This is from the May/June 2010 Luxury Home Quarterly. Interesting information.
“Consumer preferences are shifting away from carpets and rugs toward decorative tile, according to Reportlinker. The market research forecasts that the US demand for decorative tile will increase 4.4% per year to 3.3 billion square feet in 2013.
The demand is dominated by flooring applications, which accounted for 80% of total tile demand in 2008. Flooring demand for tile is expected to increase 4.5% annually through 2013 to 2.7 billion square feet. Increased sales of porcelain, natural-stone, glass and other specialty-tile products is expected, and residential construction is projected to generate the most rapid gains in tile demand.”