Inside Out

Similarly, Crossville’s Buenos Aires Mood series in a slip-resistant textured finish provides an alternative to slate that the manufacturer says is easy to maintain and install. Suitable for indoor as well as outdoor use—as are most of the latest introductions—this collection also comes in polished and unpolished marble-like finishes. As there is little discernible difference among the three finishes, an identical tile can be specified to transition from interior to exterior with the appropriate surface treatment for each location without changing the image.

“Right now, the newest thing is anti-skid,” says Fasan. Anti-skid used to mean a very gritty finish that was somewhat uncomfortable under bare feet, but a new glaze is extremely fine and smooth, like a matte tile when dry. “When it gets wet,” she adds, “it has superior grip.”

New Styles. “What we’re seeing in terms of the sizes is the larger formats on patios and on decks,” says Daltile director of marketingLori Kirk-Rolly. “We’ve seen that inside and now it’s carrying through to the exterior.”

Metaux from Italian manufacturer Rex interprets the contemporary look of industrial metal found in abandoned factories as an indoor/outdoor through-body porcelain tile with bold color shadings of rust red or rust silver. The line is available through Hastings Tile. The Grespania parquet-like Escandinavia, Rex metal-inspired Metaux, Caesar stone-like Quality Quartz, and Roca Rock & Rock series are all suitable for this sort of application with their larger-than-standard shapes and sizes, as is the groundbreaking Floor Gres Ecotech, a green line of porcelain tile made of the post-manufacturing refuse of this Italian company’s products.

Another trend that emerged last year is the stained concrete look, says Kirk-Rolly. Daltile’s interpretation, Veranda, has been so popular since it was introduced last year, she says, that eight colors have been added to the line for a total of 15.

Digitally printed with an ink-injection system, Ceracasa’s Emotile is available in several stone patterns and textures for exterior paving installations. This Spanish company says there are no pattern repeats within a minimum of 52 square feet. An updated variation on Moroccan clay tiles, the Clay group from Casa Dolce Casa’s Casamood collection was created to evoke their inspiration in weather-resistant porcelain.

While porcelain has definite advantages, Fasan notes that tile has been installed outside for more than 900 years and none of it was porcelain. “Quarry tile and terra-cotta—anything for outside use—were made by extrusion,” she says. Because of this, these materials have technical qualities that even at a higher absorption rate make them as frostproof as most porcelain, Fasan notes.

Metropolitan Ceramics, for example, produces its Down To Earth unglazed ½-inch-thick quarry tiles for both indoor and outdoor use and says the outdoor product is slip- and frost-resistant.

Of course, there are terra-cottas designed for outdoor use in warm climates, such as Mexican Saltillo. For those who love the look but live in a locale less friendly to terra-cotta, Marazzi has developed a Super Saltillo glazed porcelain that even mimics the slightly rounded top edges of the original.

Antelope Canyon glazed porcelain tile from AFI was designed in collaboration with the company’s Italian team. It is available in four variegated earth tones in several sizes including bullnose trim and mosaics. Looking ahead, Kirk-Rolly says that Daltile will be launching an extensive exteriors program based on market demand. “We have relationships with builders across the country,” she says. “And they are telling us that their customers are asking for outdoor living spaces.”

This story first appeared in BUILDING PRODUCTS magazine.