Leading Spanish companies that create ceramic tiles and porcelain stoneware do not get tired of improving production processes, actively introducing advanced technical solutions and making their wildest dreams come true.
An unusually relevant volumetric tile opens up new horizons for the implementation of design ideas. Especially popular are tiles that can be bent in all directions, as well as mosaics consisting of fragments laid at different angles or tesserae of different thicknesses. A clever combination of lighting technology and curved ceramics will transform any room into a space of the future, with surfaces that literally glow from within. Incredible volumetric images have become a reality thanks to the development of companies such as Apavisa, Azteca, Aparici, Saloni.
Imitations of materials such as wood, metal, stone, textiles and paper wallpaper are still in demand. Modern technologies allow such an effective transfer of the smallest details and reproduction of subtle texture that the difference becomes almost imperceptible. Aparici, Kerasol, Vives, Keros - it seems that there are no boundaries for these and other Spanish manufacturers when creating unforgettable ceramic surfaces.
Digital printing technology is actively developing, which makes it possible to apply any image to the surface of tiles - you can decorate the wall with a ceramic photo gallery with portraits of loved ones, landscapes dear to your heart or scenes from your favorite films, as suggested, for example, Undefasa.
The huge image of the smallest tesserae is another striking trend, superbly implemented by Spanish companies such as Onixspecializing in the production of mosaics.
The possibilities of modern ceramics are truly ambitious. Having firmly settled on ventilated facades and creative roofs, in squares and streets, in playgrounds and squares, ceramics occupies a very prominent place in modern urban architecture. Flexible and open to new things, ceramics can do almost everything: from banal pool cladding to designer outdoor furniture. However, for Spanish manufacturers, one of the most important properties of ceramics is environmental friendliness. Unrivaled energy efficiency allows up to 30% energy savings in a building with ventilated facades.
All the efforts of Spanish companies are aimed at greening production. For instance, Inalco It is rightfully proud of its reputation as an environmentally friendly manufacturer. The development of ultra-thin porcelain stoneware, consisting of 30-50% recycled raw materials, no more than 5.7 mm thick, has significantly reduced the use of raw materials (up to 60%), as well as natural gas (up to 45%) and CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, because thin porcelain stoneware can be fired at a lower temperature.
Company Ceracasa released tiles BIONICTILE®that is able to purify the air. The surface of this tile is covered with enamel, which, in the presence of sunlight and moisture, turns into a catalyst and transforms harmful NOx and HNO3 into substances that are neutral for human health. According to research carried out by the Institute of Chemical Technology of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Instituto de Tecnología Química de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia), 401,440 people a year will be able to breathe clean air thanks to 200 tiled buildings BIONICTILE® … At the same time, enamel, which purifies the air, also improves such technical qualities of tiles as wear resistance, strength and resistance to moisture.
Technological innovations increase the resistance of tiles to external factors. Company Keraben developed porcelain stoneware Lifeker with a surface capable of self-cleaning from fat, bacteria, fungus and mites. Accelerated photocatalytic oxidation promotes the breakdown of fats, which are the main cause of surface contamination, and destroys the protective membrane of living organisms such as bacteria, mites and fungi. Lifeker is an ideal coating for places with high levels of humidity (facades, terraces, swimming pools, greenhouses) and public places (schools, kindergartens, hospitals, clinics, restaurants, etc.).
Spanish ceramics are not only beautiful, practical and sustainable. It is also easy to install. Dry laying system used by companies such as Azteca, Tau, Levantina and others, allows you to significantly save time and effort, since it almost completely eliminates the formation of construction waste. Tau was one of the first to patented a dry-laying system. DrySystem® expands the possibilities of using ceramics in architecture and design, it is suitable for both horizontal and vertical surfaces, providing an even, seamless finish. DrySystem® ideal for outdoor furniture. The secret of the innovative coating lies in the fact that the ceramic elements are equipped with plastic polymer parts, so that they can be mounted like slots. This coating can be reused. It is easy to transfer it from one room to another: you just need to disassemble it into "parts" and put it again.
Styles, textures, formats, 3D effects - everything seems to be available to bright and multifunctional Spanish ceramics. Beautiful and durable, resistant to any external influences, Spanish ceramic tiles are undoubtedly a material with a great future and … a material of the future. Completely unique ceramics.
