Large-format ceramic

One of the most obvious trends emerged not only from the last edition of Cersaie, but also from those of the previous years, is the production of ceramic tiles in always bigger sizes.
This is because it is the desire of designers and clients to obtain surfaces increasingly larger and more homogeneous, with the use of ceramics and not directed to the choice of other materials, such as resin or cement.

Since the ceramic industry, in Italy, despite the crisis is always oriented towards development and research, it has been possible in recent years, due to the technological developments, to obtain slabs of porcelain layer thickness shrinking, but with sizes very large, up to 3x1 and 3x1 meter, 5 meters.

Without wishing to analyze these extremes for the moment, we focus here on the analysis of ceramics collections proposals in large size formats that are sure to meet a favorable response from the general public.

Collections large-size ceramic

Gigacer Faenza is a company born right at the moment when the market demand for the industry of floors and walls, was more oriented towards the search for continuous surfaces, and that is why it has quickly become a leading manufacturer of large format ceramic.

The company, therefore, is developed thanks to the simultaneous demand for this type of product to be part of the studies of the design and development of the technology of porcelain full body, allowing you to get the size 120x120 cm.
The porcelain stoneware slab of this size is also usable in its submultiples, thanks to the cutting line inside the company, and thus it gives the designer a wide modularity and versatility.

As part of the production, you can enjoy a wide choice of colors which includes the presence of the same base color in different collections, which are so easy to match, despite the different finish.
The same can be said for thickness: collections with different thicknesses, in fact, have matching colors. These thicknesses are 4.8 mm, 12 mm and 24 mm.

Caesar, a ceramic company in Fiorano Modenese, has some interesting proposals.

The larger sizes feature a number of important collections, such as the Tecnolito 60x120 cm and 75x150 cm Flow and Gate, shown to meet the highest demands of architects and professionals.

The collection Gate gives the designer a great deal of freedom of expression and creative, given the nine formats and the seven neutral colors available.
This great possibility of customization is now even wider thanks to the new, large-format, of 75x150 cm. The plates Gate, in this new format, offering 1,125 square meters for a wraparound effect and a visual continuity of great aesthetic impact.

The magnitude of the surface results in a homogeneous material with Gate and versatile, suitable for installation on floors and walls: the new format, in fact, the expanded space, enhances the volumes and amplifies the creative possibilities of contemporary design.

Among the available finishes it appears to be original and gritty the structured one that reinterprets ceramic with the versatility of the imprint left by the timber formwork on the concrete.
Thanks to the slip coefficient equal to R11 A + B finish is suitable for outdoor use, but is also ideal for coating the inner walls.

The compositional possibilities have expanded thanks to the new honed finish, playing with grace in the reflections of light, releasing a soft and enveloping surface effect.

In addition to the aforementioned maxi format, Gate is available in sizes 75x75, 50x75, 25x75, 15x75, 5x75, 60x120, 60x60, 30x60, 11,7 x60, 30x60, 60x60 for the honed finish, 75x75 for the textured finish with a thickness of 10 and 10.5 mm.
The available colors are Jet Black, Tube, Downtown, Breath, Broadway, Greige, Licorice. There are available Decor Doghe 3D 30x60 cm steps and skirting as special pieces.

We find large sizes, as mentioned, also available in the lines of porcelain stoneware collection Archiproject, Flow and Tecnolito, this time in size 60x120 cm.

This collection combines the aesthetic most current special attention paid to eco-friendly production, Made in Italy.
Arichiproject proposes a certified Ecolabel and porcelain surfaces, made in dark colors, have pre-consumer recycled material can allow obtaining LEED points for green building accreditation.

How to lay large format ceramic

The correct installation is particularly important in the case of large format ceramic to achieve an adequate aesthetic and functional result.
With large format we mean, in general, sheets of 90x90 cm and 120x120 cm and their lower multiples.

To explain how to implement this type of product Cooperativa Ceramica d'Imola has created an explanatory video, very clear and comprehensive, that in 4 minutes in length illustrates the whole process that goes all the way from the correct formation of the screed to the delivery of finished space.

An examination of the various steps of this project, therefore, begins with a careful analysis of the media on which the slabs are to be installed. The second step is the choice of adhesive with which to perform the bonding, a choice that depends on the environment in which the plates are going to be laid and the installation technique used.
The advice is to use a double pass of adhesive with a notched trowel tight, so as to obtain a more homogeneous surface of the product on the tile.

In the video there are two other very interesting suggestions from both aesthetic and functional.
The first suggestion concerns the formation of the drain, which must be at least 2mm, the second, however, is to provide structural joints every 25 square meters of laid surface, so as to counteract the tensions which could create.

Finally, there are tips on cleaning the tiled surface, which must be performed with respect to the timely completion of the work and by qualified and experienced personnel, respectful of shutter speeds.