Warranty

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Recommended Offset for Brick Joint Patterns
ANSI A108.02 Section 4.3.8.2 is the industry standard recommendation for tiles being
offset with an edge greater than a nominal 18”. A 50% offset on large format square
and rectangular tiles is not recommended. Where a running bond paern is desired, a
33% maximum offset can be used along with a proper grout joint width to prevent the
appearance of lippage. If an offset greater than 33% is desired, then the specifier and
owner must approve a mock-up and approve potential inherent lippage.
Grout Joint Width
Based on ANSI A108.02 Section 4.3.8, the grout joint needs to be at least three times
the actual variation of facial dimensions of the tile supplied. If the variation between
tiles is 1/6” then a 3/16” grout joint is recommended. Grout joints must accommodate
dimensional variance in the tiles supplied and must never be closer than 1/16.” Emser
Tile™ recommends that pressed ceramics be specified with a 5mm joint width.
Manufacturer’s recommendations prevail.
Nano Coating and Sealing Porcelains
Nano coatings are applied to certain tiles at time of production to protect the surface
from scratching. The wax coating does not have to be removed. However, when
necessary, there are various products specifically made to remove nano coatings.
Each tile manufacturer has a differently formulated coating and the proper solutions
must be used to strip it off when necessary. Sealing unglazed polished porcelains may
be necessary if they do not have a nano coating or the coating was removed as the
polishing process opens up the pores on a microscopic level on the surface of the tile.
Tile Lippage
Please reference ANSI A108.02 Section 4.3.7 for a detailed explanation of lippage
and allowable tolerances. Lippage refers to differences in elevation between edges of
adjacent tile modules. The perception of height variances is influenced by a number
of factors, including thickness variations between tiles, allowable warpage of the tile
modules, grout joint width, the angle of light creating shadows and highly reflective
surfaces accentuating otherwise acceptable variance in modules. Unlike stone, when
lippage is present in a ceramic or porcelain installation there is no way to correct it.
Lippage is acceptable as long as it is within industry stated tolerances. It is calculated
by adding the actual manufacturing warpage to the allowable installation lippage.
Types of glass
There are various styles of glass on the market today. “Back painted” is a general
term that describes the color application process to what typically starts out as a
clear slab of glass tile and has color applied to the back surface. If you hold the back
painted tile sideways, you can see right through it. Not all back painted glass tiles are
the same; there are subtle differences in manufacturing that define where these tiles can or
cannot be used. It is imperative that the glass tile is installed over the proper substrate. To
avoid adversely affecting the color of glass tile, white thinset is required for all installations.
As most glass has translucent properties, it is important to ensure adequate coverage of
thinset by lightly back buering the tiles. Not all back painted glass is manufactured the
same way. Some types of back painted or back foiled glass are not suitable for exterior or
wet applications as the coloring is not designed to hold up to these types of conditions.
Crackled and Crazed Ceramic Finishes
Crackled and crazed finishes are considered a desired look, not a defect, in the glaze of certain
tiles. The tiles may be used on walls and on shower floors if properly sealed. They are not
recommended for general use on floors and counters. Typically products with these finishes will
have potential size variation adding to the handmade and hand painted look. It is recommended
that a grout release or pre-sealer be applied to the crackled glaze so the tile will not absorb and
grout pigments or installation related dirt. Aer grouting, a penetrating sealer should be used to
seal the surface of the tile. Abrasive cleaners should not be used with these types of products.
Cast Metal Tiles
Cast metal tiles contain real metal particles that are combined with polymers and cast into
molds. Due to the presence of real metal in these tiles, they are not recommended for
exterior applications that are exposed to the elements. Cast metal tile is suitable for interior
and covered exterior walls only and is not recommended for floors. The use of a non-sanded
grout is recommended as sanded grout may scratch and dull the finish. These tiles are not
recommended for pools or fountains but may be used in showers and backsplashes as long
as they are not exposed to any harsh chemicals or abrasive cleaning.
Freeze / Thaw Climates
All tile and natural stone have some level of porosity. When water penetrates the surface of a
stone, a grout joint or a crack in a tile installation and freezes over, you risk the tile shaering. When
water freezes, it expands by approximately 9%. As this expansion is resisted, the pressure exerted
can be up to 150 tons per square foot. This type of pressure is sufficient to split even the strongest
rocks. It is important to know if a tile is rated for exterior use and suitable in freeze-thaw cycles.
Fire Ratings
As an industry, tiles are not typically tested for flame spread, creation of smoke or other types
of fire ratings. The tile body and glaze are manufactured under much higher temperatures
than they would ever be exposed to in a test chamber, therefore, the results would be
negligible. One would need to exceed the tiles’ firing temperature and melting points to
change the tiles’ composition. Tiles are manufactured in temperatures that exceed 2000
degrees farenheit with no flame spread or smoke effect. As such we do not do flame spread
testing on any of our tiles.