Porcelain stoneware for the home of the future

The pandemic we have experienced has brought a new meaning to life at home, prompting us to reconsider the concept and bringing to light the importance of inviting, effectively arranged, multi-functional living spaces.

Adapting our living spaces to the new needs that have resurfaced is destined to remain a key issue in the near future.

Home environments have taken on new meanings and values, adapting to the changing requirements of everyday life and regaining the role of a safe haven in which to find our own individuality even in shared living spaces.

The public health emergency that marked the beginning of 2020 and resulted in months of lockdown and the imposition for many of smart working from home for many also witnessed the emergence of new technological demands and social change that have influenced how we experience home life.

For many employees used to going into the office every day, this required a new approach to work and represented a brand-new circumstance that turned our previous habits upside down, and will probably bring irreversible changes to the world and to the employment market.

Thanks to remote working and the new systems made available by technology – such as webinars, video calls or online conferences – the doors of our home have also been virtually opened to people extraneous to our lives, turning our homes from private places devoted to rest and to the family into public spaces.

So in the future, greater attention will be paid to designing modular, flexible spaces, with layouts that can be adapted to the different needs of the various family members, to the use of antibacterial, eco-compatible and natural materials, as well as home automation technologies, functional to avoid wasting energy and able to team comfort with increased safety.

The need to boost well-being and offer more practical solutions for the home has shed light on the importance not only of an inviting home, but on the need for living spaces that allow us to enjoy the outdoors: a patio, a veranda, a terrace or a garden with a swimming pool.

Maximum hygiene in the home

The current public health emergency has brought to light new needs, especially within the home: from the need for greater comfort and well-being to the need to live in a healthy, hygienic environment, with clean air and a reduced amount of allergens.

Casalgrande Padana offers Bios Antibacterial®, the exclusive silver-based treatment able to eliminate 99% of bacteria present on the ceramic surface.

The antibacterial capacity is permanently incorporated into the stoneware tiles, and is active at all times, both in the presence of light and in the dark; it does not require UV rays for activation.

Bios Antibacterial® uses a silver ion technology that blocks the metabolism of bacteria, eliminating them and preventing them from spreading, with efficacy tested on the four main strains of bacteria. Following strict laboratory tests, Bios Antibacterial® proved capable of eliminating 99% of the four main strains of bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Unlike the most common disinfectants, a bactericidal product such as Bios Antibacterial® is able to guarantee continual protection against these micro-organisms in three ways: by interrupting cell metabolism, blocking the processes of transport into the membrane and preventing the multiplication of the cells.

In addition to its bactericidal capacity, Bios Antibacterial® prevents the formation of mould, yeast and fungi, the main culprits of unpleasant odours, thus making settings healthier and with a more pleasant smell. Unpleasant odours are among the causes that have the biggest impact on the quality of an environment, as well as a tangible sign of poor hygiene of the air and of surfaces.

Even with a complete absence of light, the antibacterial action of Bios Antibacterial® prevents the formation of mould, yeast and fungi, and helps eliminate unpleasant odours and maintain the anti-slip properties of the tile, offering broad-ranging guarantees.

The active principle of Bios Antibacterial® is based on the use of silver, a material used in the production of everyday objects (cutlery, teapots, coins, ornaments), and renowned for its antibacterial properties since ancient times. Small amounts of the additive are sufficient to obtain an efficient treatment. Silver is also absolutely harmless to health, non-allergenic in contact with the skin, and does not give off substances that are harmful for the environment.

Creating a study at home: the importance of coverings

Creating a study area in the home from scratch, or adapting and renovating an existing space for the purpose to allow for a practical, functional work experience, is a key issue for architects and designers today, and an interesting topic for discussion.

Effective remote working requires more than just a computer: an actual workstation is necessary, a reserved area physically present in the home, where we can concentrate and at times isolate ourselves from our surroundings.

Among the various solutions present on the market, porcelain stoneware is an excellent choice: practical and resistant, it can be described as a universal material, because it can be used to tile both floors and walls. Among the many Casalgrande Padana collections, the best suited to home workstations are those in wood-effect porcelain stoneware, or the timeless marble-effect combinations, perfect for creating an elegant setting; those who prefer more original combinations can also choose from the collections in stone, metal or concrete-effect porcelain stoneware. Dynamic, versatile, extremely contemporary solutions, ideal for bringing a new look to the study in a large home, as well as for modern, spacious options for creating remote working and study areas within the living room.

The variety of sizes and thicknesses available make Casalgrande Padana stoneware an excellent material for creating new surfaces (floorings or coverings) in which to set up a small study or remote workstation.

Interlocking installation for home automation

The dry interlocking installation system for porcelain stoneware floors is a quick, technically complete and elegant solution, able to engage with home automation systems for a smart home able to meet the most complex design requirements.

Unlike a traditional system in which the various functions in the home are activated by switches or knobs that do not interact with each other, home automation systems offer the possibility to coordinate the operation of the various interconnected devices.

Home automation makes it possible to automatically switch lights on and off, open and close curtains, shutters and windows, adjust the temperature in multiple zones, manage energy consumption, adjust the irrigation and even the sound system, from both inside and outside the home.

With dry interlocking installation, it is possible to create smart flooring, which – by integrating sensors and command modules underneath the surface – can regulate light and temperature, for a functional home that offers a wealth of innovations and is able to reduce consumption and prevent energy from being wasted.

Wiring and electrification can also be carried out simply and elegantly, using variable cable ducts and electrical boxes that can be installed flexibly under the ceramic tiles. The synergy thus created is able to boost the comfort of the home in one simple move.

The advantages of dry interlocking installation with porcelain stoneware tiles

Thanks to a simple tongue-and-groove anchoring system, it is possible to create a stable surface with endless configuration options, without gluing and without expensive operations for priming the tile bed. Any repair, extension and re-equipping operations can be carried out in a few simple moves, without dirt or dust.

Safe anchoring

The individual panels are placed directly onto the cement screed or on top of the existing flooring. The elements are secured using a perimeter tongue-and-groove interlocking system that guarantees stability and prevents horizontal movements due to tangential loads on the module. The interlocked elements are thus able to form a new floor that can be walked on immediately, bringing a new look to the setting, eliminating the need for traditional laying operations and ensuring a particularly clean construction site.

Energy efficiency

In new-generation buildings, it has become essential to reduce heat dispersion through all the surfaces in the various areas. To achieve this objective, the Ars Ratio interlocking system is provided with two different support package configurations: one saturated with expanded polystyrene, and the other with fibre-reinforced plaster. Thanks to its extremely low thermal conductivity, polystyrene reduces heat dispersion through the floors, making a positive contribution to the thermal balance of the building. Modern systems design also focuses on new low-temperature, high-efficiency radiant heating systems, and fibre-reinforced plaster, a heat-conducting material, aids the accumulation and correct radiation of heat throughout the areas of the building.

Impermeable

The interlocking system, aided by an effective sealing gasket, prevents liquids from seeping down into the subfloor, protecting the layers underneath.

Fire-resistant and sound-absorbing

As regards fire reaction characteristics, the self-laying system teams the incombustible quality of porcelain stoneware with a non-flammable support material, with fire reaction class Bfl-s1. Finally, thanks to the sound-absorbing qualities of the support, the Casalgrande Padana interlocking installation system makes a significant contribution to optimising acoustic performance compared to traditional flooring.

Porcelain stoneware for outdoors

Choosing flooring for outdoors is of crucial importance, because it provides the basic style inspiration for the whole living space design project. The flooring of terraces, balconies, loggias or garden walkways must be in harmony with the style of the home as a whole, avoiding the use of completely different materials and finishes, especially when it comes to paving pool edges or walking paths.

Porcelain stoneware tiles for outdoors must also comply with a number of fundamental requisites, and must be resistant to frost, chemicals, wear and tear and abrasion. They must be able to ensure light fastness, non-absorbency, fire resistance and resistance to all kinds of external stress, and they must have excellent mechanical and load resistance. In addition, they must be unalterable in all weather conditions, resistant to humidity and salt, mould and moss and easy to lay, inspect and remove even after installation.

For outdoor areas, Casalgrande Padana offers Extragres 2.0 a wide range of stone, wood and concrete-effect colours in the Amazzonia, Chalon, Country Wood, Manhattan, Pietra Baugè, Pietre di Sardegna and Kerblock collections, as well as the new collections Nature Metropolis and Petra. Perfectly squared and rectified, with a thickness of 20 mm and an anti-slip surface, Casalgrande Padana’s versatile, resistant and functional porcelain stoneware tiles are the ideal response to all kinds of design needs.

The Extragres 2.0 tiles can be either laid on screed using glue, ensuring high load resistance, or dry-laid on gravel, sand or turf. In this case, they can be walked on immediately, without the need for screed, mortar and glue. Finally, the 20 mm thickness makes it possible to create raised floors, using polypropylene supports available in a number of fixed or adjustable heights. Raised flooring for outdoors is easy to remove and inspect, so electrical or plumbing systems can be installed in the gap below the floor.

Available for both traditional laying on screed with glue or interlocking dry laying, Casalgrande Padana porcelain stoneware tiles are easy to install and clean, non-allergenic and unalterable; they also have excellent bending strength and mechanical resistance. These important technical features make porcelain stoneware one of the top-performing contemporary solutions.

In additions, the tiles are made exclusively from natural raw materials, free from harmful substances and obtained using a careful closed-cycle production process that keeps waste and inefficiencies to a minimum, making them ideal to meet the market’s growing request for sustainability and respect for the environment we live in.

These are elements that can no longer be neglected today, and are closely interconnected with the events of the present. Together with the physical and aesthetic qualities of the material, they make porcelain stoneware one of the most interesting materials available today, ideal for adapting settings to changing times and evolving needs.