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Coverings 2013 product showcase

By Jennifer Richinelli

DowntownÂ ABK — “Downtown” is the new collection from ABK inspired by a wide variety of materials — a new and original surface that reflects the history of urban pedestrian areas. There are five colors in the Downtown Collection: Ivory, Ecru, Earth, Ash (pictured) and Graphite, and the tiles are offered in six modular sizes: 80 x 80 cm, 40 x 80 cm, 20 x 80 cm, 60 x 60 cm, 30 x 60 cm and 30 x 30 cm mosaic) with natural or rectified edges, and in matte or lapped finishes. www.abk.it

Mapei care and maintenance products — Mapei introduces a complete line of care and maintenance products for tile and stone installations. The addition of this comprehensive lineup complements Mapeiâs existing installation systems by offering UltraCare sealers, finishes, cleaners and problem-solvers that can be used by professionals and consumers. Each product is formulated to be environmentally friendly, safe to handle and easy to use, as well as to provide outstanding performance and durability at a cost-effective price. www.mapei.com

The Bayside Collection by Mediterranea delivers a clean, more minimalist look sought after by architects and designers, while offering a totally unique blend of graphics and colors. Utilizing Dynamic HD Imaging™ inkjet technology to replicate cement and stone graphics, Mediterranea blends these two essential elements into one porcelain tile product. Featuring color-body composition and rectified for precision installations, Bayside is available in both 12- x 24- and 8- x 48-inch sizes, and in four stunning colors — Camel, Pearl (pictured), Pewter and Tobacco. www.mediterranea-usa.com

Original Mission Tile cement tile — Original Mission Tile offers premium handmade cement tiles for applications such as floors, walls, ceilings, swimming pools, fountains and countertops. The company’s elegant tile designs, with a wide variety of colors and patterns, are ideal for any space — from classic to contemporary — from luxurious to minimalist. The flexibility to customize colors, textures, shapes and drawings enables you to express your own style, providing your personal signature to the project. www.originalmissiontile.com

Quintessenza Stoneworks quartz surfacing stone — Committed to excellence, Quintessenza Stoneworks offers high-quality quartz surfacing stone for any application. The company’s quartz materials are environmentally friendly and fit right into its commitment to provide safe products for its customers and for the planet. Additionally, the quartz surfacing is radon and radiation free, and it has no harmful effects on indoor air quality, according to Quintessenza Stoneworks. www.quintessenzastone.com

Ragno USA reclaimed wood — Ragno USA offers the distressed, genuine look of reclaimed wood in its new Barnwood 6- x 24-inch planks. The series replicates wood that has withstood the elements so long that the paint has broken down and taken on a unique warm patina all its own; cracks are evident, while some spots are smooth and devoid of paint; natural wood graining underscores the realistic appeal. The series is comprised of three weathered-to-perfection colors — Ash (natural), Barley (taupe), Pearl (gray) — plus Blend (mix), a random mixture of all three. www.ragnousa.com

American Marazzi new Harmony color-body porcelain — American Marazzi’s new Harmony color-body porcelain is rectified and offered in 6- x 36- and 9- x 36-inch sizes. Although the face of the tile is very flat, subtle natural graining is apparent — compliments of ever-evolving 3D digital imaging. Looks like wood but performs better — another advantage Harmony brings. Porcelain is impervious and withstands water as well as freezing conditions when most woods cannot. When used outside in extreme heat or cold, there’s no peeling, fading or cracking — making it ideal for ventilated wall systems. www.marazzitile.com

With a unique personality and character, the new Anarchy Collection by Tile of Spain-branded manufacturer Apavisa provides an intense and dynamic concept for the most demanding and edgy design. With five colorways and three complementary neutral colors, the collection satisfies the requirement for bold applications with a varied personality. www.apavisa.com

Natural surface care specialist, Fila, launched three new eco-friendly products at Coverings. The new solvent-free products include stain proofing FilaMP90 Eco and FilaFOB Eco and color-enhancing FilaStone Plus Eco. Like all Fila Green Line products, the treatments have been developed with the environment in mind — but they also offer uncompromised performance and versatility. All three are LEED-compliant and suitable for use on food contact surfaces. www.filachim.com

Urban Concrete from Flaviker Pi.Sa — “Urban Concrete” from Flaviker Pi.Sa offers an architectural vision with outstanding technical and aesthetic qualities and strong visual appeal. The collection, which replicates the look of wood and concrete or glass and concrete, comes in four sizes (80 x 80 cm, 40 x 80 cm, 60 x 60 cm, 30 x 60 cm and 15 x 60 cm), all rectified. Additionally, Urban Concrete comes in six colors: White, Greige, Smoke, Fog (pictured), Nut and Night — ideal for use on floors or walls in contemporary urban living spaces. www.flavikerpisa.it

The Tint Collection by Imola Ceramica allows for ultimate creative freedom for designers and architects. The glazed porcelain tiles are available in 21 colors and two modular sizes: 4 x 4 and 8 x 8 inches, with a natural finish for a wide range of uses and applications. www.imolaceramica.com

Laticrete® Strata_Mat™ is the next generation uncoupling membrane for use under ceramic tile and stone installations. Specifically designed for use with either polymer modified or unmodified mortars, Laticrete Strata_Mat allows for the proper adhesive mortar to be used with the appropriate tile or stone per industry standards. Product features include mortar hydration vents for faster dry time and vapor evacuation, mechanical bond to thin-set for greater strength and instant coverage verification due to a translucent color. www.laticrete.com

Lea Ceramiche porcelain stoneware — Lea Ceramiche debuted its newest collection of porcelain stoneware, a faithful interpretation of the warmth and pleasure of wood effect surfaces. With excellent performance in terms of strength and durability, respectful of the environment and with the antibacterial protection Microban, Bio Plank can also be used outdoors. With its special R11 anti-slip protection, Bioplank deck is ideal for creating continuity between internal and external areas. www.ceramichelea.it

Levantina Techlam series of ceramic tile — Levantina featured the Techlam series of ceramic tile. 3mm thick, lightweight and available in large panels up to 1000 x 3000 mm, Techlam is versatile in terms of its size, color, ability to be used with other materials, technical properties of durability and flexibility of installation. Techlam Helios and Vulcano collections, as well as Arabescato, the newest color in the Techlam Natura Collection, were displayed. www.levantina.com

The Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, was a vivid display of stone and tile collections at Coverings 2013, which was held this spring. With over 900 exhibitors from more than 50 different countries, the show floor was buzzing with activity. The latest introductions in tile product lines revealed textures, bold colors, shimmering glass and authentic-looking replications of natural material. On the stone side, larger formats, more exotic stones and new lines ofquartz surfacingwere prevalent.

Additionally, manufacturers of stone and tile in-stallation and maintenance/care products were also among the exhibitors. It was apparent that many of these manufacturers are developing product lines with the environment in mind.

The following is just a glimpse of the plentiful exhibits of new products that were showcased at Coverings 2013. SEE SLIDESHOW

KEYWORDS: Coverings products and awards quartz surfacing

As Group Editorial Director of Stone World, Contemporary Stone & Tile Design and TILE Magazine, Jennifer Richinelli has been covering the stone and tile industries since she launched her career at BNP Media in 1996. Throughout her tenure, she has visited and reported on numerous national and international quarries, stone fabrication shops, trade shows and other industry events. She has also collaborated with members of the A&D community, including many renowned architects, on articles about designing with stone and tile.