Coverings is making its Las Vegas debut in appropriate fashion, with more than 1000 exhibitors from 50+ countries ready to wow throngs of attendees with the latest in tile and stone.
The 2011 edition of the international exhibition and conference dedicated exclusively to tile and stone gets underway Monday, March 14 through Thursday, March 17, at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.
"It's industry consensus that Coverings is unlike any other show and the only 'must attend' event for tile and stone industry professionals," said Jennifer Hoff, president of events for National Trade Productions, which manages and produces Coverings. "This is where design trends and technology breakthroughs emerge, buyer-seller relationships are forged, and education and learning are imparted--all in equal measure and in a lively atmosphere. It's an impressive and exhilarating experience which has a lasting impact on all who attend-distributors, retailers, architects, designers, installers, contractors and fabricators."
When the doors to the show floor open this year, what can these visitors expect to see? Here is just a sampling of some of the most notable products that Coverings exhibitors will have on display. For an exclusive glimpse of other exhibitor previews, and for helpful insider tips and news about the show, become a fan of Coverings on Facebook.
-ABK (Booth 4048) is showing Woodway, a porcelain gres tile that so accurately resembles actual wood planks, it's mind-boggling. Employing the most advanced digital technology available in tile glazing, ABK is able to simulate the texture, veining and knots of real wood. Twelve wood looks are offered. www.abk.it
-American Marazzi Tile (Booth 4302) is heading to Coverings 2011 with Archaeology, a collection that recreates the look of luxurious travertine. Using the latest digital print technology, it has succeeded at imitating the most minute detail--fissures, striations and colorations. www.marazzitile.com
-Apavisa (Booth 2218) is taking the traditional look of stone and adding a contemporary flair with a new hexagonal size, NeoCountry. Additionally, it is introducing NanoEclectic, a mere 4.8mm thick. www.apavisa.com
-Argenta Ceramica (Booth 2829) is launching two new collections--Mandalay and Country. Both are versatile styles that offer solutions for interiors as well as exteriors. www.argentaceramica.com
-Atlas Concorde (Booth 4939) has Ambition and is bringing it to Coverings. This latest addition, one of many the company will be featuring, is distinguished by its elegant high-gloss finish. It's an ideal choice for residential as well as commercial projects, especially hospitality. www.atlasconcorde.it
-Aura Marbles (Booth 11658) is presenting White Onyx from newly found quarries. The material will be offered in both block and tile formats in a range of sizes. www.auraindia.in
-Azulev (Booth 2614) will be attracting visitors with its new Slate collection--porcelain that is a natural slate lookalike. Available in three tones plus a range of sizes and trims. www.azulev.com
-British Ceramic Tile (Booth 12531) is introducing Wintergarden, a new entry in the Laura Ashley Collection. The large format 248x-398mm wall tiles have a crackle glaze effect with a gloss finish, available in light and dark gray. www.britishceramictile.com
-Casamood (Booth 4132) is launching Nera, emulating the look of lava stone in a range of sizes, from slabs to mosaics, plus strips and decorations. www.casadolcecasa.com
-Century (Booth 4044) has Darwin as its front-and-center introduction. The fine porcelain stoneware is produced using a non-contact digital process. Shown in four colorways and four sizes. Part of Fincibec S.p.A. www.century-ceramica.it
-Ceramica Del Conca (Booth 4139) will be putting the spotlight on its new slate lookalike. The color nuances and textural details are all achieved using the most advanced digital technologies. www.delconca.com
-Ceramica San Lorenzo USA (Booth 3126) may be breaking records with 30 new inkjet technology porcelains being shown. The color assortment is equally as extensive. www.csanlorenzo.com
-Ceramica Fondovalle (Booth 4319) impresses with nearly a half dozen newcomers, including Stone Print. A high definition digital graphic treatment delivers a surface mimicking natural stone. Perfect for pool decks. www.fondovalle.it .
-Ceramiche Caesar (Booth 4721) will showcase two new stellar collections--Flow and Supreme. Both are sophisticated ceramic tile designs in a subtle palette. Both also are ideal for either indoor or outdoor applications. www.caesar.it
-Ceramiche Coem & Ceramica Fioranese (Booth 4121) are sibling brands with attractive additions for 2011. Look for Axis from Coem and Eco_Alabaster from Fioranese. Both are for walls and floors. www.coem.it and www.fioranese.it
-Cerim (Booth 4132) has an array of new products, including Greenwood, inspired by the look of pickled wood flooring. It's a style intended for both residential and commercial uses. www.cerim.it
-Crossville (Booth 3609) promises to be a standout with the launch of its Color By Numbers wall tile collection that's been designed to coordinate with Benjamin Moore's Aura paint colors and Crossville's own best selling Color Blox floor tiles. www.crossvilleinc.com
-Ezarri (Booth 2023) is a new Coverings exhibitor but is ready to make an impression with its range of recycled glass mosaic tiles. Notable new collections to be on the lookout for are Iris (iridescent), Metal (metallic), Degradado (fading out) and Antideslizante (anti-skid). www.ezarri.com
-Floor Gres (Booth 4132) is introducing Geotech, inspired by a volcanic fossil wood stone from the island of Madeira. The 80-x80cm size and porcelain body make it ideal for exterior facades. www.floorgres.com
-Florida Tile (Booth 3112) will be featuring Quartez, its newest HDP-High Definition Color Body Porcelain tile collection. Reflective of natural quartz, it is distinguished by rich earth tones, color variations and metallic highlights. It's durable enough for exterior applications. www.floridatile.com
-Geo Stone Group (Booth 11814) will put the focus on Picasso Quartzite and Fossil Cream Marble, two exclusive offerings. As owner of its own quarries, this is a resource of note. www.geostonegroup.com
-Granada Tile (Booth 12144) is making a style statement in black and white with three important cement tile additions: Leda, Nara and Santander. All are bold graphic decorations that can create very dramatic interiors. www.granadatile.com
-Guangdong Marco Polo Ceramic (Booth 12829) honors the centuries old artistry of Chinese pottery and ceramics production with numerous tile options, including Calacatta, a dead ringer for marble. www.marcopolo.com.cn
Floor Gres is presenting Geotech, inspired by a volcanic fossil wood stone from the island of Madeira. The 80-x-80cm size and porcelain body make it ideal for exterior facades. The Colorlands series, shown above, is porcelain flooring.
Aura Marbles will be presenting a White Onyx stone from new quarry sources. Aura Marbles has almost two decades of experience in global markets in White Onyx processing and quarrying. They are located in India, have a fully equipped processing plant with a sizable capacity, and can cater to processed White Onyx slab demands across the globe.
-Keros Ceramica (Booth 2420) is bringing two new collections to Coverings. Personality is imitative of distressed wood, while Style emulates striated stone. Both are shown in a new 10 x 28 wall format, among other size options. www.keros.com
-Kur Marble (Booth 11050) will showcase Crema Spartan Beige Marble, an alternative to one of its top selling marbles. www.kurmarble.com
-La Fabbrica (Booth 4336) is introducing Cathay 4Fine, a large format tile that is exceptional for renovations and fully suited for both interior and exterior applications. www.lafabbrica.it
-Land Porcelanico (Booth 2218) looked to Scandinavia for its inspiration in the creation of its new series, Jamtland, a style that pays homage to a region in Sweden where original stone is extracted. The appearance is rich and rugged. www.landporcelanico.com
-Lilywork Ceramic (Booth 3857) will delight Coverings showgoers with several new decorative series, including Tapestries, a Victorian-inspired collection of mosaic focals and listellos. It features a charming combination of birds, botanicals and geometrics. www.lilywork.com
-Monocibec (Booth 4044), part of Fincibec S.p.A., is coming to Las Vegas with Ontario. Made of fine porcelain stoneware and designed for a variety of architectural projects, it is a smart alternative to wood and exquisitely imitates it, with certification for eco-friendly uses. www.monocibec.it
-Naxos (Booth 4044), also a unit of Fincibec S.p.A., will be showing Greenway, a travertinelike look but with a fine porcelain stoneware body. Perfect for residential and light commercial applications. www.naxos-ceramica.it
-Oceanside (Booth 3759) is introducing Muse, a handcrafted mosaic collection that yields a clean, contemporary aesthetic in more than 40 color choices. Also on view will be a new finish--Twilight--a metallic texture. Muse will be available in this new surface plus in iridescent, noniridescent and matte. www.glasstile.com
-Original Mission Tile (Booth 12846) is bringing its hand-made cement tiles for floors and walls including its latest entry--the Santa Barbara Collection. Visit www.originalmissiontile.com for more information.
-Rex (Booth 4132) is always a font of innovation, and this time around Unique will be among its show-and-tell. Reminiscent of fired brick, it's a look that bridges traditional and modern. Eight colors are offered. www.rex-cerart.it
-Settecento (Booth 4209) is putting Urban Mood into the spotlight. It's a double-fired tile in either a glossy or matte finish and a neutral palette. Sizes offered are 2-x-8 and 4-x-8. www.settecento.com
-SICIS (Booth 4308) is premiering PixALL, a mosaic collection that composes into artwork much like the pixilation of a computer image. Ideal for both interior and exterior applications, PixALL also can contribute to earning LEED SSc7.1. www.sicis.com
-Sodi New Decorative Material Co. (Booth 11261) is introducing 4mm Stone Wallpaper. The natural marble mosaic is ultra-thin and represents a new generation of tile. www.cnsodi.com
-StonePeak Ceramics (Booth 3414) is taking the wraps off of Raja, a tile that uses the most advanced inkjet technology to replicate the exotic slate found in India. The resemblance to the real thing is a credit to StonePeak's attention to the tiniest details. Available in three colors, three sizes and a selection of trims. www.stonepeakceramics.com
-Unicom Starker (Booth 4732) is debuting Quarzite, a tile that contributes an elegance and lightness to any decor. It's recommended for both indoor and outdoor uses. www.unicomstarker.com
-Villeroy & Boch (Booth 844) is adding to its portfolio of products with numerous newcomers, including Light Curve, Silent Wave and Outline-styles with a texture that invites light and shadow to create distinctive color effects. A gentle palette is offered. Visit www.villeroyboch.com
-Cemix S.A. de C. V. (Booth 3426) is presenting PSP Porcelanico, a polymer modified thin set mortar for porcelain tile, ceramic tile and natural stone. www.cemix.com
-Flow International (Booth 455) will be showing the Mach 4 31R combination waterjet and saw manufacturing system for stone. It includes software that provides vein matching, a vision system to transfer slab pictures and inventory management. www.flowwaterjet.com
-Grace (Booth 2651) is introducing Bondera Tile Mat Set, an advanced pressure-sensitive tile adhesive on a roll. It yields a water-tight adherence and eliminates the mess of traditional tile setting materials. www.bonderatilematset.com
-Omax (Booth 459) has new machinery it will be trumpeting. The MAXIEM 1530 JetCutting Center with a Motorized Z-Axis is heading up its Coverings lineup. Visit www.omax.com for more information on their other innovative equipment, like the dual bridge saw machine pictured on page 36 .
Laticrete, a global leader in the manufacturing of innovative systems for the installation of tile and stone, has announced that Jeff Kohmann has joined the company as a Contractor Sales Representative for territories across five states in the Upper Midwest and Western Pennsylvania.
In the Laticrete Indiana region, Kohmann joins the company's end-user focused sales team with over 25 years of experience in the flooring business. As the owner of T & R Cut Tile & Stone in Canton, Ohio, for the last 16 years, Kohmann arrives at Laticrete with expertise in the installation of all types of hard surfaces on floors and walls including porcelain tile and natural stone, terrazzo, carpet, resilient, hardwood and mosaic glass tiles.
"Laticrete makes great products and the company has a lot going for it," Kohmann said. "The support they provide from Laticrete technical services right up to how accessible the owners are has a lot to do with that.
Laticrete is a large, international corporation that still has the same feel of a family-run business. Since I've been in the industry for so many years just on the other side of it, I feel like I have a lot to offer the tile contractor in the field. I understand what the customer is looking for after so many years as an installer."
Kohmann takes over as Laticrete contractor sales representative for Ohio where he resides, as well as Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Western Pennsylvania. The former tile contractor will work directly with the tile contractor or end-users in the field to provide specifications and product selection support for installations of tile and stone in collaboration with Laticrete technical services.
Laticrete International, Inc. is a family-owned business dedicated to innovative, high quality tile and stone installation systems. Based in the USA, the 50-plus year old company is one of the world's leading manufacturers in its field. Its well-known brands Laticrete®, Latapoxy® and SpectraLOCK® are manufactured and sold worldwide. In the USA or Canada call 1-800243-4788, outside USA +1-203-393-0010, www.laticrete.com
Jeff Kohmann has joined Laticrete as a Contractor Sales Representative for territories across five states in the Upper Midwest and Western PA.
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