By Louis Iannaco
The calendar says it’s spring even if the weather says otherwise, so it’s time for manufacturers across the land to spring forth with exciting and innovative introductions. Fresh off shows like Cevisama in Spain and Coverings in Las Vegas, ceramic manufacturers have produced a plethora of product in different sizes, including the ever-popular planks and textures that run the gamut and colors in varying shades of the spectrum.

The following are just a few of the latest and greatest offerings now available.

American Olean
The company is introducing four product lines for residential and commercial applications. Each collection—Belmar, Infusion, Kendal Slate and Montego—embodies the quality, style and design that come standard with the American Olean name, noted Lynda White, the company’s brand marketing manager.

Belmar is a residentially focused, glazed line featuring a vivid stone texture which complements the rich collection of color and style options—including wall and mosaic tile elements— providing the opportunity to create a cohesive contemporary design, she noted.

Infusion is one of the brand’s most significant product launches to date for the commercial space, White said. “Its chic fabric visuals meld a perfect blend of contemporary and sophisticated style reminiscent of artisanal tweed and rich linen.” Infusion is available in two visuals: Fabric, designed to mimic a tweed pattern, and Wenge, reminiscent of linen. These visuals are complemented through a wide range of color options.

The look of natural slate is captured in the Kendal Slate collection. Available in three colors with high shade variation and enhanced with Reveal Imaging, the collection is the choice for realistic, classic design, she noted. Microban antimicrobial technology is infused into the product’s glaze, offering protection against odor-causing bacteria. The line is made in the U.S.

Earthy hues that mimic the look of travertine are captured within the Montego collection. Products are available in three complementary shades with textured surfaces. Montego features two modular field tile sizes as well as a 3 x 12 bullnose providing a designer finish.

Crossville
From the porcelain producer celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year comes Bluestone. Inspired by the natural stone from which it derives its name, Bluestone features a field of soft earthen tones, enhanced by fossil-like impressions and the subtle pearlescence of embedded shells. In both natural and semi-polished finishes, Crossville said Bluestone porcelain stone tile imparts a classic, time-honored elegance to any space.

Designed for both commercial and residential installations, Bluestone contains a minimum of 20% recycled content and is manufactured using processes that have been certified by Scientific Certification Systems. It’s available in four colorways— Colorado Buff, Arizona Brown, Pennsylvania Blue and Vermont Black—and a variety of sizes.

Also new from the company is its Color by Numbers wall tile featuring “16 neutral and saturated colors created to work in tandem with other elements in a design scheme,” said Frank Douglas, Crossville’s vice president of business development. “The Color by Numbers palette includes six colors created to correspond with bestsellers from our Color Blox floor tile collection. And, to further expand design possibilities, Crossville has joined with Benjamin Moore to offer paint selected with Color by Numbers in mind.”

Emser
The company has launched several lines:

• Bombay, a glazed porcelain designed to simulate slate in five sizes ranging from 7 x 7 to 20 x 20;

• Cordova, a glazed ceramic tile recreating the look of travertine featuring a mélange of neutral colors within each tile;

• Country, a wood look which comes in 6 x 24 and 4 x 24 planks in four colors, and

• Landscape, a glazed through-body, which creates a natural slate look with variation and realism.

Florida Tile
New from the company is the Pristine series, which combines a classic natural stone look with a modern large-format wall tile, noted Sean Cilona, director of marketing. Created in a Crema Marfil, the tile has a light background with delicate veining in subtle grays and oranges unique to the stone. Available in a natural finished porcelain floor tile and a shiny ceramic wall tile, the smooth texture and subtle veining give the rich look of marble with none of the maintenance associated with natural stone, he said. Available in a 9 x 18 ceramic wall tile, 12 x 12 and 18 x 18 porcelain floor and a 12 x 12 mosaic, color offerings include Alabaster and Classic Beige.

The latest in Florida Tile’s high definition porcelain series is Grandeur. This line features the company’s fine marble look in three floor tile sizes and two wall tile sizes.

Mannington
Drawing on the architectural inspiration of ancient Egypt, the company’s new Cairo series offers a vibrant mix of natural color variation and realistic texture, noted Jim Dougherty, director of ceramic business. Cairo combines modern technology and ancient beauty to form three exotic-inspired color palettes—a beige, a blend of browns and reds, and a mix of brown, gray and blue.

“Its design options are almost endless with size options for any space,” Dougherty said. “Contrary to popular belief, large-size tile helps make a room look more spacious— there are fewer grout lines to interrupt the continuity of the flooring. In addition, using a variety of shapes and sizes—like rectangles and large-format squares—adds visual interest and a more custom, personalized look to the room.”

Mohawk
The mill’s ceramic tile introductions for 2011 take advantage of new technologies to enhance their visual appearance and performance. The company continues to expand the use of Reveal Imaging, a design process that creates one-of-a-kind realism and provides a wide pattern variation, color definition, detail and veining for a realistic emulation of natural stone.

Villarreal, the company’s newest addition, is a porcelain floor tile that uses this technology to create the look of natural travertine. Available in three colors and three sizes, the collection incorporates Microban antimicrobial protection.

Orchid Ceramics
After spending months traveling the world visiting artisan villages for inspiration, Orchid has created Carissa, the newest line from its Expressions decorative tile collection.

This new line of tile, composed of mostly glass and some porcelain, emulates the artisan lifestyle and look, noted Tena Woolridge, marketing manager. “It has a hand-crafted, no-two-pieces-are-exactly-alike look and feel, similar to artisan handmade jewelry.”

Orchid’s other new collection, Cubix, is already generating quite the buzz, she noted. “Cubix showcases the art of glass mosaics. It’s composed of frosted and colored glass with a splash of metal.”

Shaw
Porcelain and technology highlight the company’s latest tile and stone introductions. Three of the seven introductions incorporate Clarity Digital Imaging, the latest technology in tile decoration, noted Jason Kyzer, Shaw’s tile and stone category manager. “Digital imaging opens new doors of possibilities and has improved three areas: three-dimensionality, sharpness and depth of color.”

The mill’s spring introductions
include:

• Metropolitan Slate, a porcelain tile that is made in the U.S. and consists of 40% recycled materials;

• Ridgestone, designed to emulate quartzite and appropriate for indoor and outdoor living areas;

• Eris, a porcelain tile with marble-like veining that “crosses the subtle hints of stone” with a high luster finish;

• Capri, an antique travertine visual with chiseled edges;

• Domus, sporting the look of designer leather in a porcelain tile in five colors;

• Padova, a coordinated floor and wall tile collection, which incorporates beiges, browns and greys into four color lines, and

• Classico, a floor/wall tile featuring a vein-cut travertine visual in two light colors for a more formal décor.