Frassino

Frassino is Italian for ash, and the tile carries that wood's long, regular grain in a warm chestnut on a smooth satin face. Six random faces per design, 8 x 48 inch planks in glazed ceramic at 9 to 9.5 mm, 5 to a carton for 12.91 sq ft and 25 kg. Ash is a classic parquet timber; this puts the look into a kitchen or bathroom where real parquet would not survive. The long regular grain suits the 48 inch plank particularly well, since the figure runs the length of the board. The smooth glaze mops in one pass and takes no marks from chair legs.

• How is Frassino sold?

  Frassino comes in 8 x 48 inch planks, 5 to a box. One box covers 12.91 sq ft and weighs about 55 lb.

• How many boxes of Frassino do I need for a 12 x 15 ft family room?

  A 12 x 15 ft room is 180 sq ft. With 10 percent added for cuts and breakage that is 198 sq ft, or 16 boxes at 12.91 sq ft each.

• Can Frassino go over radiant floor heating?

  Yes. It is a glazed ceramic plank 9 to 9.5 mm thick, so it does not gap, cup or split as the floor warms, and it has no 80°F (27°C) surface limit the way engineered wood does.

• What grout joint does Frassino need?

  Frassino is a curve-edge plank, not rectified, so plan on a joint of 3 to 5 mm, about 1/8 to 3/16 inch. The wider joint gives each board its own line, the way real planks sit.