The past few years has witnessed a surge in the demand for stone effect tiles largely due to advances in printing technology that have allowed the creation of much more realistic and sophisticated looking products. This, coupled with increasing consumer appetite for low maintenance products, has seen consumer turn in increasing numbers to stone effect porcelain tiles; a trend that shows no signs of abating.
There can be no doubt that much of this popularity is also down to consumer lifestyle choices. Australia is a nation of busy people who are constantly on the go and porcelain tiles are durable, suitable for high traffic areas of the home and much easier to look after and clean than its natural stone counterparts, which usually require sealing or ongoing specialist treatment. Manufactured using ultra fine porcelain clay fired at extremely high temperatures, porcelain stone effect tiles are much harder, denser and less porous than natural stone and, therefore, less susceptible to damage from the elements. This means they need less maintenance and are harder wearing, and they don't require sealing or treatments to keep their look or finish in top condition. Porcelain tiles are also produced to specific standards, ensuring quality, consistency and uniform sizing, while virtually eliminating defects that would occur with natural stone, making them easier for the installer to lay and much harder to chip or crack. As a result, ceramic stone effect tiles are both practical and versatile making them an established best seller for retailers. When it comes to fitting, ceramic tiles are also easy to cut and install, and require no special treatment or maintenance; selling points that really appeal to consumers. With so many different shapes, sizes, colour and finishes now available, driven by the advances in manufacturing techniques, particularly digital inkjet printing, it is clear to see why so many homeowners favour stone effect ceramic tiles over the natural alternative. However, while offer the customer a choice of designs that might not be within their budget if they were to use real stone, research shows that consumers find the process of choosing tiles difficult, so, for retailers, education and informative in store marketing is key. Credit: Tile Today, International correspondent, Joe Simposn.
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