grand place | hermitage | limestone rectangle

do i need to seal limestone tiles?

like most natural stone, limestone 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 limestone installation & maintenance guides.

do you offer trim for your limestone tiles?

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.
- if you have a painted surface next to your tile, you can choose to paint the outer edge of the tile to match the painted surface.
- 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 limestone tiles?

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

clé recommends laticrete cleaning products, please see our limestone installation & maintenance guide for more information.

what type of finish should i expect with this collection?

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

cornet, tanner, and barrow come with eased edges. ceruse, marfil, ange, moulin, hermitage, brae, loupe, cartwright, arbor, and tabor come with micro-beveled edges.

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

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

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. 

please note that some tiles feature quartz veining that are naturally occurring in the stone.

due to the natural materials and production process of limestone 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:

color variation for limestone ranges from ‘level 2 slight’ to ‘level 5 extreme’. texture variation is rated ‘level 1 smooth’ 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 & imperfections guide.

how will my limestone samples compare to my actual order?

as noted in the variation and add on orders sections of our faq, limestone is a natural stone which will exhibit degrees of variation in color and shade. our tiles are cut from large blocks of limestone, 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.

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, if the variation in color and shade natural to limestone tiles 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)?

limestone 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.

clé recommends a 1/8" 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 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 limestone material guidelines