LIVING SPACES STEP INSIDE


The trend for echoing the outdoors within the home, creating a feeling of continuous flow from indoors to outdoors, has grown apace in recent years, resulting in increased demand for natural flooring materials.


However, for many homes and consumers these natural materials, such as wood, marble and limestone, are not always practical. They can require specialist cleaning and maintenance, which incurs both up-front and ongoing costs.


But that doesn’t mean that natural finishes should be out of reach for anyone. Innovative new printing techniques have allowed manufacturers to replicate wood, brick, terracotta, limestone, flagstone and polished marble effects in both ceramic and porcelain tiles.


Over the last five years, inkjet printers have rapidly grown in prominence in the global tile printing industry. Such is the speed of their uptake, mainstays such as screen presses are now nowhere to be seen. By adopting digital inkjet technology manufacturers have significantly reduced production costs, minimised waste, shortened lead times and ensured stocks of products can be kept at a low level. The quality of the printing finish means that natural materials can now be accurately replicated, meaning that retailers, and their customers, get a high-quality, durable product at a significantly reduced cost when compared to the ‘real’ materials – and they require little or no maintenance.


“For many homes tese natural materials are not always


practical. But tat doesn’t mean tat natural finishes should be out of reach for anyone.”


The techniques bring complete randomness to the pattern or effect on the tile so repetition is not noticeable even across larger spaces such as conservatories. And as well as surface design, such as marble, surface texture can also be printed, creating effects such as wood grain and knotting.


So now, almost any type of wood can be replicated – from the knotty, rustic, highly variated style of classic oak, through to aged/reclaimed effects; from washed, beach-comber and bleached wood to wine case planks with wine names on.


In terms of marble realism there are products that echo the classical white stones which UK consumers are familiar with, along with stronger coloured marbles and Travertine with directional veining, for those looking for more dramatic styles.


In addition, because porcelain body tiles don’t deform during the kilning process, tile manufacturers are now able to offer these natural effect tiles in a wider array of sizes


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So what are the benefits to retailers of offering these natural effect tiles to consumers as an alternative to the ‘real thing’?


In short, we believe they offer much greater up-selling opportunities - lending themselves to wider applications – and they represent add-on sales opportunities as well. While tiles are generally used in kitchens, bathrooms, conservatories and hallways these natural effect tiles look fantastic in almost any room – perhaps wood in the dining room and marble in bedrooms.


To achieve this up-sell, it is vital that retailers use the dedicated merchandising that tile manufacturers and distributors, such as Ceramique Internationale, can offer. Using inspirational images that show how products work in different settings and also displaying the available colour ranges, really helps to focus a consumer’s mind onto a specific effect.


In terms of add-on sales opportunities, there are a number of solutions that can add value to a consumer and solve problems. If a customer is wanting to tile onto a suspended floor or add insulation, retailers can offer them a product such as Jackoboard - the perfect level material substrate to tile onto. And, while underfloor heating is traditionally used in bathrooms and kitchens, it can work well in virtually any room and often solve the problem of cold rooms – for example where an integral garage has been converted into an extra bedroom or study.


So, if your consumers want to go ‘back to nature’ without the price tag and specialist care requirements, digital printing technology and tiles really could be your friend.


www.tilesandmosaics.co.uk Tomorrow’s Retail Floors | 41


and shapes – so oblong wooden ‘planks’ of up to 1500mm and stone ‘slabs’ up to 1000x 500 mm , and we can expect larger sizes to come.


Coupled with the digital printing technology, homogenous and glazed porcelain tiles can both be partially or fully polished to produce visually stunning and light reflecting surfaces.


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