In recent years, the buzz at tile shows like Coverings in the U.S. and Cevisama in Spain has been about tiles featuring eye-popping op-art patterns and fashion-forward prints like florals and damasks. Cersaie, held in Bologna, Italy, earlier this year, was no exception, with manufacturers from Crossville to Atlas Concorde unveiling tiles that could be mistaken for wallpaper or woven textiles – a boon, of course, for architects and designers sourcing product for wet areas or high-traffic hospitality environments.
Faux Composite:
An alternative to porcelain, Ann Sacks’s Charles Stone Parquet de Versailles is made from a concrete, plaster, and polymer composite that is molded to look like patinated, decorative wood planks.
The advancements in glazing and molding that have abetted such decorative offerings are now being utilized to achieve another look entirely: au naturel effects. In particular, manufacturers are applying their technological expertise to developing porcelain, as well as tile composites, with variegated surface textures and nuanced shading imitative of natural wood. Such verisimilitude is largely a byproduct of new inkjet glazing processes that rely on soluble salts, which allow pigments to more easily penetrate tiles impressed with uneven surface textures; previously, screen-printing was the go-to method for applying grain patterns to tile – a process that necessitates a smooth canvas. Some makers exploit digital imaging technologies; Inalco, for one, based its Ginza line on scanned images of actual wood planks. According to Patti Fasan, Tile of Spain’s ceramic tile consultant, “Finer mold impressions, rectification of the tile edge to provide a tighter joint installation, the ability to produce large-format tile in plank-like sizes – all of these technologies combined create a product which is aesthetically true to the original, cost effective regardless of type of wood species duplicated, and in many environments technically superior to the natural wood product.”
European labels are behind some of the most artful fauxs: Casa Dolce Casa’s Belgique, Tagina’s Lignite, and Natucer’s Jatoba are just some of the collections that evoke rough-hewn floorboards via lifelike grain details and elongated proportions. American companies are also producing arresting offerings, including Dal-Tile, whose Timber Glen line of through-body porcelain tile mimics hickory and cherry planks. “These latest versions of high-end wood designs are so realistic that initial doubts about the viability and value of a ceramic wood alternative have been all but eliminated,” Fasan continues. “Thus the practical and technical benefits of a ceramic wood are much more readily appreciated”– especially for spas, kitchens, and other areas subject to moisture.
Indeed, a faux wood surface offers numerous performance improvements over the real thing. Porcelain better withstands wear and tear and is more easily maintained than natural oak or walnut, which requires periodic refinishing and often special cleaning solvents, stains, or waxes. Made from an abundant resource – clay – it’s an eco-conscious alternative to exotic, tropical hardwoods, and other endangered species.
Although thus far faux-bois has had more traction in the European market, its popularity is increasing stateside, where natural wood remains the favored building material. “The wood market is so huge,” says Enrico Guazzi, Lea USA’s area manager for USA and Canada “that biting into even a piece of it would be a great number.”
