Imagine walking through a city adorned in ceramic tile. Cathedrals, schools, sidewalks, streets, anything in the built environment covered in Spanish tile. It is a site to see for sure. I had the honor of being selected to participate in Tile of Spain’s Passport to Creativity Tour in Valencia, Spain. Each year interior designers, architects and members of the press are invited to this event that includes an architectural tour of the Old City, factory and showroom tours, and a guided tour of the Cevisama Spanish tile trade show. Here is a selection of innovative installation products that caught my attention. 

Natucer’s Drainage Tile

Spanish tile manufacturer, Natucer, showcased a brand-new product in the form of drainage tile that comes in a range of stone and wood looks at Cevisama. What sets this tile apart is the technology behind the drainage system. The system is built into the tile planks, which come in two sizes: 8”x17” and 8”x35”. With an R11 rating, the tile system is ideal for wet area applications like decks and pool surrounds. 

Ryan Fasan, U.S. technical conultant, Tile of Spain, and a flooring installer out of Vancouver, Canada, gives some background on Natucer and explains how to install this new product. 

Ductile Flexible Wall Slabs

As part of the Tour, we visited Living Ceramics’ showroom in Castellón, about an hour north of Valencia, to see the company’s latest wall and floor tile offerings. The Ductile wall slabs are not new for ‘23; however, the digital printing technology has been enhanced to create new and more realistic stone and wood looks. 

The slabs measure just under 4’x9’ and are designed to cover from the floor to the ceiling with a single slab to create a monolithic look. They are 6mm thick and are much lighter than a typical wall slab which means there is no special equipment needed for transportation or installation. Due to their thin, lightweight construction, the slabs are much faster to cut and drill through, requiring only standard drill bits and cutting discs. 

Take a closeup view of the slabs. They are mounted in such a way as to showcase their flexibility and their highly textured surface. 

EMAC Group’s Mini Collection: Stair Nosing, Transitions and Profiles

EMAC is a family-owned business that has been providing ceramic tile solutions for over 30 years, entering the American market in 2003. The products offered by EMAC are aimed at the builder market and can be found in single-family, multi-family, education, government, corporate and healthcare sectors. 

Each line in the Mini Collection is designed for thinner surfaces in both floor and wall applications—specifically LVT and thin tile, and the stair nosing, transitions and profiles complement each other, making them ideal for combination within a single space. 

The Novopeldaño Mini is a stair nose that can be installed with flooring up to 6.2mm thick; Novosepara Mini is a transition profile that works with either same or different flooring thicknesses; Novonivel Mini is a transition profile that bridges the gap between flooring thicknesses ranging from 4.2mm to 7mm; and Novoescuadra Mini is a wall profile that can be used to protect wall corners as well as offer a decorative solution. 

Check out the video showcasing each of the products in the collection. While these displays are truly “mini,” they provide an up-close view of how these products can be utilized in a variety of ways.