Ceramic Industries’ Gryphon factory creates faithful reproductions of expensive marble like Carrara and Calacatta, rare onyx and other natural stones.
With supply-chain interruptions and price volatility, designers, specifiers and architects are having a hard time sourcing the materials they need for their projects. Highly polished porcelain is one such product, but the good news is that there is now a South African producer manufacturing them right here.
Highly polished porcelain is able to produce an elegance that designers and architects prize for a variety of aesthetic styles. Whether it’s the classical, 1950s modernism and its contemporary revival, minimalism or the current biophilia trend, high-gloss and marble-look tiles complete the look.
Until recently, design professionals had to rely on imports but, thanks to Ceramic Industries’ considerable investment in plant machinery, South African-made polished porcelain is available. Ceramic Industries’ Gryphon factory now boasts the very latest polishing technology supplied by Italian-based BMR, with the tooling and chemical treatments medium by Surfaces, both world leaders in their sectors.
Customers can expect faithful reproductions of expensive marble like Carrara and Calacatta, rare onyx and other natural stones. High-definition printing means these tiles are able to reproduce the fine details of any stone, making them virtually indistinguishable from the original. Meanwhile, innovative chemical processes are able to create special effects on the tile surfaces, adding further realism where needed and opening up possibilities for novel, creative designs. And, of course, the polishing process lends these tiles a glamourous sheen that makes them so attractive.
Two major advantages of polished porcelain are cost and resilience. Of course, authentic marble and other natural stones are prohibitively expensive for most applications. Polished porcelain replicas – especially locally made ones – solve the problem. Porcelain is also favoured as a hard-wearing material, thanks to its superior density.
Ceramic Industries’ Gryphon factory also rectifies the edges of their tiles, which enhances the look of the finished product. The rectifying machinery grinds the edges of the tiles, giving them a square finish that’s perfectly consistent. This allows the installer to lay the tiles closer together, with narrower grouting gaps, resulting in a near-seamless look.
The arrival of Ceramic Industries’ polished porcelain is likely to be a significant development in interior design this year. More and more, South Africans are actively seeking out locally produced goods, and tiles are no exception to this trend. Ceramic Industries’ solid, 45-year reputation as a trusted producer gives customers the peace of mind they need when choosing their local products. Finally, the fact that they’re priced right, readily available in the country and highly attractive could just make polished porcelain the shining stars of design in 2022.
