A Global Tile and Stone Experience at Coverings

For almost 30 years, Coverings has been North America’s prominent event for ceramic tile and natural stone. Visitors from every facet of the industry discover thousands of new products and suppliers from around the globe, and new information presented for the very first time. If it’s new in tile and stone, it’s at Coverings.

Attendees, including SOLID’s President and Founder, Mike Crippen, were impressed by over nine miles of the latest styles and trends. 1100 exhibitors representing more than 40 countries (including Italy, Turkey, and China) returned to Orlando, FL on April 4-7, 2017, to showcase cutting edge product innovations, plus accredited seminars and live demonstration sessions.

Crippen joined more than 25,000 fellow industry professionals; here are some of his takeaways:

The tile and stone vendors exhibiting at Coverings 2017 created impressive showrooms complete with beautifully crafted walls, floors and furnishings showcasing the most innovative material and sophisticated trends from around the world. Their commitment to excellence was refreshing and elevated the show to one of the best in the industry with its untraditional expo area.

The displays were remarkable, but one category stood out: the quality of many of the porcelain tile designs that visually imitates other surfaces and textures like natural wood and stone were so advanced, the only way to tell the difference would be through a reactivity test. Tile and manufactured stone are more popular than ever before – increasingly becoming the surface of choice for architects and designers on horizontal and vertical surfaces in commercial spaces. So whether you are using ceramic tile to create a calming atmosphere for patrons at a restaurant, or tile and stone to create an indoor/outdoor concept complete with solid stone countertops in a hospitality setting, there is a surface solution for you and it can most likely be found at Coverings.

There is a lot of talk about tile and stone installation, design, distribution and fabrication, but what happens after the sale and instillation? Maintenance and care of even the finest tile and well-crafted stone are not maintenance-free. As mentioned before, if your floors are walked on, rolled on, or in existence they will need to be maintained to ensure a long life and appealing aesthetics. The segment is growing and the products are selling, but the more products out there without a maintenance plan, the more concerning it should be for the manufacturer. All surfaces require maintenance and some may require additional care to ensure client satisfaction. Proactive maintenance makes the manufacturer, reseller, installer, designer, architect, and everyone involved look good.

Manufacturers selling/offering an approved maintenance process and surface care plan with performance a guarantee as a means of client retention will be well ahead of the curve.

Let’s Talk Stone and Tile Maintenance

FILA Surface Care Solutions was an exhibitor at Coverings 2017. Established in 1943, FILA is a global, eco-focused company specializing in surface care solutions for marble, natural stone, porcelain, terracotta and wood.  Combining the traditional values of a family-run firm with innovative product development, FILA offers a host of solutions including those with low-environmental-impact. Their products are recommended by over 200 floor manufacturers throughout the world.

SOLID is a FILA showroom partner and part of their authorized applicator network. Together, our best in class brands ensure that your surfaces not only look beautiful but perform over their lifetime. Beginning as early as post-instillation cleaning or restoration, these surface care plans are managed and delivered by SOLID to ensure your facility’s flooring always looks beautiful and performs as originally designed.

—

To learn more about #Coverings2017, enjoy this quick video or view their Google+ and Facebook coverage. Next year’s event will be in Atlanta, GA May 8-11, 2018. Follow #Covering2018 on Twitter for show information.

For more information on SOLID, please contact us.