if you are looking for all the function of the trusty subway tile but want a little more surface variegation and a hint of zellige glamor, then modern farmhouse brick should serve you well. this affordable thin-glazed brick comes in eight glossy colors and two matte finishes and combines rustic simplicity with everyday utility making it an easy go-to tile for all your classic wall tile projects.

what grout joint size should i use?

We recommend a 3/8” grout joint with our modern farmhouse brick collection which allows for 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.

what grout type and color do you recommend?

clé recommends the use of mapei ultracolor plus fa grout with this collection.

important: if modern farmhouse bricks are being grouted with a contrasting grout color vs. a matching one, then you must also apply a penetrating sealant or grout release prior to grouting in order to minimize the possibility of the contrasting grout curing in the inherent hairline cracks.


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.

note that the full mapei ultracolor plus fa color catalogue contains 40 colors to choose from. visit the mapei website to view.

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

do i need to seal modern farmhouse bricks?

for the majority of applications, modern farmhouse bricks do not need to be sealed. if the tile has visible crazing we recommend applying a grout release or sealant prior to grouting.

IMPORTANT: if modern farmhouse brick is being grouted with a contrasting grout color vs. a matching one, then you should also seal before grouting because many tiles may have crazing without it being visible to the eye and would only come out with the grouting of the tiles as the invisible crazing absorbs the dye from the contrasting grout.

for wet applications (backsplashes, showers, steam showers, pool & fountain water lines) and outdoor installations, grout lines and areas of visible crazing must be sealed as the final step of installation.

exterior walls require vertical weather flashing and waterproof, penetrating sealant.

for more information about sealing please see our modern farmhouse brick installation & maintenance guides.

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.

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. clean using soft materials, like a cloth, instead of coarse materials. always avoid harsh chemicals and acidic or alkaline cleaning products. grout lines can be cleaned with warm water and a soft bristled cleaning brush. immediately clean up spills—do not allow liquids to sit on the tile surface. most stains can be removed with a pH neutral dish soap, hot water and the scrub side of a sponge.

topical sealants like mira matte will require periodic stripping and re-application of sealant—please refer to a professional for this. single coat reapplication of the penetrating sealant is required once a year in shower applications due to the continuous exposure to water.

see our modern farmhouse brick installation & maintenance guide 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 brick varies both in color and texture from brick to brick, with some individual tiles more than others. you can also expect to find light cracks and crazing in the tiles of your order. clé celebrates this variation resulting from our particular production methods and raw material choices. when specifying modern farmhouse brick tile, 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 color and shade variations, it is very important to blend the bricks 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.

modern farmhouse bricks have varied ratings for color variation, they are rated 'level 2 slight' for texture variation, and 'level 1 slight' for size variation.
please see individual product ratings at the top right hand corner of each product page and read more about the ratings in our tile variation guide.

what's crazing, and should this be expected with modern farmhouse brick?

modern farmhouse brick tiles are made by hand and can show visible crazing. crazing refers to the hairline cracks which may occur in the glaze surface of brick after firing and is common in handcrafted tile. some glazes produced for the clé exclusive modern farmhouse brick tile are crazed to achieve certain colors and/or decorative effects.

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.

dimensions:

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.

interior floor, interior wall, exterior wall, shower floor, shower wall, steam shower, residential low traffic, backsplash, kitchen, fireplace surround, pool waterlines.

installation and maintenance guides