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clé guild | new california | fennel

" x  " x  "

fennel

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a clé heritage tile

clé heritage are artisan tiles that carry the mark of a skilled artisan with each tile embodying variation in tone and surface. these tiles are to be treasured for their hand hewn quality and require a skilled installer.

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sample

$5.00/piece

full tile order

start your project

$ 27.01/sqft

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in stock | ships from warehouse within 10 business days

calculate your project

sqft needed

industry standard suggests adding at least 15% overage due to tile cuts, potential breakage, or future repairs

0

total sqft

$ 27.01 /sqft

0

total boxes

$ 181.72 /box


$0.00

subtotal

0 total pieces

IMPORTANT: we recommend a traditional brick grout joint size of 3/8” with this collection which allows for 6.54 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 6.54 tiles per square foot.

minimum order of 13 sqft

product specifications

technical specifications

freeze thaw resistant icon

freeze thaw resistant

radiant heating compatible icon

radiant heating compatible

uv resistant icon

uv resistant

heat resistant icon

heat resistant

stove backsplash icon

stove backsplash

sink backsplash icon

sink backsplash

interior floor icon

interior floor

light residential icon

light residential

interior wall icon

interior wall

exterior wall icon

exterior wall

fireplace surround icon

fireplace surround

fountain waterline icon

fountain waterline

pool waterline icon

pool waterline

shower floor + wall icon

shower floor + wall

steam shower floor + wall icon

steam shower floor + wall

* see material guidelines guide for specific requirements

description
rating
surface type
glazed

finish type
matte

level 3: medium

level 2: slight

level 2: medium

level 3: heavy

level 1: will occur

dimensions
" x  " x  "
water absorption
avg. 10.6%; non-vitreous

dcof
see more information under 'wet area application' in our clé guild new california installation and maintenance guide below

Pieces per sqft
6.54 pcs/sqft

Weight per sqft
5.56 lbs

Pieces per box
44 pcs/box

calculated using clé's recommended grout joint size of 3/8"

read before you buy this tile

do i need to seal new california bricks? 


 if your guild new california tiles 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 clé guild new california material guidelines. 

do you offer trim for your clé guild new california bricks? 


 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 bricks 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 brick edge. 
- if you have a painted surface next to your brick, you can choose to paint the outer edge of the brick to match the painted surface. 
- like with any of our bricks, you can also build out the sheetrock so that the surface of the finished sheetrock is flush with the surface of the brick. 

 for more detailed recommendations about trim, please see our trim guide.

how do i take care of my clé guild new california 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 clé guild new california material guidelines for more information. 

 what type of finish should i expect with this collection? 


 manzanita, bracken, salvia, and willow all have a satin matte finish, while cardoon, fennel, and yarrow have an overall matte finish. with dogwood and mallow you will find an overall gloss finish. 

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


 clé guild new california bricks are created by hand, one at a time, from unrefined clay and natural pigments, resulting in intentional variations of color, shade, texture and size. you can also expect your tiles to be affected by crazing and iron spots, and some tiles might have wire-cut grooves. 

 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. 

 due to the natural materials and production process of clé guild fundamentals 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: 


 clé’s new california bricks have varied ratings for color variation, visit product pages on www.cletile.com for individual ratings. 

 all new california thin bricks are rated 'level 2 slight' for texture variation, 'level 2 medium' for size variation. for iron spots they are rated 'level 3 heavy' with the exception of manzanita which is rated 'level 1 light'. 

 fennel, yarrow and cardoon are also rated 'level 1 light' for crazing. see illustrations in the technical specifications section above, and read more about the ratings in tile variation and imperfections guide
.
how will my new california 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 new california brick, in addition to variation from brick to brick, is to be expected given the handcrafted nature of the product. 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. 

are there best practices for sampling clé guild new california? 


 due to the variation in color of our handmade bricks, and the variation in texture, combined with the imperfections listed above, we strongly encourage sampling more than one piece to get a better sense of what the tile has to offer. 

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. 

 due to the unrefined clay and natural pigments used in creating our new california tiles there will be variation in color, shade and texture, as well as crazing and iron spots and possibly some tiles with wire-cut grooves. 

 if these features 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)? 


 color and shade variation between production batches (or kiln loads) of new california brick is a normal occurrence and to be expected given the handcrafted nature of the collection. 

 please keep this in mind when calculating your order, and be sure to purchase enough material. 

 for more information related to ordering and shipping, please be sure to visit our shipping and returns
 and delivery information resource pages.

grout

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 clé guild new california 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 6.54 bricks per square foot. should your project require a smaller joint, keep in mind that additional bricks will need to be ordered as our checkout calculations are all based on 6.54 bricks per square foot.
here are the pieces per square foot for a few other common grout joint sizes:
1/8” grout joint - 6.97 bricks per square foot
1/4” grout joint - 6.75 bricks per square foot
pieces per square foot comes to 7.2 when no grout joint is taken into account
for more information about grouting please see our clé guild new california installation and maintenance guide.

collection dimensions

rectangle - 2 1/2"x8"x1/2"

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

glazed brick inspired by the california landscape

a kitchen with a stove, oven, and pots and pans.

one-of-a-kind surfaces

new california echoes the artistry and aesthetic of california’s influential mid-century craft movement. named for the native flora that inhabit the wild coastal landscape, this line of tile represents the beauty and quiet, earthy elegance of northern california. california fennel is a favorite of chefs, foragers, wild birds, swallowtail butterflies and now designers. fennel glazed brick is a stylish update on the classic matte glazes of california’s artisan clay tradition. soft, speckled pale gold echo the familiar dried seed heads of this quintessentially californian plant.

a group of tiles laying on rocks in the water.

a rectangular green tile with spots lying on the ground.

why we love new california

for this line, clé creates custom glazes and uses an unrefined clay sourced from the base of the sierra nevada foothills that allows for the unpredictable nature of raw material interactions when fired in the kiln. the result is a thin glazed brick that embraces all kinds of beautiful re-combinations of the elements creating texture, opacity, surface sheen, pigment variation, inclusions, and crystallization.

handcrafted from the clé guild

the clé guild was born of a desire to create the finest glazed brick and was the culmination of that idea, combined with state-of-the-art ceramics technology and artisanal technique. fundamentals was the first collection to come out of the clé guild followed shortly by new california. produced in northern california, these small-batch, handcrafted tile collections offer a feel of luxury and significance without being conspicuous. the unique firing process, using a state-of-the-art blaauw kiln combined with the purely natural composition of the glaze (stone powders, metal oxide pigments) allows for a richness and luminescence rarely found in many of today’s glazed bricks.

a set of multicolored rectangle tiles spread along the sand at the beach.

photography by laurie frankel

inspiration