Crossville Intros a First in Porcelain Stone Tile

Crossville, TN, June 16--For the first time in Porcelain Stone tile, Crossville has made it possible for homeowners and designers of commercial projects to easily create uniquely personal floor installations that can also be carried up the wall. These "rooms of stone" will have the strength and beauty of natural limestone – but not the expense, installation and maintenance issues inherent in natural stone projects. Crossville has combined the sophisticated visual characteristics of three different French limestones – Crema Marfil, Beaumanniere and Casablanca – in four of nature’s own colorways (a light beige, light gold, noce and a green/grey) to create the elegant Palais Series of Porcelain Stone tile for floors, walls and countertops. Installations will look as though the specifier has traveled to three separate quarries to select and carefully match these unique stones, and then had them cut into a multitude of sizes – sheet-mounted 2" x 2" and 4" x 4" tumbled mosaics, and 6" x 6", 6" x 12", 12" x 12", 12" x 18", and 18" x 18" individual tiles with a precision edge. These sizes may be mixed together in unending pattern possibilities for floors alone, or floor-to-ceiling "rooms of stone." Finally, the series includes wonderfully ancient-looking decorative trim pieces – Liner Bars, Chair and Sink Rails, and Crown Moldings – that recall the rope, ribbon and vine motifs found in centuries-old French architecture. Additional options include a 4" x 12" Single Bullnose and 6" x 12" Cove Base trim. And to make a Palais installation even more personal, homeowners and designers may select glass, metal or stone accent tiles, borders and trim from Accent Innovations by Crossville. This complicated-looking, yet easy to achieve, mix of stone patterns, sizes and trim options rivals the beauty of eons-old natural limestone as Crossville’s state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques, such as "dry glazing," have created both natural veining and shading variations (V3) from piece to piece. In addition, the 3/8"-thick tile is slip-resistant (COF Dry >0.8 and Wet >0.6) and frost-resistant. But while natural limestone is costly, difficult to clean and requires regular sealing, Crossville’s Palais is Porcelain Stone®, so it’s stronger than natural stone, refuses to scratch, stain or fade, never needs sealing or waxing, and cleans with just hot water. "Homeowners and designers of commercial projects – especially those working in the hospitality, restaurant and retail areas – will appreciate Palais’ great design flexibility," says Jim Dougherty, vice president of marketing and business development for Crossville Inc. "For all markets, floors designed with multiple-sized tiles is an important new trend. Palais takes the trend several steps beyond anything that’s being done today in the tile industry by offering specifiers the opportunity to create installations that are truly their own. No other tile product offers this mix of patterns and sizes." "Another important trend is tiling walls floor to ceiling," explains Crossville color and design consultant, Barbara Schirmeister, ASID. "Palais offers homeowners and designers unlimited possibilities for creating 'rooms of stone' by running the tile up the walls, often to the ceiling. It’s an old world look that is catching on in our young country."

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