modern farmhouse brick | black matte

do i need to seal modern farmhouse bricks?

if your modern farmhouse bricks 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 modern farmhouse brick material guidelines.

do you offer trim for your modern farmhouse brick?

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.
- 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 modern farmhouse 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 our modern farmhouse brick material guidelines for more information.

what type of finish should i expect with this collection?

there are two different finishes in our glazed modern farmhouse brick tile collection, glossy and matte. they both have a light texture variation on their surface.

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

modern farmhouse bricks vary in texture, color and size from brick to brick, with some individual bricks more than others. clé celebrates this variation resulting from the production methods and raw material choices. when specifying modern farmhouse brick, if color consideration is paramount, always work from a sampling of 3 or more bricks, which represents the range of color you can expect on the job.

due to the noticeable color and shade variations, it is very 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. do not install without blending bricks from all boxes.

variation ratings:

modern farmhouse bricks have varied ratings for color variation, they are rated 'level 2 slight' for texture variation, 'level 1 slight' for size variation, and 'level 1 light' for cracks/crazing.

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

how will my modern farmhouse brick 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 modern farmhouse bricks, in addition to variation from brick to brick, 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.

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 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 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 modern farmhouse brick 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 5.53 tiles per square foot. 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 on 5.53 tiles per square foot.

here are the pieces per square foot for a few other common grout joint sizes:

1/8” grout joint - 5.88 tiles per square foot

1/4” grout joint - 5.70 tiles per square foot

pieces per square foot comes to 6.06 when no grout joint is taken into account.

for more information about grouting please see our modern farmhouse brick installation and maintenance guide.

rectangle - 2 1/2"x9 1/2"x3/8"

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