fornace brioni + clé | casale rustico | white gloss | baguette | rectangle

do i need to seal casale rustico tiles?

for casale rustico tiles, you must apply sealant or a grout release before grouting to minimize risk of grout haze and to allow for easy clean up.

for all other sealing and protecting, clé recommends stonetech bulletproof sealer from laticrete.

for more information about sealing please see our casale rustico material guidelines.

do you offer trim for your casale rustico tile?

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 tiles to meet seamlessly in a corner gives it the cleanest, crafted finish.
- another way to complete your tiling is to run a bead of caulk or grout along the exposed tile edge.
- like with any of our tiles, you can also build out the sheetrock so that the surface of the finished sheetrock is flush with the surface of the tile.

for more detailed recommendations about trim, please see our trim guide.

how do i take care of my casale rustico tiles?

over time the tile will develop a crackled patina. please note this is an intrinsic characteristic of casale rustico.

mild, pH neutral soaps should be sufficient for most cleaning—test before general use. for all other maintenance, clé recommends laticrete cleaning products.

see casale rustico material guidelines for more information.

what type of finish should i expect with this collection?

casale rustico comes with glazed glossy finish with subtle crazing and medium texture variation.

how much variation should i expect?

all casale rustico tiles are made by hand, therefore crazing and noticeable variations in thickness, depth, color, shade, texture and size are to be expected. color and shade variations between tile sizes and shapes can occur as well. you might also have some tiles with cracks, pits and chips.

due to the variations in color and shade of casale rustico tiles, it is 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.

what's crazing, and should this be expected with casale rustico tiles?

casale rustico tiles are made by hand and can show visible crazing. crazing refers to the hairline cracks which may occur in the glaze surface of tile after firing and is common in handcrafted tile.

variation and imperfection ratings:

casale rustico tiles are rated 'level 2 slight' for color variation, 'level 3 medium' for texture variation, 'level 2 medium' for size variation, and 'level 1 light' for both pits/chips and cracks/crazing.

see illustrations in the technical specifications section above, and read more about the ratings in our tile variation & imperfections guide.

how will my casale rustico 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 casale rustico tile, in addition to variation from tile to tile, 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.

how is the casale rustico collection sold?

our casale rustico collection is made up of six shapes: the quadrato square (4"x4"x1/2"), normale rectangle (4"x8"x1/2"), and the misto rectangle (3 1/2"x7"x1/2"), baguette rectangle (2"x6"x1/2"), cigar rectangle (2"x8"x1/2"), and the blade rectangle (3"x12"x1/2"). 

The six shapes can be purchased individually, or we also sell the shapes in two bundles: the normale bundle (comprised of two quadrato squares for every normale rectangle), and the misto bundle (comprised of one quadrato square for every misto rectangle).

is there a particular layout i should follow when installing casale rustico bundles?

if you like the look of our misto and normale bundle installs but find yourself needing a little guidance, read our installation blueprint for step by step instructions.

why do you suggest i order at least 15% more than my measurements?

industry standard suggests adding at least 15% overage due to tile cuts, potential shipping 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.

clé recommends a ⅛”-¼” grout joint for our Normale bundle, Quadrato square, Misto rectangle, Normale rectangle, Baguette rectangle, Cigar rectangle and Blade rectangle, and a mixture of ⅜”, ½" and ¾" grout joints for our Misto bundle.

what grout type, and color do you recommend?

clé recommends using mortar and sanded cementitious grout or pointing mortar that comply with the ANSI A118 or ISO 13007 classifications suitable for your project. Please consult with your installation professional to make these determinations.

grout color selection is always up to our client and/or their design professional. however, clé is often asked for our opinion on best grout selections for our tiles. and due to the large array of grout colors that are now available, clé would like to offer this general guideline on a foolproof grout color selection for any of your clé tiles.

first, have your professional tile contractor complete your tile installation, except for the grout portion.

next, when ready to grout, ask your contractor to bring ALL grout color charts from his preferred grout manufacturers, for your review.

lastly, choose a time of day when you are most pleased with the lighting in your space (either natural lighting, installed lighting or a blend of both). during that lighting and time of day, select the grout color that best matches your tile selection.

for casale rustico tiles, you must apply sealant or a grout release before grouting to minimize risk of grout haze and to allow for easy clean up.

the above recommendations allow for the below piece per square foot calculations:
misto bundle: 3.33 quadrato and misto rectangle sets per square foot (average 1/2" grout joint size)
misto rectangle: 5.72 tiles per square foot (1/8-1/4" grout joint size)
quadrato: 8.73 tiles per square foot (1/8-1/4" grout joint size)
normale bundle: 2.34 quadrato and normale rectangle (3 pieces total - 2 quadrato, one normale rectangle) sets per square foot (1/8-1/4" joint)
normale rectangle: 4.40 tiles per square foot (1/8-1/4" grout joint size)
baguette rectangle: 11.52 tiles per square foot (1/8" grout joint size)
cigar rectangle: 8.66 tiles per square foot (1/8" grout joint size)
blade rectangle: 3.90 tiles per square foot (1/8" grout joint size)

should your project require a smaller joint, keep in mind that additional tiles will need to be ordered as our checkout calculations are all based upon the above values.

for more information about grouting please see our casale rustico material guidelines.

*quadrato - 4" x 4" x ½"
**misto rectangle - 3½" x 7" x ½"
normale rectangle - 4" x 8" x ½"
baguette rectangle - 2" x 6" x ½"
cigar rectangle - 2" x 8" x ½"
blade rectangle - 3" x 12" x ½"
*quadrato actual measurements tend to be closer to 3¾" x 3¾" x ½"
**normale actual measurements tend to be closer to 3¾" x 7 ¾" x ½"

disclaimer: please note all dimensions are nominal. additionally, dimensions between tiles can vary +/- ¼".