Brick Tile Colors
FAQ
- Commercial, hospitality, and residential settings
- Interiors and exteriors
- Walls, vertical and horizontal surfaces
- Residential and low traffic floors
- Fireplace surrounds
- No installation on countertops
- No installation inside the firebox of a fireplace
- No installation on steam room showers
- No installation on pools
- No installation on shower pans
We recommend using a natural color sanded grout and avoiding contrasting grout colors.
Contrasting grout colors should be used with grout release and tested for staining on the thin brick before grouting.
We also welcome customized color.
Is brick tile durable?
Our Brick Tile has a breaking strength of 626 lbs per foot and is tested for abrasion resistance*. Brick Tile is acceptable for use in freeze/thaw environments.
*Please inquire about abrasion test results as data is dependent on the glaze.
As with all handmade tile and brick, some degree of color and size variation is to be expected. Variation provides Brick Tile with the artisan one-of-a-kind quality all Fireclay Tile is famous for.
How to tile with brick tiles
Note to Installer: This is not a step-by-step installation guide, but general precautions and tips on how to install and care for your tile. Though some are very confident in their DIY skills, we always encourage a professional to perform your installation to ensure the longevity of your tile. Please contact us with specific questions not addressed in this guide. Please be sure your application suits the product. Given the natural beauty of Glazed Thin Brick, there will be color and size variation. Be sure
to lay out tiles and pull from different boxes to achieve the best overall blend of color. Once installed, claims regarding the color and size will not be honored.
INSTALLATION PREP
- Dryor dusty concrete or masonry surfaces must be washed and dried prior to application of membranes or mortars.
- Keep Glazed ThinBrick at a minimum of 40° F prior to, during and48 hours after installation.
- Substrates must be free of curing compounds, sealers, soil, mortar,dirt, dust, etc. Curing compounds and sealers must be removed by bead blasting, sand-blasting, hydro-blasting, diamond-wheel grinding with a dustless vacuum attachment or equivalent meth - ods of mechanical scarifying.
- Substratemust be made “plumb and true” within 1/4" to 10' (6 mm to 3 m) using fortified mortar bed.
- You areresponsible fordetermining the acceptability of the prod - uct prior to installation. Given the handmade nature of our brick, there will be some color, size, and thickness variation. Be sure to lay out the brick, and pull from different boxes to achieve the best overall blend of color. Once installed, claims regarding color and size variation will not be accepted.
CUTTING
Recommended Tools:
- Diamond blade wet tile saw (use a tile blade not a coarse brick or stone blade)
- Diamond bit with water (make sure water is clean and flowing in full force). Wet brick in clean water before cutting
- OurGlazed Thin Brick Tile features glazed edge and exterior cor- ner options. Consult with your contractor or tile installer for mi - tered edges.
- Make sure that faucetflange, fireplace hardware, and base boards cover any chipping on the edges of a cut-out.
SETTING & MATERIALS
Recommended Tools:
- We recommend using modified thinset per the Tile Council of North America’s (TCNA) Handbook for Ceramic, Glass, and Stone Installation details for your installation substrate. Please follow all manufacturers instructions.
- Notch trowel, spirit level, laser level, straight edges, tape measure, chalk line, and pencils
Below are the suggested installation tolerances:
- Maximum Position of Elements: 1/4" from true position
- Maximum Variation from Plane of wall: 1/4" in 10'
- Maximum Variation between Face Plane and Adjacent Panels: 1/16"
- Maximum Variation in Joint Thickness: 1/8" in 3'
- Maximum Variation from Level Coursing: 1/8" in 3', 1/4" in 10', 1/2" max
- Brick with crazing/crackle must have a grout release/wax sealer applied and allowed to dry before grouting.
- Apply thinset with a scraping motionusing the flat side of a notched trowel. Work the mortar into good contact with the sub - strate. Use a trowel with notches large enough to ensure full mor- tar coverage to the backs of the brick. Using the notched side, trowel mortar in one direction.
- Back-butter eachBrick with a thin layer of thinset. Firmly press the Brick piece into the freshly applied mortar and move it perpendic- ularly across the ridges to flatten and compress the mortar. This helps ensure the maximum coverage to the bricks. Periodically remove and check brick veneer pieces to verify full coverage is being achieved.
- Cleanexcess mortar from the surface of the bricks with a clean, wet cloth or sponge while it is still fresh. Brick must be supported until mortar has set firm, usually 12–24 hours at 70° F or 21° C.
- Afterinstallation, the contractor must take precautions to protect the finished work from damage from other trades. Protect exterior veneer installations from rain for a minimum of 7 days at 70° F or 21° C.
SPACING/GROUT
Recommended Tools:
- Grout release (grout release should be used with colored grouts and glazes with crazing/crackle)
- 3/8" spacers or rope, tile wedges, grout float or grout bag, sponges, buckets, clean water
- We recommend using a 3/8” groutjoint. For expansion joints refer to Tile Council of North American (TCNA) detail EJ-171 (for the current year) for industry recommendations.
- Ifdeviating from recommended grout joint size, please have a suitable mock up made that will mimic conditions on the job site.
- Contrasting colored grouts can stain thethin brick tile and should be tested for staining before grouting.
- The surface of the thin brick may trap some grout.It may be advis - able to use a grout bag and tool the grout joints.
- Please refer to the grout manufacturer’s guidelines for specific de- tails on the grout.
- Werecommend a grout release to ease cleaning after installation and to help prevent staining from a contrasting colored grout.
- ThinBricktile with crazing/crackle must have a grout release/tile sealer applied and allowed to dry before grouting.
- Try groutrelease in an inconspicuous spot first.
- National Tile Contractors Association(NTCA) recommends clean - ing any grout haze the next day with clean water and a white nylon scrub pad or a neutral grout haze remover.
SEALING
- Test any sealersin an inconspicuous place first.
CARE
Recommended Tools:
- Mild Soap + Water
- Minimalmaintenance is required. Test any cleaners on an incon - spicuous spot before use.Immediately clean up spills or stains.