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Category: Commercial Design Specifications

GIO_Thick 1.0

What’s In For Outside Design

As an alternative to natural stone and concrete, porcelain pavers are a big trend in outdoor design. Though porcelain tile options have long been available for outdoor use, these thick, high-tech pavers are made from the highest grade porcelain and are specifically designed for easy installation over a variety of foundations, including grass, sand, gravel, and standard mortar installations. Their precision sizing and uniformity make for easier and faster installation, plus they may be lighter in weight compared to natural stone.

Gio_Thick 1.0 Quartz Silver 24x24 Rectified

 

GIO_Thick 1.0 Installed over grass and gravel.

GIO_Thick 1.0 laid over grass and gravel

 

In addition to the easy and flexible installation, porcelain pavers are incredibly durable and easy to maintain.

  • The color will not fade in harsh sunlight or the most abusive weather.
  • The very dense surface allows for minimal moisture absorption, making them 100% frost resistant (they won’t freeze and crack in very cold weather).
  • They are impermeable, which means that de-icing salts can be used without damaging them.
  • They do not require sealing and are naturally resistant to stains and the growth of mold and moss.
  • Porcelain pavers are extremely easy to clean with a hose and standard household cleaners and, if necessary, low pressure washing systems.
  • Unlike concrete and stone, porcelain pavers have no efflorescence (a crystalline deposit of salts often seen on the surface that occurs when water leaves behind salt deposits).

Porcelain Pavers are also slip-resistant. Slip resistance is an important safety feature in outdoor environments, and even more so when it comes to areas prone to slipperiness, such as walkways near irrigation systems and swimming pool patios. Many natural stones won’t be slip-resistant unless a special finish is applied as a separate step after installation.

GIO is proud to offer a beautiful line of the highest quality porcelain pavers that are designed to withstand the most challenging of commercial environments. GIO_Thick 1.0 is a collection of 12mm thick pavers available in an extensive range of looks suit any design scheme. While we introduced this series a few years ago, we have recently added even more on-trend looks to the lineup. Here’s a look!

Natural Stone Looks

Natural stone looks include Limestone, Marble, Slate, and Flagstone in 24″ x 24″ rectified field tile and Sandstone in 18″ x 36″ rectified.

Concrete Looks

Our concrete paver lookalikes are available in four hues, 24″ x24″ rectified.

Quartz Looks

The quartz looks are available in four hues, two in 18″ x 36″ and two in 24″ x 24″. All are rectified.

Wood Looks

And last, but not least, the wood looks are available in a range of seven colors and sizes include 24″ x 24″, a6″ x32″ and 12″ x 48″, all rectified.

 

GIO_Thick 1.0 Special Accessories

Special accessories for our porcelain pavers include coping/stair treads, coping/stair tread corners, grip stair treads, pool grids, pool grid corners. Pedestal supports for raised laying are available in multiple heights (raised laying facilitates ease of care and maintenance for wiring and piping systems).

 

Questions About Porcelain Pavers?

Reach out to us anytime — we’re here for you!

hex tiles

Commercial Flooring Isn’t Boring!

There was a time in the not-too-distant past that the number one requirement for commercial flooring was durability. As for the look, most commercial flooring was generally inconspicuous, with muted tones and little pattern – not exactly what one would call exciting. But commercial interior design today isn’t just about choosing functional materials that can withstand heavy use. It’s also about creating a comfortable, inviting environment and projecting a cohesive image that can positively affect the overall mood of those inside it.

Thanks to ever-improving technologies in the tile industry, as well as exciting new ways of thinking about design, commercial interiors no longer have to sacrifice beauty and style in favor of durability. Here’s a look at some current tile trends that are definitely not boring!

Bigger is Better

While 12” x 24”  and 24” x 24” tile sizes have long been the norm, porcelain tiles just keep getting bigger. 24” by 48” planks (and even larger) are hugely popular and answer to the demand for tile that can handle spaciousness without making the flooring or walls look too busy. Using bigger tiles will also reduce the number of grout lines for a more seamless look. 

Many  GIO porcelain tile collections are available in indulgently large sizes. Shown here are (left) Tribeca and (right) Veneto in 24″ x 48″.

vento-tribeca

GIO_Thin 5.5 porcelain panels come in sizes as large as 39″ x 118.″ Gio_thin composite

Geometric Shapes

Geometric shapes, including the timeless hexagon, emerged as a strong trend a few years ago and have remained very popular. Whether large or small, geometric forms are very flexible and can greatly impact the feel, tone, and texture of a space.

Geometry Options offers geometrically superlative selections for your every design whimsy. Shapes include hex, penny round, octagon, lantern, basketweave, and pinwheel.

 

geometry Options

 

Explore all our hexagon-shaped tile collections on our website here.

hex tiles

Patterned Tile

Patterned tiles bring character and pizzaz to commercial and residential spaces. Today’s floor tile designs feature exciting and bold patterns that are being used in new ways to create stunning interior design schemes. Whether you specify Moroccan-inspired tiles, Victorian, or modern geometric, the key to working with patterned tiles is to allow the floor to take the limelight. Check out our patterned, encaustic-look Vintage collection.

GIO Vintage Vecchio Room Scene

Wood-looks

Porcelain wood-look tiles are a boon to commercial environments where the style of wood flooring is desired.  Thanks to the leaps and bounds made in print technology in recent years, and the choice of wood-look over real wood for a commercial environment is practically a no-brainer. With all the fabulous options available, you definitely do not have to trade high style for practical flooring that can take a beating. Click here for a look at all our fabulous wood look collections.

GIO wood-looks

 

Modern and Sleek

Sleek elements, meaning smooth and polished, go hand in hand with modern design.  And sleek, modern design is the name of the game in many commercial design areas today, especially in high-end retail and hospitality. Clean and serene, sleek and modern design is elegant and sophisticated in its simplicity.

 

GIO_Thin 5.5 in “Statuary Marble” offers a perfectly sleek backdrop for this modern setting.

 

GIO_Thin 5.5 in "Statuary Marble"
GIO_Thin 5.5 in “Statuary Marble” offers a perfectly sleek backdrop for this modern setting.

Cement Inspired Looks

For the rugged elegance of concrete without the stains, scratches, and headaches of concrete installation, turn to cement-inspired porcelain for your commercial projects. Ardeisa, Athena, Fusion, Progetto, and Veneto offer concrete visuals in a durable, easy-to-maintain porcelain stoneware body.

porcelain tile with cement concrete visuals

Chromatic Design

Color can tell a story, and our new Colori porcelain tile collection is here to tell yours. Check out the ultimate palette with a spectrum of options for commercial spaces.

Colori floor tile, Red 24x24 Matte Rectified

 

 

GIO brings you a carefully curated, on-trend selection of tile and stone products developed expressly for your commercial design projects. Each color, size, texture, and detail you see on our website has been hand-picked from global sources based on our laser-focused knowledge of what you need to take your designs not just from good to great—but from great to extraordinary. Contact us anytime — we’re here to work with you!

 

Tile, the Right Choice in a Post-COVID World

Veneto Floor and Wall Tile by GIO
Veneto Porcelain Floor & Wall tile in Bianco 24×48

The focus on clean indoor environments in all areas, both commercial and residential, has never been as great as it is now during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s no secret that ceramic tile (and that includes porcelain) is one of the most sanitary surfacing choices available. Specifiers for commercial environments such as healthcare and food service facilities have long gravitated towards tile surfacing for both floors and walls for this reason. However, as we continue to evolve through this pandemic, there is a heightened interest in healthy design strategies for indoor environments. Here’s a look at why tile is the right choice in a post-COVID world.

The Advantages of Tile for Health & Hygiene

Impervious

With a water absorption of 0.5 percent or less, porcelain tile is categorized as impervious. This characteristic makes tile inhospitable to bacterial growth, mold, mildew, fungi, and other irritants and contaminants. It also makes tile stain- and water-resistant (liquid spills won’t hurt tile!).

Easy to Clean & Disinfect

Ceramic tile is a material that has always enjoyed hygienic advantages. While simply cleaning tile with soap and water greatly reduces the number of germs, dirt, and impurities on the surface, the CDC recommends following up with a disinfectant to kill virus germs. Click here for a list of disinfectants that meet EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Porcelain tile is not easily harmed by disinfectants, but keep in mind some disinfectants like bleach, for example, may compromise certain grouts, so be sure to test in an inconspicuous area or consult with the manufacturer.

Hypoallergenic

Tile has zero allergens, and allergens in the environment such as dust and pollen cannot penetrate porcelain tile’s nonporous surface.

Nontoxic

When exposed to fire, tiles do not emit toxic fumes.

No VOCs

Volatile organic compounds are harmful gases that cause a range of health concerns. Building materials with few or no VOCs are necessary for good indoor air quality. Virtually all flooring materials except ceramic tile emit VOCs (ceramic and porcelain tile products emit zero VOCs). Choose tile to easily meet the requirements of commonly-referenced emission specifications. (For a detailed look at the green and sustainable aspects of tile, click here to download the Ceramic Tile Green Guide by the Tile Council of North America).

Formaldehyde-Free

Formaldehyde in high levels is associated with different respiratory disorders and according to the Center for Disease Control, is particularly dangerous to the elderly and children. Ceramic tile is completely free from the formaldehyde found in many other flooring materials.

PVC-Free

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a resin used in some vinyl flooring types and installation materials that is a concern among health experts (the health effects of PVC on humans and the environment is a contentious issue). Ceramic tile and its installation materials are completely free of polyvinyl chloride.

 

While wellness-focused architecture and design is not new (an Interior Design survey back in 2018 revealed that 69 percent of clients were “extremely” or “very” willing to invest in a wellness-promoting space), the Coronavirus pandemic has changed everything. Its impact on global wellness has forced organizations in every industry to evolve and adapt, and there’s no doubt that interior design will play a major role in making the world a healthier place. Selecting tile for interior environments is without a doubt the healthiest choice!