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IS IT REAL OR ISN’T IT?  NEW “STONE” COLLECTION LAUNCHED
Submitted by Annette M. Callari, A.S.I.D.; CMG

Everyone knows Dal Tile is a leader in tile and stone products for the floors.  Now they have introduced an incredible new collection of manufactured stone products for your walls!!! This is being introduced as we speak, so products will be market-ready very shortly.

Each collection replicates natural rock, stone or bricks with amazing accuracy.  The advantage to exploring these new products is that they are lightweight versions of the real thing, come in at a cost savings while giving you the look of real stone.  Each stone is manufactured of Portland cement, lightweight aggregates, and mineral oxides for coloration.  The molds are cast from natural stone to get the most realistic man-made stone products possible.  The thickness of each stone ranges between 0.75 to 1.65” thick.  With the recommended installation mortar, finished thickness will be 1.25” to 2.65” depending on the style.

So where exactly could you apply these amazing stone looks?  Both interior and exterior applications are approved (residential and commercial), but remember, they are built for vertical installations.  Because they are lightweight and considered “veneer” manufactured stone, they are not appropriate for floors.  Sealing is recommended, of course, to prevent staining, especially in exterior applications where rust or dirt could penetrate the surface.  Dal Tile is backing these products with a 75-year warranty (with recommended installation procedures, proper care & maintenance).  That definitely tells you they have performance and confidence built right in.

Let’s talk about the aesthetics, which truly is the main attraction here.  The authenticity of these products exceeds expectations.  Ridged Field Stone, Grecian Limestone, Velvet River Rock, Sculpted Leger Stone—these are just a few of the collections available, and each one has the “wow” factor.  (Visit www.DalTilemanufacturedstone.com for a gallery of all the collections and more information.)

It is likely that you will not be able to tell the manufactured version of these stone products from the real thing, and that is a major accomplishment from a design standpoint.  But before you get too excited about every possible design scenario running through your mind, there are just a few non-recommended applications:

• No submerged water applications (pools, spas)
• No direct exposure to flames, coals or ashes
• No applications in contact with chemicals

Given those few parameters, the door is still wide open for you to get creative and put these stunning new products to use in a myriad of ways. So have fun, explore your options, and get creative!

Carpet One Intros Mat Line to Help Breast Cancer Research

WarmlyYours Intros Radiant Heating for Showers

Wilsonart Flooring has developed a new lineup of ‘Classic’ High Pressure Laminate (HPL) Flooring in a rectangular tile format that reflects one of the hottest style trends in both residential and commercial interiors.

With the subtle, luxurious look of travertine, Wilsonart Flooring’s new Rectangular Tiles deliver the same high level of color and shade variation found in nature. The tiles are available in three desert-inspired colorations that blend beautifully with today’s interiors.

“The rectangular format adds the ‘pop’ of high style to traditional interiors,” says Tammy Weadock, Wilsonart Flooring marketing manager. “The characteristics of travertine turn a room into a place of tranquility and relaxation.” These new designs come with a 20-year residential warranty for wear, fade, stain and topical moisture and a 5-year commercial warranty for wear, fade and stain.

Sonora Sage

A complex mix of dark and light brown, cream with gold highlights, and taupe throughout. This combination blends warm tones of chocolate and cool tones of grey together in one material.

Sahara Gold

Cream and gold are fused with light and dark browns to create a coloration that addresses the more traditional honey tones found in oak cabinetry.

Mojave Breeze

– The lightest of the three tiles, Mojave Breeze incorporates the warm/cool color trend combination, using taupe mingled with cream, beige and brown. This light floor would contrast nicely with espresso stained cabinetry.

“All Wilsonart Flooring is made using High Pressure Laminate (HPL) construction, versus the other residential products made from thin low pressure or Direct Pressure Laminate (DPL),” explains Weadock. “In comparison, the HPL wear surface atop Wilsonart Flooring is 3-5 times thicker than DPL. This thickness translates into superior impact and dent resistance, providing assurance against the demands of everyday life: dropped cans, heavy furniture, children and pets. Every product in the Wilsonart Flooring portfolio is applicable for commercial environments and as such, it remains the best-performing laminate flooring option for consumers seeking unsurpassed durability for their home.”

Leather has always been a symbol of luxury and leather floor and wall tiles are no exception. The same softness and warmth enjoyed on leather furniture, by leather shoes and handbags and clothing is enjoyed on leather floors and walls. Leather floors and walls compliment most any decor and can instantly add warmth and comfort to a room. Literally, leather will warm to your body temperature, literally keeping you warmer!

Leather tiles:

• Are available for floor and wall/ceiling installations
• Have a high degree of dimensional stability
• Come in smooth or textures surfaces
• Come in a variety of sizes and colors
• Are sustainable and renewable

Design options – leather tiles are available in many colors and can be embossed, distressed, antiqued, sandblasted or produced with custom inlaid designs. Sizes offered range from: 2×6,3×3,4×4,6×6,8×8,10×10,12×12,18×18, 24×24, 26×26, 4×6, 6×12, 9×18, 12×18, 18×24, 2×8 and 2×14 for borders.

Durability – one very important thing to keep in mind is that leather is a natural product and is not wear or scratch proof. In fact, leather will scratch, nick and show markings from traffic and daily use. This is considered one of the more desirable features of a product like leather and the look that is achieved by the natural wear on leather tiles is called “patina”. Much like copper and other materials that change or age with wear and use, leather falls into the same category.

Installation – Leather tiles are glued directly down to the floor or wall. For floor installations, tiles are glued to plywood, wood or concrete subfloors with proper floor preparation. Some tiles are available where they are pre-glued in order to make gluing directly to drywall easier. Proper installation is important because if not installed properly the floors can unadhere from the floor or the edges can curl up and detach.

Recommended Areas – Leather floor and wall tiles are recommended for virtually every application except for bathrooms and kitchens. The harsh detergents used in these areas are not good environments for leather products.

Maintenance – Daily leather maintenance is simple. Only a damp mop or soft cloth should be used to clean leather tiles and a soft attachement on a vacuum when a vacuum is being used. Leather tiles do need to have wax applied to them 3-4 times a year to protect the finish and nourish the leather.  Also, do not use rubber backed or non-ventilated rugs on leather floors.

Recycled leather tiles – another option for leather tiles are recycled leather tiles.

Benefits of recycled leather tiles are:

• Available in larger formats
• Less humidity absorption levels
• Regular liquid wax can be used rather than hard, pasty wax
• Higher resistance to abrasion
• Made of 65% post industrial waste

Whether you are considering leather floor or wall tiles or recycled floor or wall tiles, you will be able to enjoy this product for years to come. Be creative with the different places you can install leather tiles or use them as accents. Send us your pictures and show off your leather floors or walls!

World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) Provides Trend Report from Premiere Floor Covering Show

Anaheim, CA (PRWEB) March 11, 2009 — If the devil wears Prada, then the fashion-conscious demon must walk on animal prints, nude tones, layered looks and leather. For these are just some of the hottest trends in flooring uncovered by the World Floor Covering Association’s fashion scouts at this year’s Surfaces – one of the home market’s top international trade shows – which took place in Las Vegas in February this year.

WOOD AND BAMBOO TRENDS
There were no limits at Surfaces when it came to treatments in wood. High-gloss piano-finish floors that reveal your reflection were seen. As were innovative wood tiles in a surprising variety of whimsical shapes and sizes, including Tetris patterns, puzzle pieces, bricks and even fish scales! New wood surface stains now offer 0% VOC, no off gassing, are non-toxic and of all things, are even edible. Another new process extends the lifespan of hardwood floors with stains that run throughout the wear layer resulting in a highly durable floor that offers everlasting beauty that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

Bamboo floors were also a hit at the show with one company presenting an assortment of oil-finished “woven” bamboo floors infusing cork strands for added dimension, anti-bacterial properties, soundproofing and insulation.

CARPET TRENDS
Carpet and area rugs were all about texture this year — from shag to loops to contemporary felt discs. Also fashionable are rugs and carpets bound with a hint of metallic fiber just to catch the eye. Animal and nature-inspired looks are also the rage, including panther and leopard skin, tropical leaf and flower patterns, tree textures and tribal designs.

In addition to eco-friendly products, manufacturers were paying close attention this year to allergen reducing products and manufacturing methods. One new line includes a broad selection of carpets that incorporates silver and zinc release, which offer the strongest anti-bacterial technology on the market. Another company debuted new friezes using dye-accented color choices achieved through an eco-friendly solution that saves water and is zero-effluent into streams.

One earth-friendly standout at the show was a new shag carpet made with 80% bamboo fiber yarn and 20% cotton. It has the look and feel of silk without the price tag.

TILE TRENDS
As in the wood and laminate categories, high sheen and transparent shine were the hot trends in the tile category. Long, thin rectangular tiles reminiscent of flowing streams were seen, as well as tiles made from authentic crystal and semi-precious stones. New heat slumped glass tiles impart a sculpted, embossed effect giving the illusion of raindrops on the surface, linen textures, crinkled fabric, sand and slate effects.

LAMINATE TRENDS
The hottest trend in laminates this year was highly reflective, glossy finishes in exotic wood formats, as well as stone looks with “natural” embossed patterns and beveled edging. A brand new introduction includes a hybrid product containing natural cork, leather and linoleum surface-treatments that are stabilized on planks.

RESILIENT TRENDS
New resilient products, including vinyl, cork, leather and linoleum, offered not only environmentally friendly introductions, but product launches that were also easy to clean and offered healthful benefits.

One new launch in the linoleum category achieved the Asthma and Allergy Friendly certification mark — which has never been given to a flooring product before. Another debut was a cork and linoleum hybrid called Corkoleum. It is an eco-friendly alternative to vinyl and laminate flooring that is resilient, warm, scratch and abrasion resistant, and easy to clean and maintain. 100% recycled leather planks were also presented in a broad spectrum of natural shades and textures — from glossy bright red crocodile to supple lizard.

“With today’s economic challenges, people everywhere are focusing more on their home environments and creature comforts,” said Christopher Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer of the WFCA. “Manufacturers across the globe have listened to customers and have delivered an array of introductions that are certain not to disappoint.”

The WFCA’s website – WFCA.org — offers detailed information about these flooring categories. In addition, the website provides answers to the most common floor covering questions. Visitors can also find detailed information and practical tips on every flooring category available, including carpet, hardwood, laminate, ceramic, porcelain, resilient, vinyl, cork, stone and area rugs. An overview of each category provides the pros and cons, a product catalog, manufacturing details, varieties and styles available, things to consider before purchase and how to prepare for installation.

When it’s time to buy floors, WFCA.org offers a searchable database of reputable WFCA retail members across the country. All a user needs to do is enter their zip code to receive a list of suppliers in their area.

The WFCA, official sponsor of Surfaces, is the floor covering industry’s largest advocacy organization, representing floor covering retailers, contractors and allied service providers throughout North America. For more information about the WFCA, visit WFCA.org and WFCA-PRO.org.

February started off with an homage to Surfaces, the premier flooring showcase and trade show held annually in Las Vegas.

First, we started off with an overview of Surfaces. Here we talked about the presence of design elements, color themes and upcoming posts on the different products shown at the show.

Then came a breakdown of trends in hardwood, tile, carpet and area rugs.Later in the month we presented an overview of the company Wicanders and their line of products and a post on how to use the hot trends of 2009.

In the middle of the month came a report on Tuftex of California. They were not at Surfaces and choose to have their own regional shows in which I was invited to participate.

Every month (or longer) we present a reader poll to get your opinion on a particular topic. Included this month is a recap of the results of a poll on laminate flooring.

To round the month out, we finished up with some industry news on ThermoSofts Warm Step radiant heat system.

A lot of February was dedicated to Surfaces, the trends presented and the products shown at the show.

In the month of March we will get back to more answers to the questions you have asked as well as what’s new in the industry. If you have any topics that you would like to see more information on, please just leave a comment!

Thanks for your subscriptions, your interest and your loyalty to Floor Talk!

Shapes

It seemed like almost everyone had tiles that were linear in shape. Shapes ranged from 1×6 to 18×24 and every size in between. Installation examples were shown of these linear tiles used as a stand alone product as well as accents to standard shaped tiles. Some installation patterns used these linear tiles to create stripe effects. They are stunning! Crossville also introduced a wonderful geometric pattern that really widens the opportunity for design. There were also many tiles that were irregular in shape because they were hand molded.

Sheen

There were introductions of tiles with higher sheen levels than the past couple of years. Mirrored finishes, crystal tiles and polished metals were prevalent. These higher sheens were shown in mosaics and even large format floor tiles. Some of the mosaics were mixed with high polished tiles and unpolished tiles. Finishes like rust and bronze verde took the stage for the patinas.

Shades

There will always be beige/neutral tiles out there because there is a place for them, but this year there were many offerings of gorgeous tiles with high ranges of color. The color shades were rich and warm. The shades were mixed between the field tiles and the listellos and decorative tiles so neutral tiles could be used with bolder accents and vice-versa.

Sizes

Tile sizes ranged from micro mosaics 5/8″x5/8″ to 24″x24″. The interesting thing was to see the mixes of the different sizes. Larger format tiles were mixed with micro and mini sized tiles where in the past we have seen more standard size tiles mixed with smaller sizes that were closer in size to the standard size tiles. The picture to the left is a tile size that doesn’t fit into any size category, but certainly is gorgeous! Emser tile reported that their stacked stone product in 6″x24″ was a popular choice among buyers.

Style

Like hardwood styles, there was something offered for everyone. From rustic natural stone to high polished crystal tiles no design group was left out this year. Look for tiles that are irregularly shaped and formed, bright colors to bold colors to dull, rich and muted colors – something for every style. With the variation in sizes, shapes and colors more design options are possible. Emser tile also reported that the chiseled edge tiles are regaining popularity and are offered at excellent price points and mosaic tiles ares still popular.

Shapes

This year hardwood was not only in planks and strips, but in puzzle pieces. This shaped wood had my imagination running wild with possibilities! Architectural wood blocks from Beckwith Interiors are available in various wood species, finishes, and depths.  (For more information on applications and specifications please contact their Design Studio at www.beckwithinteriors.com)

Other interesting  shapes  of hardwood were 1″x1″ mosaics and 3″x6″ subway shapes. These could be very exciting in a residential application!

Sheen

In the up and coming months there are going to be hardwood  styles that are going to change the direction of hardwood floors.  Floors at the show showed higher sheen levels with some that you could almost see your reflection in. These finishes will give rooms and design schemes a totally new look and feel.

Shades

The majority of the hardwood colors shown were darker and richer shades. Color shades seen resembled coffee  colors, rich furniture colors and warm spices.

Anderson hardwoods has a new collection featuring a new technology called PermaColor .  It captures all of the  allure of exotic floors without the environmental baggage.  Anderson has discovered the key to real beauty – accelerating the aging process which adjusts the natural hue and shade of the wood allowing the grain to show through. This creates an opalescent three dimensional effect. Depending on how light strikes the wood, variances in shade and color create an illusion of depth  that is both stunning and intriguing. Thanks to this unique color process, the planks magnificent color runs throughout the entire wear layer resulting in everlasting beauty that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

Sizes

Wider boards are still popular although many narrower boards are still being shown. Once company called Du Chateau has a product line with boards that are 12″ x 12′. That’s right – TWELEVE FEET LONG! All different size boards were shown, but the displays mostly featured wider boards.

Style

There were styles of hardwood shown that were clean, crisp and elegant as well raw, rustic and anything but refined. There seemed to be more options for different design styles than ever before.

The company Du Chateau has a collection of antique hard waxed oiled floors that are designed to reflect the styles found in Europe centuries ago. The Chateau Collection recreates the same time worn look that showcases the character and longevity of a hardwood floor with natural changing grain patterns exemplifying true vintage artistic design. The ordinary free forming elements of natural wood are what give Chateau Collection floors its unique character and exceptional beauty.

SURFACES is where fashion and innovation come together and the flooring industry prepares for what consumers like you want in the coming year!

This year at Surfaces in Las Vegas there was a lot to see (and feel!) It was refreshing to see all of the products full of color and texture with unique shapes, sizes and custom options.

This year there was a significant presence of design and high style with the new introductions. I was concerned with the state of the economy that the product offerings would be safer and more subtle choices. This was definitely not the case!

The color theme seemed to be along the warmer, darker and richer shades. This applies to every category of flooring, more than likely because more and more homes are using mixed types of flooring and they all need to coordinate!

This week you will see posts on new and unique products and trends seen at the show. Stay tuned!