The International Surface Event (TISE), which is hosted annually at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, was held from January 23 to 25 this year, where it welcomed 800 exhibitors and around 2,000 visitors.
TISE is the largest North American floor covering, stone and tile industry event, which has been operating for more than 30 years. Buyers, specifiers and influencers from the U.S. and countries all over the world attend to purchase products, gain design and trend inspiration, and develop their business strategies for the upcoming year.
As the first event of the year, TISE is “perfectly positioned to offer product launch introductions, critical first-of-the-year buying opportunities and annual networking meetings,” according to show organizers. And while walking the show floor, I couldn’t agree more. Hallways and booths were packed, exhibitors were happy, and visitors were intrigued to learn what’s new on the market.
Below is just a glimpse of some new products I discovered this year.
Alpha Professional Tools
The EZ Wedge and EZ Click are next-generation tile leveling systems, which maximize performance and can be installed in tile corners. The patented EZ Wedge is designed to be inserted into a clip and tightened by hand; it can be easily removed and reused. The EZ Click uses base screws with a unique cap, which locks into place. The patent-pending cap comes with a proprietary scratch-prevention edge design, which removes sand and debris while tightening.
American Olean
Introducing Waterwood™. Inspired by the bricola wood pillars that grace the waterways of Venice, this unique wood-look tile is not your everyday oak look. This wood is transformed by years of water exposure into a unique look found in only one place in the world. Graceful porcelain planks in 8 x 40 inches or a 1 1/2-inch hexagon mosaic are perfect complements to uncommon designs. The collection is offered in four colors.
Arizona Tile
Reverie is an 8- x 8-inch porcelain tile that is offered in a variety of patterns and hues. Lending to the resurgence of vintage design, Reverie offers patterns reminiscent of years past. In spite of its aged appeal, Reverie pairs well with a variety of modern materials, creating installations that are both charming and unique.
Crossville, Inc.
Reformation represents a new frontier that pushes the edges of concrete style. The ultra-realistic appearance is achieved through Crossville’s Digital Plus technology applied to versatile planks in three sizes — for a completely contemporary appeal. The line’s two cool grays and two warm neutral tones are complementary for mixing and matching.
CORETec
COREtec Stone debuts with 40 SKUs. By partnering with leading design houses and using the latest technological advancements, COREtec Stone features realistic stone visuals, including granite, travertine and marble, in polished and matte options. The new innovative SKUs come in four sizes: 6 x 48, 12 x 24, 18 x 24 and 18 x 36 inches.
Custom Building Products
Prism® Ultimate Performance Grout sets a new standard in cement-based grout technology. The calcium aluminate, cement-based formula offers consistent color with no shading regardless of tile type, temperature or humidity. Prism’s rapid-setting formula results in high early strength and dense joints for the highest stain resistance in grout joints up to 1/2 inch. A unique blend of lightweight recycled glass and fine aggregate sand allows for a smooth consistency.
www.custombuildingproducts.com
Daltile
Indulge your senses in the look of Confectionery™. Using the monochromatic tiles, as well as striped triangles, the patterns you can customize are limitless and include stripes, arrows, diamonds and chevrons. Enjoy sweet style with this charming, mid-century modern collection, which is decorated with a striped triangle using Reveal Imaging Technology that creates a tone-on-tone look with matte and satin finishes.
Emser Tile
Clean and contemporary arabesque lines pair with a gloss finish in Divine, a delightful mosaic series. Light neutrals and blues are accented with darker-toned borders, while warmer blues and greens are outlined in white. The Greek mythology-inspired collection incorporates eye-catching geometrics for backsplashes, shower walls or even a large-scale accent wall.
James Hardie
The HardieBacker 500 Waterproof Cement Board, which officially launches in April, offers expert performance, easy installation and unparalleled tile adhesion — all with a waterproof composition throughout. Passing ANSI 118.10 for waterproofness, HardieBacker® 500 Waterproof Cement Board protects tile installations and wall cavities from moisture penetration, eliminating the need to apply waterproof coating across the entire surface area.
Kapro Tools
The 873G Prolaser® Vector Green Laser Level is comprised of a green beam with a wavelength that is more easily detected by the human eye than a red beam. This allows the beam to be seen up to 200 feet away. The 873G Prolaser Vector Green Laser Level includes three laser beams, a self-leveling range of ±3 degrees, manual mode for angular layout/tilted marking, visual and audible “out of level” warning, and tripod accessibility with 1/4-inch thread.
Laticrete
Multimax Lite is the ultimate one-step, non-sag, large and heavy tile mortar for interior and exterior installations of ceramic tile, porcelain tile, glass tile and stone. Offering superior bond strength and adhesion, Multimax Lite, which contains no silica sand, exceeds ANSI 118.15 and can be more easily transported and troweled.
M-D Pro
The Prova Flat Tile Edge is now available in a 12-foot length. The Flat Tile Edge was designed for use with tile. It’s pre-punched for easy setting into adhesive and protects tile from damage, while providing a finished butting edge for other flooring materials. The setting flange is punched to allow trim to be molded and shaped around curved floor applications with up to a 2-inch radius.
MAPEI
Polyplan™ RSL is a rapid-setting, self-leveling polymer-modified underlayment designed to create an enhanced bond over nonporous surfaces, including epoxy moisture barriers and razor-scraped adhesive residues. Packaged in pre-measured containers, the two-part compound does not require water for mixing. The underlayment’s fast-setting properties allow for rapid installation and project turnaround.
Marazzi USA
Add a splash of the exotic with four vibrant colors and encaustic patterns in the new D_Segni Color collection. Three dignified colors sets this encaustic-inspired collection apart from the rest. Use the solids in combination with the patterns for a rug-like quality. The retro 8- x 8-inch size completes your design with precision.
Mediterranea
Sonoma Coast pays tribute to the wine country of the Northern California coastline. The porcelain tile collection’s inspiration comes straight from the vineyards and wineries of California, where wood barrels of rich and varied colorations hold some of the world’s most select wines. The multi-plank look of these barrels give the series its inspiration, which is offered in three colors — Lambrusco (shown), Chianti and Amarone — using Mediterranea's Dynamic HD Imaging™ technology.
Milestone
The Classica collection is a porcelain tile tribute to the high-end appearance of marble. Exceptional in both look and quality, Classica is engineered for applications where elegance is desired. Available in three styles — Alaska Glacier, Renoir and Calacatta Gold — each tile is custom-designed to replicate the brilliance of the world’s most sought-after stone.
MSI
Express your signature style with the Oxide collection. This 12- x 24-inch large-format porcelain tile is offered in three colors — Blanc, Iron and Magnetite — each with a unique distressed metallic-look finish. Durable enough to stand up to the most traversed floors, this collection also adds interest and depth to backsplash, walls and countertops.
NAC Products
Moisture Lock 101® is a water-based hardener for porous and cementitious substrates that seals the substrate and minimizes absorption. It reacts with the free lime and calcium carbonate in concrete to fill and seal pores and capillaries to harden and dust-proof surfaces. Moisture Lock 101® contains 0% VOC content and forms a resistant barrier to moisture vapor transmission.
Progress Profiles
Prodeso Membrane is an uncoupling and waterproofing membrane in polyethylene with drop-shaped cavities, suitable for problematic indoor/outdoor supports, terraces, balconies and horizontal surfaces. Provided on both sides with a non-woven polypropylene thermowelded fleece, which ensures the adhesion to the support and the bonding to the floor, the membrane guarantees the application even in case of old tiles and not perfectly cured screed/substrates.
QFloors
A new business reporting and charting tool for owners is now available, known as QView. QView is an interactive, browser-based dashboard that allows owners to see vital business reports, in real time, via easy-to-read-and-understand charts and graphs. The visual aspect of the graphs helps busy owners see, at a glance, a good overall snapshot of what’s happening in their operation.
Schluter-Systems
Schluter has developed a line of brushed stainless steel shower shelves that are fast and easy to install and bring a new design element to tiled showers. Available in five shapes and sizes, they can be installed in new showers or as retrofits. The shelves are available in both the Curve and Floral patterns to match Schluter’s point and linear drains with the same designs. Made with 5/32-inch-thick stainless steel, the sturdy shelves require no special tools for installation.
SunTouch
With its Wi-Fi capability, the SunStat Connect lets you control your floor heating remotely, using a mobile app or the Internet. As a result, you can adjust your floor heating settings anytime from anywhere. Additional features let the system compensate for weather changes to save on energy use, including outdoor temperature and weather display options, weather compensation and warm weather shutdown settings, and email alerts.
USG Corp.
USG Durock™ Brand LSP™ Liquid Surface Profiler is a dust-free alternative to cleaning and profiling concrete for indoor, outdoor, horizontal, above and below grade applications. It is the ideal product for preparing concrete for the application of moisture mitigation systems, underlayments, floor patches, sealers and coatings. The patented chemistry of this product is biodegradable, self-neutralizing and low-fume, unlike most etching products.
https://usgperformanceflooring.com
The next edition of The International Surface Event will be held from January 28 to 30, 2020, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. For more information, visit www.intlsurfaceevent.com.
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