As we head into winter, tile flooring manufacturers are taking inspiration from both home and overseas in order to assert their position within a crowded marketplace. Louise Durack reports on the newest tile trends.

Hot from the annual Italian Tile Fair, Amber Tiles has released a range of high quality floor and wall tile products from Italian manufacturer Atlas Concorde.

“While timber was a big trend in Italy this year, the new Doga flooring range is unique in that it is not a timber product, but it combines all the aesthetic benefits of timber with the durability and elegance of natural stone,” says the company’s interior product expert, Kate Lane.

The Doga range is set apart by its unique sizing — long boards of 225 mm x 900 mm. “This product size looks good in bathroom situations that have strip drainage,” Lane says.

It is available in vanilla and sandalwood shades, with the range “rich in veining and knots, with every piece of the tile surface unique in detail, making it the perfect alternative to natural stone or wood,” says Lane.

With satin-like, easy-to-maintain finishes, she says Doga is also available with a glazed interior finish. “The range can be used both indoor and outdoor, but is particularly suited to bathrooms and kitchens.”

In terms of installation, Lane says specific care needs to be taken in the surface preparation. With uneven floors, a levelling compound should be used. This is crucial with smart rectified products like Doga and will get them looking streamlined.

Lane says, “When laying Doga tiles, it’s also important that they look straight in relation to the walls of the room. An important view is from the doorway, so ensure the tiles look straight from there.”

Also just in to Amber stores is the latest Format Italian porcelain range. “The latest culinary trends are all about replicating the old fashioned elegance of stone, with an all new ‘material look’ porcelain tile that won’t break the budget,” says Lane.

“More durable than many products on the market yet modern with its textured surface, Format combines the best of both worlds, making it suitable for both internal and external, residential and commercial designs.” The porcelain tiles are available in white, sand and grey in 450 mm x 450 mm.

Tile manufacturer Artistic Stone, meanwhile, has been offering a comparatively different variety of products with its Versace Palace range of glazed porcelain stoneware, launched to meet increasing demand for this type of product. Whilst Amber offers a broad range of tiles from a variety of materials such as ceramic, stone and porcelain, Artistic Stone offers specialisation in stone mosaics.

Made of glazed porcelain, Versace Palace comes in different sizes ranging from 15 mm x 15 mm to 410 mm x 410 mm and makes use of the classic Greek key designs and medusa head motifs. Colours such as almond/nero and white/black are two of the range’s most popular sellers.

Versace Palace Classic (polished finish) can be used in all internal areas of the home including bathrooms, says marketing director Brendan Smith. “Versace Palace Stone is suitable for both wall and floor applications, but is also suitable externally.”

However, he warns that installations should only be carried out by a fully qualified and lincensed stone or tile installer. “Adhesives required will vary depending upon the substrate and other requirements,” Smith says. He points out other critical factors in the choice of floor tile adhesive include location (internal versus external); substrate type (concrete, existing tiles, timber floors); and the type of tile.

Available in semi- polished, natural and polished surfaces, the ‘polished’ look is obtained by using a system of floating grinding wheels in different positions. “This also enhances the veining and softens the overall effect,” says Smith.

He advises that during installation, all residues or adhesive or grouting should be removed from the tiles with water as soon as possible. “Detergents, pastes and abrasive cleaners should not be used as they will dull or even damage the shiny surface of the Palace Classic tiles.”

Washing the tiles with water and a neutral detergent is recommended for everyday cleaning. However, Smith says no protective coating is needed “as due to the density of the porcelain tiles, there is nothing that can penetrate them”.

A combination of both ceramic and porcelain tiles for both internal and external tile ranges have been launched by Eureka Tiles. National sales manager, Matthew Birmingham, says trends are changing regularly but that the current fashion for “seamless internal to external living” has influenced the latest products.

The company has recently released the glazed porcelain Appian Breeza range which has a gloss, matte and exterior (slip resistant) finish in format sizes of 300 mm x 300 mm, 300 mm x 400 mm and 500 mm x 500 mm.

“The trend now is for people to bring the inside out or the outside in. The public wants tiles that complement or match exactly in colour and design, with the only difference being the finish, for example, gloss/matte internally and slip resistance externally.” Eureka Tiles’ colours range from muted beiges and yellows, to stronger blues, blacks and browns.

Smith says all tiles are designed to be installed on a concrete base or other solid flooring such as compressed cement sheet or timber subfloor. “The tiles are glued using various commercially available adhesive products. In most cases, tiles should be installed by accredited tiling contractors to ensure quality of the laying job and secondly to ensure manufacturers’ warranties are maintained,” he says.

Acting as a specialist consultant to assist customers who may be tendering for a large project, or having the ability to custom manufacture designs to individual requirement, are some of the tactics used by manufacturers such as Artistic Stone.

Smith says: “Whether it be blend ing or mixing design components such as marble or travertine, if the customer can design it, we can make it.”

Architecture & Design Team

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