Questions and Answers for Merola Tile Simbols Flama 14-1/8 in. x 14-1/8 in. Porcelain Floor and Wall Tile (11.48 sq. ft. / case)

A:  Hi, Anne! Yes, our Simbols Blau is suitable for this type of installation as it has a break strength of 350 lbs. which measures force applied to a singular point on the tile. Installing this product on a proper subfloor will help also help prevent breaking and allow it to withstand much more weight. In addition, porcelain tile is heated to temperatures of thousands of degrees during the manufacturing process and will not have trouble resisting heat from your stove. If you have any further questions, please give us a call at (800)-963-7652.

A:  Hi Rebecca, Our Simbols Blau will need to be installed with a thinset adhesive; we would not recommend using glue for any tile installation. Home Depot always recommends Custom Building Products installation materials, and their VersaBond Fortified Thinset http://thd.co/29Po1DR is a great option for this tile. For a backerboard, we would recommend looking into a HardieBacker Board http://thd.co/2ayfAPJ. If you have any further questions, please give us a call at (800)-963-7652. Hope this helps!

A:  Hi, it needs to be set on durock, above the subfloor for sturdiness and rigidity. The subfloor will flex and the tiles could crack if not done this way. Hope this helps.

A:  You must use a thin-set mortar and then finish with grout. There are many YouTube videos that show how to properly lay such tile..

A:  Not that we know of. We used them more as a field tile that but up to other tiles that were used for trim that had bullnose edging. My advise is to contact the mfg. directly. I would imagine they make a trim tile or various options. Good Luck! Order more than what you need. They are hard to cut and will break. Order extra so it is in the same dye lot as well. Good luck! P

A:  Hi Jim, Unfortunately, we do not offer any bullnose trims that would coordinate with our Simbols Blau. After reviewing all of our currently offered bullnose trims, we would not be able to offer you a suitable coordinating trim. In situations like this, we typically recommend looking into Schluter Trim http://thd.co/1qBLqjw, which can be found at the Home Depot. If you have any further questions, please give us a call at (800)-963-7652. Hope this helps!

A:  I think that this tile is great for the floor outside the shower, though I still recommend a bath mat. However, for the floor of the shower, I think you should use smaller tiles, say 2" x 2", which have a high coefficient of friction.

A:  Yes, you can use these tiles in the shower.

A:  Hi bob, Our Simbols Blau can be used on a shower floor, but keep in mind that this does not have a high slip resistance rating and does not meet the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Guidelines for slip resistance. If there are small children or elderly adults using this shower, you might want to choose a tile that has a higher slip resistance. If this is not an area for concern, the glazed surface is chemical resistant and approved for shower floor usage. If this is an area of concern for you, we would recommend looking into our Atelier Azul https://thd.co/2JTrl6a. While this tile does not have the same shades of blue, this tile has a DCOF (Dynamic Coefficient of Friction) rating of 0.48. To be considered slip resistant for DCOF, the tile must meet or exceed a DCOF rating of 0.42. If you would like to determine if these tiles are right for you, we offer samples! Please be aware that samples come adhered to 6”x6” sample cards which offer a color and texture sample, not a look at the whole tile. To be able to see the whole tile, we recommend ordering a case. Please note that variation in color, shade and texture are inherent characteristics of glazed tile. The pattern, shape, dye lot (color) and size of the actual tile received may vary. Home Depot offers a 90-day return policy on all unused items returned in the full quantity they were sold (in this situation, a case). If you have any further questions, please give us a call at (800)-963-7652. Hope this helps!

A:  We purchased the tile to complete all three walls of a walk in shower. It was a complete tub tear out shower conversion with glass enclosure. We added a glass multi colored shade of blue trim ribbon tile around built in wall nooks. It turned out great! There are some variation but not so much that it would stand out. We ordered a small percentage for waste. Tuned out we got to the last two tiles that broke when trying to drill 1" holes into. Had to call the mfg. to have them send out 4 more tiles as the job stopped until they arrived. Also, my opinion is to order at least 25-28% more than what you need as they may get damaged during transit to the store. They were shrunk on a skid but, be advised that the packaging is not very sturdy for the amount of weight per each stack of packaged tile.Our contractor had over 30 years of cutting with a wet saw and still we had some breakage. Take one tile from each package as you are setting them so the variation will look slight if at all noticeable. Good Luck! Have a great weekend!

A:  This is a wonderful tile from Spain. Its color is amazing. My suggestion would be to purchase enough tiles tor your entire job, plus a few more. Because who knows whether the dye lots are uniform over time? However, I think that just a slight color variation would just be interesting and not a problem. Frank.

A:  Hi TileGirl, Dye lots can have very subtle differences or they can look very different, it’s hard to say without comparing two different dye lots. To better assist you with the dye lot issue, please give us a call at (800)-963-7652. Hope this helps!

A:  I believe for a shower floor pan, it is recommended to use smaller tiles.

A:  This can be used with caution on a shower floor, as it does not have a high slip resistance rating.

A:  Hi Nick, Our Simbols Riu can be used on a shower floor, but keep in mind that this does not have a high slip resistance rating and does not meet the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Guidelines for slip resistance. If there are small children or elderly adults using this shower, you might want to choose a tile that has a higher slip resistance. If this is not an area for concern, the glazed surface is chemical resistant and approved for shower floor usage. It also has a slightly textured surface, which might help add some slip resistance. If you would like to determine if these tiles are right for you, we offer samples! Please be aware that samples come adhered to 4.5”x5” sample cards which offer a color and texture sample, not a look at the whole tile. To be able to see the whole tile, we recommend ordering one case. Please note that variation in color, shade and texture are inherent characteristics of glazed tile. The pattern, shape, dye lot (color) and size of the actual tile received may vary. Home Depot offers a 90-day return policy on all unused items returned in the full quantity they were sold (in this situation, a case). If you have any further questions, please give us a call at (800)-963-7652. Hope this helps!

A:  Forgive my error in my initial answer. I used 3/16" grout joint, not 3/8"

A:  Caution--I noticed that the same answers are shown for all of the different tile colors. Tammy didn't specify which tile color and received an answer from the Merola rep about Simbols Riu (green) tile. It obviously wouldn't be the same answer for grout color for the other tile colors.

A:  Hi Tammy, Home Depot always recommends Custom Building Products installation materials. Two great options for our Simbols Riu are #165 Delorean Gray or, if you’re looking for a bit more contrast, #60 Charcoal. Being as coordinating is a matter of personal preference, it is best to decide what color you feel matches best. Home Depot stores offer dried grout samples, so it is best that you take this tile to your local store and compare it to these samples in the flooring department. When you have a grout joint larger than 1/8” we always recommend the use of sanded grout. For Simbols Riu, we would recommend using a 3/16” or 1/4” grout line. The grout line is dependent on the flatness of the subfloor. Since this tile isn’t rectified, we wouldn’t recommend anything smaller. Having a rectified tile means that the edges have been ground down for precise sizing. Tile tends to expand and contract, if the grout joints are too small it can cause damage to the installation such as cracking. If you have any further questions, please give us a call at (800)-963-7652. Hope this helps!

A:  The tile is lighter and more Matte than it looks. I would suggest a gray, probably medium, not too light, not too dark.

A:  Personal preference on color and surrounding decor. I used C-CURE'S Catalina Jade. Grout type? If you mean sanded vs. non-sanded, it depends upon the size of the grout joint you use. We went with 3/8" and sanded grout.

A:  Hi JT, Our Simbols Blau is currently sold as a case of 8 pieces, which 11.3 square feet. At this time, this is the only sell quantity available. If you’re looking mainly for a color comparison, we offer samples of our Simbols Blau. Please feel free to contact our Customer Service department at (800)-963-7652 and we’ll walk you through the process of ordering samples! Please be aware that samples come adhered to 4.5”x5” sample cards which offer a color and texture sample, not a look at the whole tile. To be able to see the whole tile, we recommend ordering one case. Please note that variation in color, shade and texture are inherent characteristics of glazed tile. The pattern, shape, dye lot (color) and size of the actual tile received may vary. Home Depot offers a 90-day return policy on all unused items returned in the full quantity they were sold (in this situation, a case). If you have any further questions, please give us a call at (800)-963-7652. Hope this helps!

A:  I believe yes.

A:  Try a green pad and Dawn dishwashing liquid.

A:  Hi Deb, If the sealer is what was tracked onto the tiles, I would call the manufacturer of the sealer and ask them what will work best (there are lots of different types of sealers, you may need to ask your contractor which one was used if you are not sure). If grout was tracked onto the tiles, you can use a grout haze remover product, which should make the removal easy. Hope that helps- please contact us at 800-963-7652 for additional questions.

A:  Hi Diana, We offer samples of this tile adhered to 4.5” x 5” sample cards, offering a color and texture sample, not a look at the whole tile. To see the whole tile, we recommend ordering a case. Home Depot offers a 90-day return policy on all unused items returned in the full quantity that they are sold (for this, by the case). Please note that variation in color, shade and texture are inherent characteristics of glass, glazed tile and stone. The actual material received may vary from this sample. The pattern, shape, dye lot (color) and size of the actual tile received may vary. If you have any further questions or want more information about ordering samples, please give us a call at (800)-963-7652. Hope this helps!