Al Mutawa of Oman, a multi-faceted trading company, offers a range of porcelain stoneware tiles from Spain which are said to combine high performance with a quality finish, and can be used for a diverse range of applications.
The tiles are manufactured by Vives Azulejos Y Gres, says the Muscat-based firm's managing director Suhail Sharabati.
Elaborating on the history of the Spanish manufacturer, Sharabati says: ''Vives opened its first production plant in 1957 for the manufacture of ceramic small format, double-fired wall tiles. This was the first step in a long career that would see the company expand and progress.
''As the demand for ceramic tiles continued to grow, Vives expanded and, in 1975, became the first manufacturer of single-fired floor tiles in Spain.
''The company now belongs to that prestigious circle of companies which have achieved a certified ISO quality guarantee system: It has been awarded with ISO 9001 and ISO 9002 quality certificates for quality in design, production development, installation and after-sales service.''
Sharabati continues: ''Vives' products have always been noted for their wide-ranging designs and excellent properties, such as resistance to abrasion, hardness and resistance to chemicals or stains.''
The company has recently boosted its product portfolio with the addition of 'gres porcelanico', or porcelain stoneware.
''These tiles are made by applying cutting-edge technology to a base material,'' explains Sharabati. ''Being virtually non-porous, they offer high-performance characteristics for both normal and special applications. Porcelain stoneware is the name given to ceramic tiles which have a very low water absorption rate.
''They are dry-pressed and decorated using a number of glaze and colorant applications, undergoing one single firing at temperatures above 1,200 deg C.
''Their outstanding specifications as regards to hardness and mechanical and chemical resistance makes them ideal for use in residential, commercial and industrial buildings as indoor and outdoor floor tiles, or on indoor walls and facades.
''The face of the floor tiles may feature a relief similar to that of natural stone, for decorative purposes, or have facets similar to diamond tips, or striated or angular forms to provide a non-slip surface for use on exterior paving or as flooring for industrial premises,'' he says.
Vives' porcelain stoneware range consists of glazed porcelain stoneware, semi-polished glazed porcelain stoneware, reconstituted semi-polished glazed porcelain stoneware and reconstituted polished porcelain stoneware.
With this range, the tiles offer extensive decorative possibilities, he adds.
