b'TILE TRENDS (continued) haventdevelopedthetechnologycial specifiers. Most manufacturersSusleyanalsonotedthefavor-tocreatethesubtleandcomplexfeature a variety of options for bothable effect of tariffs on Chinese tile looks we can achieve in ceramic. So,looks that continue to evolve withforTurkishtileproducers,which continue to sell the benefits of tilenew generations of aesthetics. Justresultedin48%increaseinTurkish over LVT, sincelike tilethe LVTthinkofwherewewere20yearsexportstotheU.S.in2019com-wood look is in its trend maturityagowhenweweresellingthepared to the previous year. In 2018, stage, yet tile can offer many morefeature of how many flat screenstheU.S.wasthethirdlargestmar-beautiful options. were used to manufacture our mar- ketforTurkishtilemanufacturers ble patterns. afterIsraelandGermany,hesaid. Mix of mediums SemihSusleyanUSAGeneralThanks to increasing Chinese tariffs, ManymanufacturershaveManagerforTurkishproducerU.S.becameTurkeysnumberone attemptedandfailedtoaccom- YurtbaySeramikobservedthat,tile export market in 2019.plish the mix of different mediums;Consumerstendtowardssleek-however,PortobelloAmericasMserstonelookssuchasCarrara, BarcelonawasdevelopedwiththeCalacatta and Statuario looksrather goal to fuse materials like limestones,than busy marble looks. We see more cements and basalts. Michael Wardpeople looking for rectangle wall and PortobellosVPofsalespointsout,porcelaintilesindifferent(mainly Ms Barcelona creates a striking butsmall)sizesforbacksplashesand minimalist surface that may use veinsshower walls, mainly in light colors. andelementsofnaturalstonesorInordertomeetdemand,Yurtbay cement textures with aggregates, in aSeramik increased its small size wall balance that converges to somethingtilecapacityinthelastquarterof unique and synthetic. 2019.Wehavealsomadeanew investmenttoincreaseourpolish-ingcapacity,whichwillbeupand running towards the end of the first quarter of 2020, Susleyan said.Yurtbays Ral 4 x 12 wall tiles in glossy and matte finish are on trend. AlpEr,ofEgeSeramik,another leading Turkish tile producer, agreed. At Ege, we benefited from this situ-ationsincemostofourlargecus-tomerstransitionedmanyproducts from Chinese manufacturers to us. LikeYurtbay,smallformatwalltile and polished porcelain were the two productareaswhereEgehadthe mostgain.Thosetwoweredomi-PortobelloAmericasMsBarcelonafuses materials like limestones, cements and basaltsnated by Chinese manufacturers for into a striking, minimalist surface.years because of the pricing and their factory set ups, he said.IwouldalsonotethatmarblesOur industry is far superior to other andconcretearestilltrendsinQuest, shown in Gray from Yurtbay, is avail- wall and floor covering options; we theindustrythatwillcontinuetoable in both polished and matte finishes injust need to let ceramics beauty and the popular 12 x 24 format, plus 24 x 24 wow the consumer and commer- and 24 x 48. superior performance lead the way.482020|TRENDS'