40 2018 | TRENDS TILE TRENDS s e prepare or o erin s in Atlanta, be assured that we will see a lar e t rno t o yers since the economy is stron and the sho ill be full of factories from around the lo e sho in their ne est prod cts and inno a ons or 2018 and eyond. he i es on is hat are the trends and ho can I e at the ore ront to capitali e on them ally important is Ho does one eep in entory o the ri ht prod cts on hand and de ote a por on o that in entory to ed y or trendin loo s to e at the leadin ed e o the com pe on First, let s loo at hat s sellin and how it may evolve into newer enera ons o that style. Remem er, a trend is a pa ern o rad al chan e that we see in the industry and not a one hit onder that fills a niche and is not a road sellin cate ory. e ha e seen those come and o in o r ind stry, t this ar cle oc ses on solid trends. Technology In et has chan ed the ind stry and has ta en s to a le el o desi n no one co ld ha e ima ined, and it alone has allo ed s to con n e to ro ith the de elopment o other oor co erin s. In addi on, e see the lar e panels sla s ein promot ed by manufacturers and distributors ali e. Finally, e see the .S. mar et ein more acc stomed to lar er si es rom aro nd the orld, incl d in 24 24 and 24 48 . hen e disc ss technolo y, e cannot or o the ne t step o some o these ne prod cts, hich is ho they are installed. e are ort nate to ha e ind stry associa ons and leaders s ch as art e a ec e irector o the a onal ile ontractors ssocia on , ric strachan ec e irector o the ile o ncil o orth merica , and Sco arothers rainin irector o the eramic ile d cation Fo nda on that ens re o r ind s try is oc sed on ality installa on ith cer fica on pro rams s ch as the er fied ile Installer I and d anced er fica ons or ile Installers . he I creden al cer fies installers in asic installa on no led e and s ills, and cer fies installers in se en specific areas in se n lar e ormat porcelain le and s oor prepara on, m d alls and oors, sho ers and mem ranes, ro ts and thin porcelain le. Wood Rest ass red, one o the cate ories in hich e ill see ne introd c ons is ood. ood has ecome a cate ory on its o n ith some dis tri tors sayin ood loo s acco nt or 30 40 o their le sales. he es on is, ho many ood loo s do you need to ensure you have the ri ht mi and yo limit the can ni ali a on e ha e seen m l ple ne enera ons o ood loo s that tar et oth the residen al and com mercial mar et. In et technolo y has allowed us to emulate the look of real wood and we have the ability to press or c t plan si es that e see in real ood. In addi on, sers lo e the di eren a n actor that comes ith le, hich is d ra ility and ease o maintenance. Tile Trends for 2018 By Joe Lundgren, Joseph Lundgren Consulting arge slabs, li e s orcelain slabs in tatuario ari shown on walls and counter- to s are constantly gaining ground as anu- acturing technology evolves and installation standards and ethods ensure success ul installs altile s erson ood, available in , and widths, with te ise anti-sli treat ent