Wall tile METRO

METRO wall tiles

The faceted wall tiles were once designed by Hector Guimard, one of the most influential french Art Nouveau artists. Since the opening of the Metro in Paris in 1900 they are classified as its landmark. METRO tiles create a unique combination of tradition and modernity. Whether used in the bathroom or kitchen, in a trendy bar or a spacious loft – with the small format metro tiles one can design walls in a unique way.

Glazes

• shiny glazes in 15 different standard colours – opaque or semitransparent
• matt glazes – opaque, white and black
• metallic glazes, 6 different colours (upon request)
• glazes in special colours, opaque, 6 different colours (upon request)

Tips for laying

METRO tiles are layed in displaced rows. To achieve a harmonious edge pattern, it is recommended to use a quadratic tile on the ends of every second row (otherwise you will get open cut edges). For the upper end we offer two different border tiles to choose from, for the bottom end we offer socket tiles in the respective colours. If you lay the tiles across corners, we offer corner tiles for inner and outer corners.

Suitability

The glazed stoneware tiles suited for laying in the entire indoor area. Use of the tiles in roofed outdoor area is only recommended with some reservations, as the tiles are not frost-resistant when wet. For wet areas we recommend a covering glaze. Craquelé tiles should be impregnated.

Delivery time

The standard lead time for METRO tiles is 3 weeks.

Packaging and delivery

The tiles are packed in cardboard boxes according to the indicated packing unit and are deliverd on pallets. Tiles can only be transported safely with a forwarding agency. We would be pleased to provide you with an offer for delivery on your construction site. Transport cost depends on weight and distance. To prepare the offer we need to know the amount of tiles you plan to buy and your postcode. Small quantities may be shipped with a parcel service. The risk of breaking will pass to you, if you want us to ship with a parcel service.

Laying

The tiles can be laid with a standard tile adhesive. We recommend a joint width of 2mm. The smaller the joint, the more beautiful the overall effect of the floor.

Cutting

• Wet cutting with diamond blade for glazed tiles – either cut to nominal dimension or cut 1mm next to the nominal dimension, than use a grindstone to grind to zero
• Dry scribing, then breaking

Jointing

We recommend to use a neutral colour for the joints. When using heavily pigmented grout and the tiles feature a strong craquelé (fine cracks in the enamel) it is possible that colour pigments settle in the craquelé. In order to avoid the absorption, it can be helpful to wet the tiles with a sponge before the jointing, as wetting reduces the absorptive capacity. Another option is to impregnate the tiles with FILA MP/90 before jointing. It is advisable to check the effects of these methods on a trial area.

Impregnation/Sealing

When using craquelé tiles in the kitchen it is advisable to impregnate them with FILA MP/90 to avoid fat settling in the tiles. It is not advisable to use these tiles close to the cooker/stove. As the craquelé will develop further in the first year it is necessary to repeat the impregnation process from time to time. We also recommend impregnation with FILA MP/90 when using the tiles in a wet area, as it seals the surface and makes the tiles less sensitive to dirt.

Cleaning instructions

A glaze is a coat made of glass. Glazes are not resistant to scratches or acid-proof. Please do not use abrassive tools like steel sponges or scrapers for cleaning the tiles. Copper based glazes (greenish or blueish glazes) may permantly change their colour when cleaned with acidic cleaners. We recommend ph-neutral cleaners to alkaline cleaners e.g. LITHOFIN KF basic cleaner or “Meister Proper Generalreiniger” and the like. Lime stains soften when treated with alkaline cleaners and can than be removed with a scrubber. If required or necessary, intensive cleaning of the tiles can be carried out with a melamine-sponge. Never use abbrassive cleaners on tiles with metallic surfaces!