Your experience with crackle subway tile. Advice please.
We are in the process of choosing a kitchen backsplash. I had it narrowed down to using a crackle finished subway tile. The selections I am considering are from Walker Zanger, Fireclay, and Adex Hamilton. I came here to find sample pictures and installation tips and came across this comment about using tile with a crackle finish:
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/crackle-tile-is-very-porous-and-retains-stains-dsvw-vd~1158194?n=1
The post says that all crackle tile is porous even after sealing and any kind of colored liquid will permanently stain in through the cracks.
For those of you who have installed subway tiles with a crackle finish as a kitchen backsplash and it is at least a year old, has this been the case for you?
I am okay sealing the tile once a year or so and do know we need to seal the tiles before installing, but I do a lot of cooking so splashes are going to happen.
Should we reconsider our choice?
コメント (31)
Stacy Lawrence
8年前Oh shoot, I was going to install the Alex Hamilton crackle also...and thought sealing would be sufficient. If this is the case, then I may just do a marble backsplash and deal with etching rather than stains in the crackle, bummer.
Xty G (z4)
質問の投稿者8年前Yeah, bummer, but I am hoping the experience of the poster was with cheaper, lesser quality tiles. Fingers crossed we will hear some positive reviews.
Patricia Colwell Consulting
8年前I have only seen it installed once and my clients were ripping it out she said it always looked dirty .
Xty G (z4)さんはPatricia Colwell Consultingさんにお礼を言いましたXty G (z4)
質問の投稿者8年前最終更新:8年前Jewel, I also posted this question in the kitchen forum also and received an answer from someone who used a Fireclay crackle tile and it hasn't stained.
Judy Mishkin
8年前最終更新:8年前my crackle is 15 months old, i have no staining. i was taken aback when it was first installed...the crackle lines were very dark. but the installer assured me it was just water incursion and when it dried out it would be fine.
all that said....i have an island cooktop, so my backsplash is not being bombarded with grease and cooking splatters. i guess i wouldnt have chosen crackle for behind a cook top. it stands up fine for behind the sink and mixer.
Xty G (z4)さんはJudy Mishkinさんにお礼を言いましたNatalie
8年前最終更新:8年前Hi---
I think the crackle tile is a fabulous choice and from my experience, have never had a complaint about staining from any of my clients.
As for sealing ceramic tile--I've never heard of such a thing. Only the grout needs to be sealed.
Hope this is helpful. Good Luck with your project!
Xty G (z4)
質問の投稿者8年前Natalie, thanks for your input! I know, it is weird that ceramic tile needs to be sealed, but I think it's the cracks in the crackle glaze that can be porous from what I have read. Perhaps the better quality tiles from the companies I mentioned have another glaze over the crackle finish. I may contact them to ask.
Judy Mishkin
8年前you can test a sample tile... just put a drop of water on it. it will either immediately sink in, and the lines will darken...or it wont.
Xty G (z4)さんはJudy Mishkinさんにお礼を言いましたXty G (z4)
質問の投稿者8年前最終更新:8年前Diana, thanks for your input! Gramercy Park is the WZ i am considering. I would love to see a picture of your kitchen :).
avery2pt0
8年前最終更新:8年前We have the WZ Gramercy Park in the Pipe Smoke color too on our kitchen backsplash. Had it professionally sealed after moving in June of 2014 (about 20 months ago).
Haven't noticed any issues on ours and the backsplash is installed right behind our cooktop, too.
I will check a little more closely today. Hubby does all the cooking....so haven't really been paying as much attention to that area.... :-(
Xty G (z4)さんはavery2pt0さんにお礼を言いましたDiana Bier Interiors, LLC
8年前
Here's my kitchen and Walker-Zanger backsplash in Gramercy Park (Pipe Smoke) with a black liner.curlycook
8年前Our two year old crackle finish tile was sealed after installation and has absolutely no staining issues.Xty G (z4)
質問の投稿者8年前最終更新:8年前Thank you Diana! Beautiful!
curlycook, from your picture its actually hard to tell. Was your tile pretty rustic to begin with including the darker spots and chips? Or were you being sarcastic? Sorry, it's just hard to tell from your post.
avery2pt0
8年前最終更新:8年前Heres some pics of the WZ Gramercy by our cooktop area.
pics not great (upper hood is casting shadows)....but hope it helps.
curlycook
8年前Yes, it's very rustic and looks the same as when it was installed. We have had no porosity or staining issues, and I cook a lot!D DN
8年前I have high end crackle tile and I have mid grade crackle tile in 3 places in my house. I am addicted to crackle!
Once the tiles are set, but before grout, the tiles need to be sealed no matter what the manufacturer says.
After grout, you can seal again if you like. But you want to be sure to seal crackle tile before grouting!! That should be your rule of thumb to follow.
We have no stains on our crackle tile. We get wild in the kitchen with grease and colorful foods and not one stain. They are still beautiful tiles.TheGrouStore
8年前最終更新:8年前Natalie I couldn't have agreed more to your comment in regards to sealing ceramic tile. I may even go a step further and say that sealing grout may not serve as the protection most of us think it may. I often ask my customers why they feel that sealing grout is needed and the most common answer is that they feel it serves as water resistance or worse yet, water proof protection layer at their shower. My reply is to take a minute and read front/rear labels on grout sealers to see if they can find documentation to support this thought.
Xty G (z4)
質問の投稿者8年前Dawn, Avery, and Diana, if you have an exposed ending or top edge of the WZ Gramercy tiles, how did you finish the edge?
Xty G (z4)
質問の投稿者8年前I heard back from Fireclay about sealing their ceramic crackle tiles. This is the answer I was given: "Hello. Both the white and recycled tile can be used as a backsplash. The white clay tile comes sealed by our factory, but we always recommend sealing before installing in general."
Not necessarily a straight answer about the crackle finish, but enough of an answer for me to know I need to seal them.
Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
8年前Xty G (z3), all my top edges die into the upper cabinets. For the side edges I used a quarter round that my installer sliced in half lengthwise.
Xty G (z4)さんはDiana Bier Interiors, LLCさんにお礼を言いましたD DN
8年前When I used Fireclay less than one year ago, their instructions stated that no sealing was necessary for their crackle tile prior to grout. I used another crackle tile in the same job that did require sealing prior to grout. So to avoid confusion for the contractors and to be extra safe, I sealed it all prior to grout.Xty G (z4)さんはD DNさんにお礼を言いましたStacy Lawrence
8年前@dianabier Can you look at my profile and see my backsplash options please?? I would appreciate it :)
whocareswhoiam
7年前I received tile instructions for a 'non-crackle' tile and it also stated to "seal" before installation. The fabricator said he never heard of doing such a thing and sealing it afterwards would be sufficient.
Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
6年前By the way, I never sealed the crackle backsplash tile in my kitchen, and it is just fine. In my experience, a backsplash doesn't really need it. Now using a crackle in a shower is a different story, and I've been cautioned against it. But if you did use it in a shower, then sealing it would be warranted.
HouzzUser-708724012
3年前I have installed the cracked tile in the shower when I make my cuts I rinsed off the cut and install the tile as it dried my red slurry penetrated the crackles any suggestions that would remove it before I sealed it and grouted it
Diana Bier Interiors, LLC