do i need to seal foundry flats bricks?
due to the texture of the bricks you must apply a sealant or a grout release such as stonetech heavy duty sealer prior to grouting in order to minimize risk of grout haze, and to allow for an easier clean up.
unglazed thin bricks do not have to be sealed after grouting for dry applications.
however, on wet applications, it is recommended that a sealer be applied to both grout lines and tile surface as a final step of installation. clé recommends stonetech bulletproof sealer from laticrete in most wet applications.
for more information about sealing please see our foundry flats material guidelines.
do you offer trim for your foundry flats bricks?
we offer corner pieces for each of the bricks included in our foundry flats line. as for trim, at clé we follow the international model of no trim and highly recommend our clients to do the same. below are the trim alternatives we recommend for this collection.
- if your project needs to turn a corner either inwardly or outwardly, mitering the bricks to meet seamlessly in a corner gives it the cleanest, crafted finish.
- a visible brick edge can be sanded to make the side match the main surface of the brick.
- another way to complete your tiling is to run a bead of caulk or grout along the exposed brick edge.
- if you have a painted surface next to your brick, you can choose to paint the outer edge of the brick to match the painted surface.
- like with any of our bricks, you can also build out the sheetrock so that the surface of the finished sheetrock is flush with the surface of the brick.
-for more detailed recommendations about trim, please see our trim guide.
how do i take care of my foundry flats bricks?
over time, a natural patina will occur on floors as they are maintained and naturally wear.
mild, ph neutral soaps should be sufficient for most cleaning—test before general use. for all other maintenance, clé recommends laticrete cleaning products.
see the foundry flats material guidelines for more information.
what types and levels of variation and imperfections should i expect?
foundry flat colors vary both in texture and color from brick to brick, with some individual bricks more than others. clé celebrates this variation resulting from the production methods and raw material choices. when specifying foundry flats, if color consideration is paramount, always work from a sampling of 3 or more bricks, which represents the range of color you can expect on the job.
tiles may be exposed to moisture and/or condensation during production or shipping which may affect the color of the tiles once received. setting tiles out to dry prior to installation will return return the color to normal.
due to the noticeable color and shade variations, it is very important to blend the tiles from all boxes once they arrive and place them in their installation area to ensure you have the layout you want before installing. do not install without blending bricks from all boxes.
variation and imperfection ratings:
foundry flats standard bricks are rated 'level 2 slight' for color variation, 'level 3 medium' for texture variation, and 'level 2 medium' for size variation.
see illustrations in the technical specifications section above, and read more about the ratings in our tile variation and imperfections guide
how will my foundry flats standard issue samples compare to my actual order?
as noted in the variation and add on orders sections of our faq, color and size variation between production batches (or kiln loads) of foundry flats standard issue bricks, in addition to variation from brick to brick, is to be expected given the handcrafted nature of the product. this makes it unlikely that your sample will be a perfect match with your actual order.
why do you suggest i order at least 15% more than my measurements?
industry standard suggests adding at least 15% overage due to brick cuts, potential breakage, or future repairs.
for more information related to ordering and shipping, please be sure to visit our shipping and returns and delivery information resource pages.
