-breaking Surfaces, selling roughly 4.5 million square feet of stock. One reason was the popularity of its Kulture line—made by Italian manufacturer Panaria Ceramica—which mimics natural stone’s rustic texture and shade characteristics. Available in three sizes and four colors, the line also features relief profile design trims as well as mosaics.

IWT’s Dehli Series, made by Spanish factory Zirconio, utilizes the newest in inkjet technology, which prints the design directly onto the face of the tile. The line, which also proved very popular at the show, is influenced by natural rock formations. Dehli also comes in three sizes and four colors, including mosaics.

Mexico-based Vitromex USA debuted several new lines at Surfaces, including Damascato and Montecarlo. Damascato, an impervious porcelain line, is designed to be an authentic replica of a Trachite stone originating from the sandstone family. Using the latest state-of-the-art technology, eight jumbo roto-colors using two different batteries of stone designs marry to create a revolutionary tile look, noted Massimo Ballucchi, director of marketing and product development.

The collection’s colors are walnut, steel, sandstone and stone white, and it is available in 20-, 13- and pressed 6 x 5 inches, cut floor bullnose for a perfect match in color and texture.

Montecarlo, another porcelain offering, is actually a replica of a cross-cut travertine stone. Colors include beige, gris and dorado, which were developed to complement the needs of today’s American home furnishings. “In fact,” said Ballucchi, “these colors are bolder to meet today’s consumer demands.” Montecarlo also offers a complete trim package with v cap and quarter round and their respective corners.

Inspired by the French wine region, Ragno USA featured its Burgundy series, a glazed porcelain tile in four colors. The product features varied tones, tiny reflective bits that give it depth and random streaks. The line’s palette is designed to adapt easily to a variety of surroundings and works well with wood, stone and glass. The line can be used for medium commercial or residential as well as light institutional floor and wall applications.

Ragno’s Burgundy and Borgoforte series were launched to rave reviews from Surfaces attendees who placed orders for over 225,000 square feet. Merchandising introductions included an expanded grouted panel display (new in size and color), a wing tray display combining illustrated sample boards and grouted panels, plus a contractor board program.

Granada Tiles, makers of master-crafted cement tiles, has doubled the number of designs in its Echo collection. From flowing art deco patterns to strong geometrics, the line now provides a complete spectrum of design possibilities. According to Granada Tiles’ founder and president Marcos Cajina, cement tiles are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. for their charm, appeal and versatility.

Diamond Tech Glass Tile (DTGT) debuted its latest collection of colored 8-mm etched glass tile called the Frosted Dimensions Series. Rita LeVine, marketing director, said glass tile is popular today because it can be used everywhere from the kitchen to an entrance way.

Frosted Dimensions is designed to never fade. Their color withstands cold and heat, and they are impervious to dirt, making them ideal for a kitchen backsplash or bath surrounds. Available in eight 1-inch solids and four color mixes, each square foot, flexible, mesh-mounted sheet can be applied directly to walls and countertops or wrapped around curved surfaces. The sheets can be cut into strips to be used as a decorative border in combination with other materials.

DTGT also unveiled its new Platinum Series glass tile. “These glamorous glass tiles transform any surface into a spectacular show of color,” said David Cox, DTGT’s sales manager. “Transparent and semi-transparent, Platinum glass tiles possess a special reflective surface that transforms when hit by light into an ever-changing rainbow-like display.”

Fritz Industries, makers of a unique “flexible” terrazzo product called Fritztile, also enjoyed a great show. “Our product installs like a vinyl composition tile as opposed to our competition, which typically installs its product, a more rigid material, as if it was a ceramic tile with a grout joint,” said John Blanton, national sales manager. “Ease of installation is one of our main features. Over the years, due to technology, our product has gone down from a 1/2-inch product to today, with some of the modified polyesters, it is now an 1/8-inch product. It’s much lighter and easier to ship and install. Advances in technology have helped us considerably.”

One of the company’s latest creations, Decorator Onyx DS-1600 Series, an onyx stone terrazzo product with nine available colors in a 3/16-inch-thickness, experienced a warm reception from Surfaces attendees earlier this month. The large, highly polished semiprecious stones have a natural translucence that give the tile a sense of visual depth, noted Blanton. “Only routine maintenance is needed to protect Fritztile’s Decorator Series from stains, scuffs, mild acids and alkalis. Fritztile is an economical, high-performance alternative to traditional poured in place terrazzo.”

The company also showcased its Exotica Pearl Series, a collection featuring pearl chips which “dance in the light,” changing colors when viewed from different angles.