For those of you not familiar with the Coverings show, it is the largest stone and tile convention in North America. Jointly sponsored by the respective trade groups of the US, Spain and Italy, Coverings is an annual gathering that is international in scope.

The invited press spent a half a day with each of the three national trade groups. Each session included a formal press conference, a superb meal and a guided tour through the pavilions of that country’s leading stone and tile producers.

Three themes emerged through the show’s displays and educational sessions. They were; signs of economic recovery, choices in green products and advances in technology.

Economic Recovery:

The consensus of hope at Coverings 2010 was that material production and consumption would be up through the end of ‘10 and into 2011.

Andrew Whitmire, trade data analyst for the Tile Council of North America summarized with, “Despite these past three very difficult years for our industry, there are positive indicators the worst of the economic disaster has past, and the market is set to rebound. We have seen economic growth the past two quarters, some stabilization in the labor market, and historically low mortgage rates. We are hopeful 2010 will bring the first increase in tile consumption in four years.”

Green Choices:

Tile and stone, it was often emphasized, are naturally more sustainable materials than other interior coverings such as carpet and vinyl. Accordingly, the Tile Council of North America promoted their new green initiative website “Tile… the Natural Choice.” In addition to providing “green news” and other features, the website explains how tile is durable, ecological, clean/healthy and economical.

Unlike carpet products, tile has been deemed essentially non-recyclable. The process energy required to convert discarded tile into a usable material was prohibitive; until now.

Crossville Tile has announced their “Tile Take-back” program, whereby four million pounds of Crossville’s land-field-bound tile will be recycled. Learn more about this proprietary system here.

As another recycled content innovation, Italy’s Ceramiche Refin showcased its Pro-gres collection.  “The collection is manufactured using, for the first time ever, 20% post-consumer recycled CRT glass derived from obsolete cathode ray tube TV sets and monitors.”

Technological Advances:

The ultra-thin tile technology Italy is known for was on display at many pavilions. Lea Ceramiche’s Slimtech yields “slabs of exceptional sizes (up to 118” x 39”) that are also incredibly light thanks to their 3-mm-thickness.”  The Lea demonstration showed one product being easily cut along a curved score line, yet not being marred or broken by a heavy hammer.

Emilceramica displayed layered settings of their thinnest tile, intricately cut to provide sculpted creations.

Beyond the look of the tile, other technological advances actually enhanced the environment of the tile.

Bios by Casalgrande Padana has within its ceramic material a patented product that can reduce the four main bacteria families by 99%. The process is not dependent on a light source so it can serve as a first line of defense against bacteria growth, even in a dark kitchen environment overnight.

Another innovation on display is Active by Fiandre Architectural Surfaces. Its light-and-air triggered chemistry transforms organic and inorganic substances into harmless compounds, giving the tile antipollution, antibacterial and self cleaning properties.

These are just of few of the products of note from this year’s Coverings convention.

See some of my pictures from the show below.

The Peabody! A great place to stay.

The Orange County Convention Center, home of Coverings

Arata Isozaki’s building at Disney.

And Tiles! Tiles! Tiles! Below.

Collier Ward is an architect and blogger.  Read more of his work here.