clé calacatta viola | oversized subway

do i need to seal calacatta viola tiles?

like most natural stone, calacatta viola requires sealing (before & after grouting) to prevent staining and help with repelling water.

if your tile is porous or if using a dark grout, clé recommends stonetech heavy duty sealer from laticrete as a pre-grout treatment.

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

for more information about sealing please see our calacatta viola material guidelines.

do you offer trim for your calacatta viola 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.
- a visible stone tile edge can be honed to make the side match the main surface of the tile.
- 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 calacatta viola tiles?

marble is chemically sensitive so only mild ph neutral cleaners should be used. 

clé recommends laticrete cleaning products, please see our calacatta viola material guidelines for more information.

what type of finish should i expect with this collection?

our calacatta viola tiles come with a smooth-matte, honed surface. honing is a process in which the surface is grinded to the level that gives the tile a smooth matte finish.

what types and levels of variation and imperfections should i expect?

calacatta viola is a natural stone and will exhibit variation in color and shade. 

due to the natural materials and production process of calacatta viola 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.

variation and imperfection ratings:

calacatta viola tiles are rated 'level 4 heavy' for color variation, 'level 1 smooth' for texture variation, and 'level 1 slight' 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 calacatta viola samples compare to my actual order?

as noted in the variation and add on orders sections of our faq, calacatta viola is a natural stone which will exhibit degrees of variation in color and shade. our tiles are cut from large blocks of calacatta viola, therefore there will be variation in color and shade across production lots or batches depending on the area of the quarry a particular lot was pulled from. 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.

what should i expect with my order of calacatta viola tile? 

dust and shipping residue are to be expected and should be cleaned prior to installing.

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.

is it possible to purchase more of the same material after my initial order (i.e. place an add on order)?

calacatta viola is a natural stone and will exhibit variation in color and shade. as the tiles are cut in blocks from a stone quarry formed by nature, there are significant differences between batches of the tiles when it comes to the shade and pattern depending on the area of the quarry a particular lot was pulled from. please keep this in mind when calculating your order, and be sure to purchase enough material. 

for more information related to ordering and shipping, please be sure to visit our shipping and returns and delivery information resource pages.

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

clé recommends a ⅛" grout joint and sanded cementitious grout on all sizes, except for those sizes that come mounted on mesh sheets. 

calacatta viola penny rounds, 1" hexagon mosaics and 1" x 3¾" herringbone mosaics come mounted on mesh sheets and have a fixed ¹⁄₁₆" grout joint. 5" hexes come mounted on mesh sheets and will have a fixed ⅛" grout joint.  With these tiles, we recommend using a cementitious unsanded grout.

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 more information about grouting please see our calacatta viola material guidelines.