Large format porcelain

There is no doubt that porcelain pieces of size XL have predominated in the latest fairs and ceramic novelties. For some time now, Italian manufacturers, who are always one step ahead in design and innovation, presented them in their contests and saw them in their catalogs and exhibitors. Now this trend has also reached almost all domestic manufacturers. The most leading Castellón brands, such as Apavisa and Tau, started producing it last year. But in Cersaie, the prestigious fair in Bologna (Italy), we have been able to verify that all Italian and Spanish brands have released this product that seems to begin to gain strength. It is true that the ceramic sector has evolved a lot thanks to the technological evolution that allows producing larger and larger pieces of better quality and more real appearance. In the middle of the last century that the ceramic sector boom began due to the increase in demand in floor construction, only 20cm square or 20x40cm rectangular pieces were manufactured. Today we produce and consume parts of 3 meters. It has been especially in the last decade when the size of the pieces has grown the most, since about 15 years ago floors of more than 45x45 cm were not installed and, now, the installation of porcelain floors of 75x75cm, 45x90cm or 60x120cm However, the XL formats of 2.40 meters or 3 meters create controversy among professionals in the sector, as they are pieces that do not fit on any floor and that need special logistics to transport them and put them in homes. Separate mention for installation. Although the thickness is less than that of small tile formats (3mm, 5mm or 6mm), the size makes it very difficult to handle them, and most installers are not trained or have the necessary machinery for guarantee placement. All these factors make each process more expensive and make it, for the moment, an exclusive product. It is not easy to predict if these sizes will have a consolidated consumption in the future or if the factories will spend them to be able to cut on demand any tile of any size. Finally we must say that although in private homes its consumption is scarce, for public establishments such as restaurants and shops, or for large outdoor areas they are already being used, and the result is spectacular.