Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Cement Tile Molding & Trim Questions

This past week, we were working with a customer interested in using Traditional Romana Cement Tile for a kitchen backsplash. The customer wanted to use a bullnose or tapered edge tile to create a professional finish and transition between surfaces and trim other edges with molding. She asked a lot of good questions and some we had to research with our supplier. We want to share the questions and answers so that anyone can understand what kind of trim or molding is available for cement tile installations.

Cement Tile Base Trim Installation with High Toe-Kick
Cement Tile Base Trim Installation with High Toe-Kick

In July, we shared some Cement Tile Base Trim Ideas that featured design and tile tips for using cement tile base trim. Here we answer questions about how it can be used.

  1. Can I get a patterned cement tile with a bullnose edge?
    No. Only solid color cement tile tiles are available with a bullnose.

  2. Can I get a double bullnose or corner bullnose piece?
    Yes. You can get a solid color cement tile in a double bullnose as a 3" x 10" molding. You need to specify which ends or corner needs the bullnose, though.

  3. What sizes of cement tile base molding or trim are available?
    Base trim comes in the following sizes with the bullnose always on the 'long' edge:
    1. 3.75" x 10"
    2. 3" x 10"
    3. 5.5" x 8"
    4. 3" x 8"
    5. 8" x 8" Skirting (Decorative Edge)

    Cement Tile Moldings

  4. Can I get a transition to a double bullnose from a single bullnose edge?
    Yes. You can use single bullnose molding (5.5" x 8") and transition to double bullnose 3" x 10" to make a smooth transistion on a wall application. There is about a 1 mm to 0.5 mm difference in the radius (see photo).

  5. Can I miter the bullnose trim to create a picture frame for a wall application?
    No. The bullnose moldings can't be mitered.

  6. Can I cut the moldings if I want a narrower width than 3"?
    Yes. You can cut the moldings down to 1" width and still preserve the rounding of the bullnose. Remember to cut cement tils with a wet saw and diamond blade.

Cement tile base trim can be purchased polished or unpolished to match the tile's finish. Base trim is available in any of the 90+ Heritage Colors found in our Heritage Color Palette to coordinate with our Artist Series, Cuban Heritage, Geometric, Textured, or Traditional cement tile.

BULLNOSE AND DOUBLE BULLNOSE CEMENT TILE MOLDING
5.5"x8" Bullnose (yellow) & 3"x10" Double or Corner Bullnose (blue) Cement Tile Molding

Highlight base trim molding IF there is really something worth highlighting. Patterned cement tile floors generally steal the show so a bold trim works well in these installations.

Cement Tile Base Trim
Cement Tile Base Trim Cooridnates with Patterned Tile & Edge

On cement tile floor and wall installations, use cement tile base trim to provided a finished edge or transition to an edge or wall with the bullnose. You can also coordinate with colors used in the pattern like the installation above.

Do you have any questions about using cement tile base trim or cement tile moldings? Let us know, we are glad to answer any questions and look forward to talking tile!

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