New Stone & Tile Products: Winter 2024

Featured Image: Marvel Calacatta Prestigio Polished 12 x 24 & 24 x 48 Porcelain Bathroom Floor & Wall Tile from Arizona Tile

Throughout the year in the world of tile and stone, there are emerging trends, exciting colors, and new products released by Arizona Tile to make the designs of your dreams a reality.

So far in 2024 we have three new products to highlight: Perlato Taj, Poplar White, and Marvel. Join us as we walk you through the type of products we offer, what the products have to offer you, and how to best use them within your design. Perhaps something will match your desired aesthetic and fit your lifestyle just the way you like.

Quartzite

Perlato Taj and Poplar White are two new quartzite products and wonderful natural stones with a lot to offer.  And, both are available in both a polished finish, as well as a satin finish, in 2cm (3/4”) thickness.

Quartzite is a metamorphic rock, like marble, which means under conditions of high heat and pressure the rock truly transforms into a denser, more compact rock. Quartzite is created through the metamorphic process after sandstone is met with extreme heat and pressure deep within the Earth. Given its predominant composition of quartz minerals, quartzite is very durable and heat resistant.

Day-to-day maintenance of quartzite is quite simple: avoid using harsh chemicals, abrasive products, and acidic products—like vinegar. Stick to wiping quartzite clean with warm water or a pH-balanced neutral cleaner and be sure to rinse the surface thoroughly with a soft cloth. A good rule of thumb for any natural stone product is to immediately wipe the surface clean to avoid staining or acid burns.

Like all natural stone, no two pieces will ever be identical because of inherent variations that exist in all stone—this could be in color, veining, and irregular markings; however, one consistency amongst all natural stone is that it is a porous material. With a quality-impregnating sealer and a consistent application routine, your quartzite countertop will be less susceptible to absorbing moisture, dirt, and cleaning chemicals, helping it shine for a lifetime.

Perlato Taj

One of our new quartzite products, Perlato Taj and its sibling, Perlato Taj Satin, are quarried from a bedrock quarry in Brazil. Offering a blend of creamy beige with gold and soft grey tones, this stone offers a stunning appearance that is both traditional and contemporary, so it’s a great option for many design preferences.

Image: Perlato Taj Satin Quartzite Slab from Arizona Tile

With the same base appearance and the same recommended uses, the only difference to be found is the finish, either polished or satin. A polished finish will be a high-gloss finish attained by machine-grinding and buffing of the stone—it will be shiny and reflective—and extra smooth to wipe clean. Oppositely, a satin finish is when the stone is skimmed with wire brushes to create a matte finish. This finish will not be shiny, thus eliminating a reflective glare, and will conceal minor flaws that happen organically such as fingerprints, crumbs, water spots, etc.

Aside from that, both Perlato Taj quartzite slabs are recommended for use in either commercial or residential spaces such as interior countertops, interior walls, around fireplaces, and on shower walls.

Poplar White

Another beautiful quartzite, also quarried from Brazil, is our Poplar White and Poplar White Satin. Same as above: all elements of Poplar White and Poplar White Satin are the same except for the surface finish, which is either polished or satin (matte).

Image: Poplar White Polished Quartzite Kitchen Countertop Slab

This is a lovely white quartzite with a creamy hue, touches of grey, and ribbons of gold veining throughout. It is very versatile in appearance and application with a broad range of applications. An added benefit with this quartzite is that it can be used in exterior applications. Both Poplar White and Poplar White Satin can be used commercially or residentially on interior and exterior countertops, on interior walls and exterior cladding, around fireplaces, and on shower walls.

Porcelain

There is a lot to love about porcelain tile: it is one of the most durable flooring and surface material available. It’s color-permanent and abrasion-resistant with a lasting beauty that appreciates in value. The best part is it comes in an infinite selection of sizes, shapes, colors, patterns, and textures; and it is low-maintenance.

Given that it is a man-made material, overall tone within a specific color in a series, and texture, will be consistent from tile to tile. Unlike natural stone, no sealing is required as this is a non-porous material. Maintenance is a breeze: sweep or vacuum regularly to keep off any abrasive particles, like tracked-in dirt. Use a neutral pH-balanced cleaner and damp mop for floor cleaning, then rinse and wipe dry. Or, tile can simply be wiped with a damp sponge to maintain its luster. There is never a need to wax, polish, or buff porcelain, and avoid using detergents for cleaning because soap film can give a dull appearance to the tile.

Marvel Porcelain

It is easy to see how wonderful porcelain tile is, especially this season’s new tile: Marvel. Available in six colors, two finishes (matte and polished) and eight sizes, this series is inspired by the precious marbles of Italian tradition, displaying the realism of pure colors, veining, intense shades, and transparent clouding.

Image: Marvel Fior di Bosco Polished 24 x 48 Porcelain Wall Tile from Arizona Tile

Marvel is a color body porcelain tile, which means the porcelain body and surface glaze are colored with the same pigments, leading to consistent color throughout the body. Ranging from black to white to cream to grey, there is so much about this tile to love for a lifetime, and luckily, not only are the styles within this tile series varied, so are the uses. Recommended uses are for both commercial and residential applications on interior floors, interior walls, exterior cladding, around fireplaces, shower walls, shower floors (with exceptions), in steam showers, and in pools and spas. For many applications, the sizes truly add to the aesthetic appearance that can be gained with Marvel—they are: 12 x 24, 24 x 24, 24 x 48, 2 x 2 Mesh, Archer Mesh, Puzzle Mesh, Straight Stack Mesh 1 x 12, and Small Hex 2-1/8 Mesh.

With all these amazing, versatile options that Marvel porcelain tile has to offer, try using our Just Imagine – Tile Visualizer to get a better sense of how each color will look in a particular size/shape.

Always Something New…

Having new options for our customers means a lot to us, so we are always delighted to share new products and inspiration that we know will be loved. Take a look at these previous blogs to help make design decisions: Choosing the Best Tile for Your Steam Shower, and Quartz that Looks Like Marble.

To get a better sense of our tile and slab products in person, stop by any Arizona Tile store or slab yard to find the perfect fit for your design vision. If you have questions for us, our helpful and knowledgeable staff are waiting to answer.