Wood-look porcelain tile is standard fare for today’s interior (and exterior) design. Thanks to leading-edge technology, we’re able to produce tile that very convincingly replicates the appearance of wood. We offer everything from rugged wood styling in our SpeakEasy line to the refined look of Nest or the tranquil sophistication of Relax. However, we didn’t stop there.
Because designers and tile specifiers are always seeking new solutions and fashion-forward trends, we’ve launched two collections to catapult wood-look tiles into an excitingly new era. Discover the best in good wood looks with Story Teller and Jazz Age porcelain tile collections.
Story Teller Porcelain Tile Collection
This unique wood-look collection captures the graining effect achieved through the antique art of cerusing with modern digital technology to provide a mirrored, light-and-dark woodgrain appearance. Cerusing is a 16th-century contrasting technique developed to highlight the graining of wood, yet its stunning effects are as current today as when they were first discovered long ago.
“Story Teller has a key story to tell. Apart from being a beautiful and very realistic wood in porcelain tile, it also works as four color pairs. These are light and dark versions of tones inspired by cerusing and reverse cerusing,” explains Scott Jones, Crossville director of product development. “If a designer wanted, Story Teller offers built-in coordination for wall-to-floor or floor-to-floor transitions.”
Each of Story Teller’s four pairs of colorways—Satiric and Serious, Falsity and Fact, Villain and Hero, and Evil and Good—is designed to reflect the pale and deepened tonalities generated by this cerusing process. The contrasts offer visual transitions between floors and walls and strike a unique balance in design.
Story Teller comes in a 6” x 48” plank tile size that is ideal for creating a variety of custom tile patterns. Designers may also incorporate the collection’s standard 2”x2” square mosaic or the 1”x6” brick mosaic to add interest to any design. Additionally, the cove base and bullnose trim finish installations in style.
Jazz Age Porcelain Tile Collection
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This unique collection captures the look of traditional hardwood floors with an authentically-aged patina. Inspired by the character and style of the flooring found in a nightclub of the 1920s or ‘30s, Jazz Age’s surface visual features touches of distressing and marks that would occur over time in bustling, busy venues.
“The collection has a very European feel,” explains Lindsey Waldrep, Crossville VP of marketing. “It looks like wood in buildings, cafes, and clubs that have stood the test of time.”
She goes on to describe the details of the surface visual that are achieved through Crossville’s digital plus technology.
“We developed Jazz Age so that each detail on the tile planks tells a story. You’ll see what appears to be wear from nightly dancing on the wood graining, and we mimicked the high-low sheen club floors get from waxing. We even included the look of scuffs and subtle undulations that would come from chair legs and tapping feet.”
Waldrep points out that all these authentic, timeworn wood details are interpreted in durable and enduring porcelain tile that is ideal for high traffic and wet areas in which true wood could never be specified.
“Jazz Age is a distinct evolution in wood-look tile that will give designers a great alternative for so many projects and unique applications,” she shares.
The collection’s four wood-look hues (Louis, Duke, Count, and Billie) offer natural tones with lasting appeal and are offered in an 8” x 48” plank tile size that makes the wood appearance even more convincing. Two mosaic options—the standard 2”x2” square mosaic and a fashionable herringbone mosaic—invite creativity to complete any design. The covebase and bullnose trim allow for fully finished looks.
In contrast to its true wood predecessor, Jazz Age is easy to clean and maintain, even in high traffic areas in commercial or residential settings.
While we’re proud of all our wood-look collections, Story Teller and Jazz Age exemplify the very latest in digital technology to stunning effect. We invite you to order your free samples so you can see and feel these true-wood characteristics for yourself. Peruse all our wood-look porcelain tile collections here, and, remember, samples are always free!
