Usage Guide

To assist in deciding whether a specic stone is appropriate for certain uses, the coding
system below was developed and corresponds with the charts on the following pages for
all available natural stone.
Special Notes
■ Not recommended in wet areas.
♦ Can be used in interior wet wall areas, if sealed and maintained properly. If not properly
maintained, the stone look could be altered. Please contact your sealer manufacturer or
your Daltile sales representative for information about products that can protect the stone
from moisture exposure.
▼ Might contain dry seams, pits, fossils and glass veins that are lled at the factory or during
installation. These are all inherent characteristics of the stone. Since these voids can
sometimes lose their llings, they should be relled as part of normal maintenance.
● A sealer is recommended. (Note: Some stones, such as limestone and tumbled stone
among others, should be sealed prior to grouting.)
● This mosaic has pieces of natural stone and crackled ceramic/porcelain, seal the entire
mosaic including the crackled ceramic and porcelain prior to grouting to prevent the grout
from staining the mosaic.
✖ These stones contain deposits of minerals and iron that may react to moisture. Stone
bleeding or rusting is a common example of this. These stones should not be used
in installations where they would be exposed to standing, run-off water or too much
humidity. A sealer is strongly recommended but will not prevent the chemical reaction from
happening. Contact your sealer manufacturer or Daltile sales representative for information
about products that can protect the stone from moisture exposure.
✱ White setting materials are recommended.
❖ Install with a non-staining epoxy. Do not use any water-based setting material with these
stones.

Not recommended for shower oors.
º
Medium bed mortar is required for tiles with at least one side greater than 15".
+ These stones may change color over time if exposed to direct sunlight.
C Use a temporary water soluble grout release during installation.
t The slip resistance of natural stone tiles vary. Caution should be used in determining if
the selected stone will be sufciently slip resistant for exterior use.
♣ Refer to the "Special Limestone Installation Guide".
COLOR VARIATIONS
L Low: Background color is relatively uniform.
M Medium: Background color contains slight variations.
H High: Background color contains distinct variations.
R Random: Variegated in color and veining. Blending allowances during
installation are strongly recommended.
CONDITIONS OF PURCHASE
Natural stone products inherently lack uniformity and are subject to variation in aesthetics (color, shade, nish, etc.)
and performance (hardness, strength, slip resistance, etc.). Natural stone products do not meet minimum coefcient
of friction thresholds recommended by safety standard setting organizations. No warranties, expressed or implied,
relative to merchantability or tness for a particular purpose are made regarding the natural stone products distributed
by Daltile. Check local building codes prior to specication or installation to verify that product technical characteristics
comply with required parameters.
NOTE: The existence and dimensions of a bevel may vary from lot to lot. Be sure to request a sample of the
specic lot you are planning to order, if the bevel is an important feature for your job.
EXTERIOR USAGE
Suitable for uncovered exterior oor and wall applications in freezing and
non-freezing climates.
Suitable for uncovered exterior wall applications in freezing and non-freezing climates.
E
Suitable for uncovered exterior oor and wall applications in non-freezing climates only.
W
Suitable for uncovered exterior wall applications in non-freezing climates only.
EF Suitable for covered* exterior oors in freezing and non-freezing climates.
EW Suitable for covered* exterior walls in freezing and non-freezing climates.
SF Suitable for covered* exterior oors in non-freezing climates only.
SW Suitable for covered* exterior walls in non-freezing climates only.
N/A Not recommended for exterior applications.
*Covered implies an area protected from the elements.
Natural stone products are not recommended for any wet areas where they may
be exposed to chemicals such as waterlines and pools, or to extreme humidity and
heat, such as steam rooms, among others.
DURABILITY FLOOR
N/A not recommended for oor use.
1 Residential: Suitable for residential use. Not recommended for commercial areas.
2 Medium/Light Commercial: Suitable for light commercial and residential use.
3 Heavy Commercial: Suitable for most commercial and/or high trafc areas.
NOTE: Polished surfaces are not recommended for oor areas where slip resistance is a concern. Our durability
recommendations are only based on the technical characteristics of the stones, however, slip resistance shall still
be taken into consideration when selecting the product for a specic application. Natural stone products do not
meet minimum coefcient of friction thresholds recommended by safety standard setting organizations.
SOUNDNESS
Group A: Sound stones with no geological voids or ssures. These stones
do not require any lling or patching.
Group B: Similar to Group A, but geological imperfections could be evident.
These stones may contain holes or voids, which are lled with epoxy or resin.
Group C: These stones may contain holes, voids, lines of separation and
structural aws. It is standard practice to repair these stones by lling them
or reinforcing them.
Group D: Similar to Group C but these stones contain larger natural faults
and require more renishing over time.
Soundness is meant to help classify denser stones (Group A and B) from more fragile stones (Group
C and D). Stones classied under Groups C and D may require additional fabrication before, during or
after installation as part of regular maintenance.
STONE USAGE GUIDE
DALTILE.COM
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