About Chiaro Tile
The Chiaro Tile System is a brand of tile manufactured and distributed by the company Grid Architectural Surfaces + Tile. It is appropriate for use on walls in kitchens, bathrooms or powder rooms, dining rooms and living rooms, but it is not recommended for exterior use. It is not designed for use as a floor tile. Does this Spark an idea?
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Description
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Chiaro tile is made of glass. Each tile is hand-crafted with a mechanically ground edge that makes it perfectly flat, yielding a mirror-like reflective surface. The tiles are not kiln-fired. Grid offers the tiles in two finishes — glossy or sandblasted. In most cases, the sandblasted version of a given color is noticeably duller and lighter than the glossy version. The Chiaro Tile System uses a neutral cure adhesive made of silicone to install the tile.
Dimensions
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Chiaro tile comes in 20 standard sizes, ranging from 4-inch by 4-inch to 16-inch by 16-inch squares, and 3-inch by 6-inch to 12-inch by 24-inch rectangles. Rectangular sizes also include long, narrow tiles such as the 4-inch by 24-inch option. All tiles are approximately 1/4 inch thick, but the manufacturer notes that because the tiles are handmade, there are minor variations in the size, shape and thickness of each one, as well as in color.
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Colors
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Grid offers Chiaro tile in 140 different colors, in addition to 10 patterned tiles — called motifs — available only by special order from the company. The standard colors run the gamut of hues in pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet, along with neutral tones of black, gray, brown and taupe. Each color has several different shades, and further variation is possible by choosing the glossy or sandblasted finishes.
Environmental Impact
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Chiaro Tile has very low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. Because the protective coating on the tile is cured in the factory, it causes no VOC emissions during or after installation. The silicone adhesive used to install the tile is also low-VOC. The tile's surface reflects light and decreases the cost of lighting a space in which it is installed. Finally, for consumers wanting to buy locally made products, the Chiaro Tile System is manufactured in Tacoma, Washington.
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