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During a fast track refit of Provident Financial’s offices in Leeds, over 500m2 of Shackerley’s stunning black polished ceramic granite tiles have been installed throughout the contemporary reception foyer and restaurant.

The highly reflective large format (600mm x 600mm) black floor tiles create a striking contrast with the brilliant white decor, vivid red furnishings and contemporary works of art that welcome visitors as they walk through the building.

Architect Guy Barlow knew exactly how to achieve the dramatic look and finish he wanted for his client whilst meeting their practical requirement for an exceptionally hardwearing flooring solution. He said: "We’ve used Shackerley’s ceramic granite tiles and slabs many times, not only as a high performance floor finish but also as a very durable and visually striking way to create façades in exterior rainscreen cladding systems. We’ve completely transformed a number of commercial interiors and exterior envelopes with this versatile material and we knew that the particular ‘mirror’ finish we specified would offer the high degree of reflectivity required."

He added: "Because ceramic granite is a technically engineered material manufactured under stringent

quality controls, it has none of the inconsistencies,

flaws or weak points of natural stone. Its intrinsic strength makes it ideal for use in heavy traffic areas like these. We can also be absolutely sure of the dimensional consistency and surface flatness of even the very largest format slabs so there are no nasty surprises for us or our installation team."

Shackerley’s ceramic granite tiles were installed at Provident Financial by Overbury of Manchester during a 12 week refit programme of the building.