Earthworks Metal Stainless Steel Tiles
www.BuildersDepotDirect.com is proud to announce the exclusive online distribution of the Earthworks Series Metal Mosaics. The collection includes best selling 1x2” Metal Brick Mosaic for $18.89SF with Free Shipping, the line also includes other popular mosaic patterns: Stainless Steel Basketweave, Stainless Steel Metal Mosaic Edger thin Brick, Octagon Metal Mosaic to name a few.
General Information
The following recommendations comply with those outlined in the Handbook for Ceramic Tile Installation published by TCNA (Tile Council of North America). The instructions are provided only as a general guide to installing Earthworks Metal Series stainless steel mosaics. This product is not recommended in:
- Showers
- Bathrooms
- Kitchen Floors
- Any are where water can be allowed to puddle on the product
Recommended Substrates
Well-cured mortar beds cured a minimum of 7 days.
Cementitious backer units required over interior wood sub-floors and walls. Membrane is required behind all CBU installations in wet areas. Concrete slabs (on grade) cured for 28 days minimum. Gypsum board may be used in dry areas only on interior walls.
Installing product with a grain
Earthworks Metal Series tiles have an attractive brushed surface. A brushed surface means it has a directional grain. The directional grain of the tile is indicated with an arrow on the PVC covered product. It is important to make sure all arrows and product grain are facing the same direction when installing Earthworks Metal Series.
Setting materials for Earthworks Metal Series tiles
We recommend any premium multi-purpose thin set modified with polymer, latex or synthetic latex, compliant with ANSI 118.4 for porcelain tiles. The Earthwork Series Metal tiles require flexible sealant/caulk be used anywhere tile work abuts restraining surfaces such as perimeter walls, inside corners, dissimilar floors, curbs, counters or columns in compliance with the current Tile Council of North America’s guidelines. We recommend Laticrete’s Tri-Poly Fortified unssanded grout for all joints. Do not use sanded grouts as it will scratch the tile.
Set the Earthworks Metal Series tiles
- Mix setting materials according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Apply setting materials to the substrate using the notched side of a 3/16” x 5/32” v-notched trowel.
- Using the flat side of the trowel, smooth out all ridges to achieve a consistent, even 1/8” thick coverage.
- Apply Earthworks Metal Series tiles to the freshly troweled material with the MESH-SIDE DOWN (stainless should be facing installer with all tiles positioned with the grain running the same direction).
- Using a new clean rubber float, gently press the Earthworks Metal Series tile into the adhesive and flatten sheets to each other to insure complete contact. Never use a float that has previously been used, as it could contain fragments of thin-set or sanded grout which could potentially scratch the tile. Do not push the sheets too deeply into the setting materials, as to cause the setting materials to ooze up between the spaces between the Earthworks Metal Series tile.
- Adjust the Earthworks Metal Series tile sheets for correct alignment and even spacing between sheets. Do not allow setting material to dry or skin over before completing this process.
- Allow setting material to harden according to manufacturer’s instructions. Once set, remove protective covering from the surface of the Earthworks Metal Series tile. Clean all excess setting materials with a damp sponge. Wipe away any haze on the Earthworks Metal Series tiles.
- After 24 hours, mix grout following manufacturer’s instructions.
CUTTING METAL MOSAIC TILE
In a lot of cases due to the small size of the individual metal tiles they can be cut away or taken off the mosaic mesh and used as individual pieces to fit the area exactly. However when the fit is not exact cutting may be necessary.
Fortunately Earthwork metal mosaic tiles are not solid metal, fortunate for the installer cutting and fortunate for us shipping and making the cutting of stainless steel mosaic tile far less challenging. This is due to the fact that that Earthworks metal stainless steel tiles are actually porcelain tiles covered with a 1-2mm stainless steel cap. If the entire tile was solid metal cutting with regular tools would be impossible the product difficult to ship and expensive to make.
The best method is to use a motorized wet saw. Because the tiles are so thin, you can often get by with a low grade, low cost tile saw available at most big box stores. These saws typically retail around $80.00. Many big box stores and tool rental company's also rent tile saws, so if you are doing this as a one off project, you might consider renting a tile saw for a day to get your job done. However please cautious tile saws can be very dangerous with diamond tipped blades these saws are extremely sharp. Earthworks metal mosaic tiles pieces can be small as small as 1x1” for the small square mosaic so you must have enough confidence and skill to cut the tiny pieces without causes yourself serious injury.
The other option is to use a ceramic tile hand saw, also available at most local big box or tile stores. It is important to mention however that there is one tool that will likely not work for cutting metal tile, and that is a scoring tool or the scoring technique that is typically used for cutting porcelain and ceramic. This tool works on the basis of scoring the relatively soft surface of porcelain or ceramic then using force on two points to ‘snap’ along the scored edge, however metal capped tiles don't take well to scoring or simply snapping so this method will not work.
If you do not feel comfortable with these sharp, potentially harmful tools it is best to call a professional to make the final cuts required to finish your tile job.
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