PRODUCT TRENDS
Karndean Designflooring
Crossville Inc.
but we've seen demand for planks that are
7, 8 or 9-in. wide as opposed to 3 or 4.
Whereas the size of tiles 10 or 15 years ago
was trending to 12 by 12, it eventually
became 16 by 16 and now we're seeing
demand for larger tiles than that : 18 by 18,
18 by 24 and even 18 by 36."
Jensen believes large formats are
beyond a trend. "I'd say they're a staple,"
he asserts. "Over the years we've seen sizes
grow from the standard 12 by 12 to 18 by
18 and now we're accustomed to 24 by 24.
Our design sensibilities have evolved to
welcome large-format tile even in smaller
spaces, and contractors have developed
their skills to create beautiful installations
that function well and look beautiful."
Crossville offers a program that allows
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consumers to order custom plank sizes,
which enables them to create fun, random
patterns such as brick patterns for floors
and walls.
Part of the trend to larger sizes goes
back to installation convenience, Lang
says. "When you're installing a 3 by 36
plank, obviously you need more individual planks to fill up the square footage.
That's going to take longer than it would
take to fill up that same amount of square
footage with a 9 by 48 plank. Installation
goes faster when you deal with larger pieces. That ties back to what I was saying earlier with not only flooring, but our society
in general: Make it easy; make it fast; be
in and out and be done. Larger pieces allow
you to do that."
Karndean Designflooring
Random sizing and patterns for tiles and
planks allow for creative installations.