Installation Instructions

Thin Brick Installation and Maintenance
P.O. Box 9240 Canton, Ohio 44711 1-800-325-3945 e-mail: info@ironrock.com www.metroceramics.com
Initial Cleaning and Seasoning
1. It is the installer’s responsibility to thoroughly clean and remove all grout or mortar residue from the new tile surface.
2. Because grout joints are porous and highly susceptible to staining, you may wish to protect them with an application of
a water - based penetrating sealer, such as Aqua Mix Penetrating Sealer.*
3. Season the floor by mopping thoroughly with a double strength application of Hillyard’s Super Shine-All®, Murphy’s Oil
Soap®, or other neutral liquid cleaner. *If the floor will be subject to frequent staining by fat, oil or grease spills, you may
wish to apply the penetrating sealer to the tile as well as the grout joints to enhance the tile’s soil resisting characteristics.
Make sure to apply the penetrating sealer before seasoning the floor. Follow the manufacturer’s directions carefully.
Wipe up all excess sealer immediately to prevent surface discoloration. NEVER USE A COATING (SURFACE TYPE)
SEALER because they do not adhere well to the tight dieskin surface.
Recommended Maintenance
1. Sweep, vacuum, or damp mop as necessary to remove dust, dirt and grit.
2. Remove heavy spills or spots immediately with a heavy detergent and stiff brush or a non-metallic scouring pad. Do
not use any cleaner containing Hydrofluoric acid which will attack both grout and tile.
3. Routinely mop the surface with a neutral liquid cleaner, such as Hillyard’s Super Shine-All®. Use a simple two-bucket
method. The first bucket should contain the neutral cleaner diluted per the manufacturer’s recommendations in hot water.
After mopping or scrubbing a small area of floor not to exceed 2-3 square feet, the mop should be rinsed in the second
bucket containing clean water. The rinse water in the second bucket should be changed regularly.
4. Mop up any dirty cleaning solution and allow floor to dry thoroughly. Under normal conditions, rinsing is not necessary.
However, if the surface is extremely dirty, it should be allowed to dry and mopped again. Over time a natural patina will
develop. It can be enhanced with a soft buffing.
5. For applications in restaurants/cafeteria service and dining areas, at least once per week – and more often if necessary
– the floor should be scrubbed with a solution of Hillyard’s Assurance® all-purpose cleaner or a comparable product and
a scrub brush. Contact us for complete instructions on maintaining a Metropolitan floor in food service areas.
See our web site for complete downloadable cleaning and maintenance information.
If you have any questions about maintaining your Metropolitan Ceramics® floor, call us at 1-800-325-3945.
Metropolitan Ceramics – PO Box 9240 – Canton, OH 44711
Fax: 330-484-3584 - E-mail: info@ironrock.com - www.metroceramics.com
Hillyard, Inc. Aqua Mix, Inc.
Phone: 800-365-1555 Phone: 562-946-6877
http://www.hillyard.com Technical Assistance: 800-366-6877
www.custombuildingproducts.com
CANTON, OHIO
®
®
INDOOR / OUTDOOR
A product of Metropolitan Ceramics
UNGLAZED CERAMIC QUARRY TILE
QUARRY TILE AND THIN BRICK
13 - Moving up the Wall
This view shows how your wall should look as you are
working your way up it.
Continue applying thinset adding rows of brick until you
come to the top of your wall. Once at the top you may need
to cut your final row to make it fit. One option you may
want to try is to install a soldier course (vertical row of
bricks) at the top of your wall. This may be especially
desirable if your final row is going to be a thin strip of
bricks.
14 - Remove Dowel Rods & Spacers
After the adhesive has set up to the point that it will hold
the weight of the bricks (usually the next day in your
project) remove the dowel rods and spacers.
15 - Vacuum Wall
Once the wall is installed and the dowel rods and spacers
have been removed, it is a good idea to vacuum off any
dust and debris before grouting. Because Versa TILE thin
bricks are tumbled they come out of the cartons dusty.
Vacuuming the bricks will help keep any contamination
from getting in the grout.
MET_TB_CM_11_15
16 - Grouting
At this point in the process it is time to grout your Versa
TILE Thin Brick wall using sanded grout. You have two
options to choose from for grouting your wall.
You can use a float tool to float the grout into the joints just
like you would tile. This method involves pushing the grout
into the joints by ‘floating’ the grout over the surface of the
wall and cleaning off the excess grout with repeated
sponging. Again, this is the method used when grouting
tile.
The other method of getting the grout in the joints involves
using a grout bag. Since it is the less familiar of the two
applications, it is the one we are going to show for the
remainder of this tutorial.
Note grouting with a tile float and sponges gives a different look
than using a grout bag. How you want your wall to look will help
determine the method you choose. Also remember grout color
plays a much larger role in the look of the bricks when they are
floated since grout residue is left in the crevices on the surface
of the bricks.