Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116sought a cleaner, more contemporary look that provided for a slope to the entire floor in one direction for drain- ing without a lot of cuts and fewer grout joints. (See photos.) Selected were three 3.5mm-thick Kerlite styles, featuring the more rugged glass fiber reinforced back- ing. Despite its slim profile, Kerlite is not only resistant to tempera- ture and environmental swings (to include frost!), it also does not absorb moisture or odors, critical considerations in a locker room. The three styles would not only coordinate with one another but also would create an elegant visual interest via color contrast of grays and pink. Designers opted for Kerlite col- ors from three separate product lines, each with its own unique look: Kerlite Avantgarde Bluestone, Kerlite Elegance Via Condotti and Kerlite Buxy Cendre, all three mea- suring 100 x 100 cm (just under 40 inches square). Thin porcelain tile is produced in single pieces (planks or panels) often larger than 1 by 3 meters. Cotto d’Este’s unique manufac- turing process compresses each tile to greater than 15,000 tons PSI, creating a very dense, strong, thin tile with increased flexibility, and breaking strength. Further, a 0.5mm fiberglass mesh backing is adhered to each panel, providing additional strength and allowing for ease of drilling, cutting and handling. THIN TILE –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Kerlite® in the US Last spring, Italy-based Panariagroup, a world lead- er in tile and stone products, transferred management of North American sales of two of flagship brands to its U.S. subsidiary Florida Tile, head- quartered in Lexington, Ky. The move was made to increase the value of the Kerlite® and Cotto d’Este brands in North America. On May 1, 2016, sales and dis- tribution of these two brands became the responsibility of the sister brand, Florida Tile. Cotto d’Este is credited worldwide for establishing the new and unique luxury porce- lain tile segment in 1993 and yet another segment in 2004 when the company introduced Kerlite, an innovative, light- yet-durable, large-panel sized tile for floors, walls, counters, tabletops and contemporary furniture. 70 TileLetter | November 2016