do i need to seal eastern elements tiles?
for exterior sealing, clé recommends stonetech heavy duty exterior sealer from laticrete.
if your tiles have visible crazing, or if are using a contrasting grout, clé recommends sealing with stonetech heavy duty sealer from laticrete as a pre-grout treatment.
dry applications of eastern earthenware do not require sealing as the final step of installation.
for all other sealing and protecting, clé recommends stonetech bulletproof sealer from laticrete.
for more information about sealing please see our eastern elements material guidelines.
do you offer trim for your eastern elements 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 eastern elements tiles?
over time, a natural patina will occur on floors as they are maintained and naturally wear. this inherent traffic pattern is a highlight of using eastern elements and should be both anticipated and favored.
mild, pH neutral soaps should be sufficient for most cleaning—test before general use. for all other maintenance, clé recommends laticrete cleaning products.
see eastern elements material guidelines for more information.
what type of finish should i expect with these tiles?
our eastern elements tiles vary in surface and texture and have a glazed satin finish ranging from matte to gloss.
how much variation should i expect?
note that due to the firing methods and raw materials used to create glazed clay tiles, your order of eastern elements may contain some tiles with cracks, iron spots, crazing, edge-chipping and pits through the glaze of the clay body.
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 natural materials and production process of eastern elements tiles, there will be degrees of variation in color, shade and size in your order, therefore 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 eastern elements tiles?
eastern elements tiles are made by hand and will 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:
eastern elements tiles are rated 'level 3 medium' to a 'level 5 extreme' for color variation, 'level 2 slight' to a 'level 4 heavy' for texture variation, 'level 2 medium' to a 'level 4 extreme' for size variation, and 'level 1 will occur' for both pits/chips, cracks/crazing and iron spots.
see illustrations in the technical specifications section above, and read more about the ratings in our tile variation and imperfections guide.
how will my eastern elements samples compare to my actual order?
as noted in the variation and add on orders sections of our faq, due to the handmade craftsmanship of our tiles and the variety of materials used, there will be degrees of variation in color, shade, size and texture across production lots or batches. This means that your sample may not be a perfect match with your actual order, and that your add-on order may not be a perfect match to either.
are there best practices for sampling eastern elements tiles?
due to the variation in color of our handmade tiles, and the variation in texture, combined with the imperfections listed above, we strongly encourage sampling more than one piece to get a better sense of what the tile has to offer.
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.
however, degrees of variation in color, shade and size, as well as crazing, cracks and iron spots will occur in Eastern Elements tiles due to the natural materials and firing menthods used in their creation. If these features do not fit your project's needs, we recommend ordering 20-30% overage.
for more information related to ordering and shipping, please be sure to visit our shipping and returns and delivery information resource pages.
