clé guild | work study | carpenter's canvas

do i need to seal fundamentals bricks?

if your guild fundamentals tiles have visible crazing, or if you are using a contrasting grout, clé recommends applying a penetrating sealant or grout release like stonetech heavy duty sealer from laticrete prior to grouting.

dry applications do not need to be sealed as the final step of installation.

for applications in wet areas, grout lines and areas of visible crazing must be sealed as the final step of installation. clé recommends stonetech bulletproof sealer from laticrete in most wet applications.

for more information about sealing please see our clé guild fundamentals material guidelines.

do you offer trim for your clé guild fundamentals bricks?

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.
- 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 clé guild fundamentals 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 clé guild fundamentals material guidelines for more information.

what type of finish should i expect with this collection?

our clé guild fundamentals bricks are glazed, and both the white and the black bricks are available in two finishes; matte and gloss - expect light texture variation.

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

clé guild fundamental bricks are created by hand, one at a time, from unrefined clay and natural pigments, resulting in intentional variations of color, shade, texture and size. you can also expect your tiles to be affected by crazing and iron spots, and some tiles might have wire-cut grooves.

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 clé guild fundamentals 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:

fundamentals bricks are rated 'level 2 slight' for both color and texture variation, 'level 2 medium' for size variation, and 'level2 medium' for irons spots. fundamentals bricks with matte finishes are also rated 'level 1 light' for crazing.

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

how will my fundamentals 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 fundamentals brick, in addition to variation from brick to brick, is to be expected given the handcrafted nature of the product. 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 clé guild fundamentals?

due to the variation in color of our handmade bricks as well as the variation in texture of each tile 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 brick cuts, potential breakage, or future repairs.

however, due to the unrefined clay and natural pigments used in creating our guild fundamentals tiles there will be variation in color, shade, and texture, as well as crazing and iron spots and possibly some tiles with wire-cut grooves.  if these features do not fit your project’s needs, we recommend ordering 20-30% overage.  this will allow your contractor to cherry-pick the tiles most desirable for your project.

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

color and shade variation between production batches (or kiln loads) of fundamentals brick is a normal occurrence and to be expected given the handcrafted nature of the collection. 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 a 3/8” grout joint with this collection.
clé recommends using mortar and sanded cementitious 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.
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 grout color selection for any of your clé tiles.
first, have your contractor complete your tile installation, except for the grout portion.
next, when ready to grout, ask your contractor to bring all of the 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.
if you are working with patterned tiles, highly color-variegated tiles or a combination of tiles, we recommend that you follow the above recommendations—but match your grout to the color in your pattern that you would like to accentuate.
it is recommended that if your clé guild fundamentals tiles are being grouted with a contrasting grout color vs. a matching one, then a penetrating sealant or grout release should be applied prior to grouting in order to minimize the possibility of the contrasting grout curing in the inherent hairline cracks.
 important: please note that a 3/8" grout joint size yields 6.54 bricks per square foot. should your project require a smaller joint, keep in mind that additional bricks will need to be ordered as our checkout calculations are all based on 6.54 bricks per square foot.
here are the pieces per square foot for a few other common grout joint sizes:
1/8” grout joint - 6.97 bricks per square foot
1/4” grout joint - 6.75 bricks per square foot
pieces per square foot comes to 7.2 when no grout joint is taken into account
for more information about grouting please see our clé guild fundamentals installation & maintenance guide.

rectangle - 2 1/2"x8"x1/2"

disclaimer: please note all dimensions are nominal. additionally, dimensions between tiles can vary +/- 1/8 inch.