Once upon a time, 18”x18” was considered “large format” for tile size. These days—thanks to advancing technology, porcelain tile is a bigger deal than ever, quite literally. A burgeoning category of tile, porcelain tile panels, features products with outer dimensions upwards of 1Mx3M (nearly 3’x10’) and profiles as lean as 3mm for walls and 5.6mm for both wall and floor installations.

U.S. porcelain tile manufacturer Crossville entered the porcelain tile panel category several years ago with its introduction of Laminam by Crossville collections. Since then, the company has led in the category by offering training for installers nationwide to work with the material and education for architects and designers who’re always looking to specify innovative, new options.

“Specifiers are wowing us with their creative installations,” states Crossville’s VP of Marketing Lindsey Waldrep. “Because these products compete with slab, sheet, and other panel materials, we’re seeing tile used in ways no one thought possible until now.”

Waldrep cites high profile examples showcasing the versatility of porcelain tile panels:

Photo Credit: Charlie Mayer

Macy’s Herald Square, New York, NY
Laminam porcelain tile panels were specified by Charles Spark + Company to dress ceilings and walls to define the unique aesthetic identities of departments and support shopper wayfinding in the retail environment.

Photo Credit: Jordan Inskeep

200 Civic Center, Columbus, OH
Rather than facing the cost and labor of ripping out a dated, mud set travertine, the design team of Behal Sampson Dietz opted to install Laminam by Crossville porcelain tile panels directly over the existing floor.

Photo Credit: Marty Perlman

Texas Ale, Dallas,TX
To create an industrial chic aesthetic for a craft brewery housing both manufacturing and tasting facilities, The Orion Collection specified Laminam by Crossville’s Oxide collection. The expansive, metallic-look tile panels offer the right effect.