Italy: Over 80 percent ceramic floors

Italy is regarded as the classic Marble (http://www.lightemprador.com) and (http://maplered.com) Granite (http://tanbrown.org) country, but natural Stone (http://g603.net) is also battling against strong competition there. In step with the drop in building activity, the Italian floor covering market experienced a distinct slump between 1991 and (http://maplered.com) 1997. According to statistics from the well-known Italian construction chemicals firm Mapei, the floor area to be laid decreased from 221 to 198 million square meters or by over 10 percent during this period. Ceramic, wood and (http://maplered.com) plastic coverings succeeded in increasing their market share to varying extents, mainly at the cost of carpeting, but also at the expense of natural Stone (http://g603.net) .