Magic Stone White Smooth Grip 300x300mm

INNOVATION-DRIVEN

The tile industry constantly innovates the design and manufacturing techniques used to produce this versatile product.

One of the ‘holy grails’ of tile design is to produce a tile that is smooth to the touch, but has anti-slip qualities, combined with the usual features of inert hardness and stain resistance.

Biomimicry is a practice that learns from and mimics the strategies found in nature to solve human design challenges.

Scientists looked for inspiration in solving this riddle by looking under a microscope at the adhesive pads of frogs and geckos, which allow these animals to have strong contact with wet surfaces.

The surface of their footpads is evenly covered with fibres, the dimensions of which decrease as they approach the outer surface, allowing moisture to drain on contact, giving the skin pad grip.

THE NEXT BIG THING

They discovered that a combination of finely ground silicates and quartz with anti-slip qualities, suspended in the pattern inks sprayed on tiles before kilning, produce a similarly effective nano-surface.

These tiles have a high slip rating, measured by the pendulum test, and excellent stain resistance.
Our new SmoothGrip finish uses the latest nano-surface technology to produce a smooth surface with a high degree of slip resistance. This new surface provides a durable, tactile, low-maintenance finish with aesthetic appeal without sacrificing safety.