There was a time when the typical floor tile used in the U.S. was under a foot. Today, a 12-inch tile is considered small, as Americans have discovered the unique styling attributes of large format tiles. In fact, it wasn’t too long ago when 24-inch tiles were considered to be “large format.” But nowadays, even these sized tiles are considered standard.
Ryan Fasan, technical consultant to the Tile of Spain, noted, while the adoption rate for the larger formats has been slower in the U.S. compared to places like Europe, it “had more to do with the framed construction method—contrary to Europe’s block and slab method—as well as a lack of quality experienced trades to work with these larger sizes than a desire for more grout that comes with smaller formats. Thanks to better surface preparation materials and certified installer programs, the barriers to getting larger formats installed are disappearing.”