Brick facings are natural kiln fired clay products. With this, we often see an inevitable degree of variation. This ranges from swirls of pigments filling the clay molds in slightly different ways, to ancient lime wash techniques creating unique individual finishes on each brick facing, the handmade craftsmanship of many of our products result in colour, shade and textural differences. These differences are more pronounced in certain types of bricks than others.
The following is a guide for different degrees of variation that we have assigned our brick facings. Each of the brick facing in our online store are rated for both colour variation, signified by a C, and shape variation, signified by a S. Lower numbers indicate lower variation and texture, and higher numbers indicate greater. These ratings can be found on each product page.
colour variation
C1: low variation. All tiles will exhibit some percentage of variation from lot to lot. As with all tiles, blending before installation is always recommended.
C2: slight variation. There can be slight visible differences in the coluors of the tiles within any given lot, however generally, as a whole, the tiles grouped in any installation will present a uniform look. As with all tiles, blending before installation is always recommended.
C3: medium variation. These tiles are generally the result of artisan handmade production. While these tiles are usually of a singular color, there can be multiple shades of that color noticeably represented within each lot. As with all tiles, blending before installation is always recommended.
C4: heavy variation. Typically, with these, there will be multiple shades or pigments present within each tile, and oftentimes no two tiles will look the same. Additionally, production of entire batches may naturally result in shade differences leaning slightly one way or another. Despite their individual and noticeable differences however, when placed together in an installation, these tiles will still present a cohesive colouration. As with all tiles, blending before installation is always recommended.
C5: extreme variation. There can be multiple shades and colours visibly represented within batches. An example of this is our reclaimed range, where production lots can contain blue, red, tan, and some old paint residue. Some tiles will be noticeably lighter or darker within batches, and these differences are apparent even in installations, creating a beautiful patchwork look. It is recommended that multiple samples be purchased when considering tiles categorized as extreme variants, so that the range of the pallet can be viewed. As with all tiles, blending before installation is always recommended.
shape variation
S1: generally uniform: the shape of these tiles will be very uniform. An example of this is our Nordic graphite and Ivory range, which due to its machine-made production process results in a highly uniform result.
S2: light variation: production will result in slight physical variation in the surfaces and the edges of the brick facings. Overall there will be uniformity upon installation.
S3: medium variation: there will be noticeable shape and surface texture differences amongst brick tiles from the same batch. An example of this is our Capital range, where the shape of the brick is deliberately manipulated to create an organic look.
S4: significant variation: It is safe to assume that there may be extreme shape and texture differences between these brick facings. A great example of this are our Reclaimed clinker lines and Rustic Limewash range. Due to the 100% recycled nature of the products, these can have rough or marred surfaces as well as lost corners and irregular sizes. Significant deformed tiles would have been discarded during our sorting process. But generally speaking one should expect brick tile sizes of varying dimensions of up to 8mm. Meshed brick tiles in these two ranges will have mortar grout of varying widths. They offer the most rustic and visually powerful features in any brick tile installation. They are extremely popular in commercial feature wall application and are often juxtaposed against more contemporary design elements.