With the growing popularity of placing tile murals in exterior applications, I thought it might be an appropriate time to share some information on the subject.

Sublimated tiles and glass were born out of the decorative and gift industry. The brilliance of photographic reproduction and vibrant colors, coupled with the fact that they are imaged onto tiles, gives the impression of cast in stone—as if it would last forever. In interior applications, this may be true. In exterior applications, there are several factors that must be considered before placing any sublimated product outdoors.

I have been involved with several outdoor mural applications. Believe me, each project presented its own unique set of circumstances that required careful selection of tile body, coating and consideration of UV exposure.

TILE BODIES

Today, there is a wide selection of tile bodies that can be used in outdoor applications. When selecting a tile, you must first decide what climate conditions exist at the site. If the location is in an area that will experience freezing temperatures in the winter, a porcelain or glass tile must be used.

Ceramic tiles can absorb as much as 16% of moisture. If these tiles absorb moisture prior to freezing, the tiles will expand and crack.

Porcelain tiles and glass have less than .5% water absorption and will not crack in freezing temperatures.

Therefore, first determine the climate conditions and choose the appropriate tile body.

TILE COATINGS AND SUBLIMATION DYES

In order to sublimate an image onto tile or glass, it must first be coated with a polymer coating to accept the dyes. There are several different types of coating available for different applications. In fact, not all coatings are the same. To make my point, I was contacted by a company to replace a mural that was installed several years ago in south Florida.

The mural was 10' wide and 20' tall. When the mural was made, tiles from two different coating manufacturers were used. Although the tile body was the same and their appearance seemed to be the same, over time one set of tiles faded significantly. We remade this mural with the RN coated tiles.

Sublimation dyes play a significant role in UV stability. Thanks to the ink manufacturers, the sublimation dyes we use today are more of a high energy type, meaning they offer more UV stability than in previous years.

However, fading from UV exposure is inherent in sublimation dyes. When sublimation dyes are transferred onto polymer substrates that do not require coatings, they will fade in a few months if left in direct sun.

When a coating is applied to a ceramic or glass tile, the sublimation dyes are encapsulated within the coating itself, greatly increasing the UV resistance. The more UV inhibitors in the coating, the better the protection.

When I first started considering using tile murals in outdoor applications, I knew durability and UV resistance were going to be key factors. At that time, tile coating manufacturers were mainly coating tiles for decorative use.

To define durability in outdoor applications, you must consider if it is weatherproof (rain, sleet, ice, heat, etc.), and if it is more scratch-resistant than a glossy coating. Any glossy coating is soft and very easy to scratch. That is why it is used for decorative purposes and should never be used in any type of interior or exterior architectural mural application.

PLACEMENT OF MURALS AND THE UV FACTOR

This is the single biggest factor when placing any mural outdoors. Again, when a site is selected outdoors for a mural, the first thing I ask is which way the mural will be facing. Obviously, if the mural is facing south, it will receive the most exposure to UV damage. Second, which part of the hemisphere is the job site in? UV damage is stronger in the South than in the North in the U.S.

If a mural is facing north or if it can be sheltered by an awning, shade from trees or buildings, I do not hesitate to install them. The Satin Hard Coat that we use on the tiles has more UV inhibitors than most other coatings. Additionally, I have also used a UV overcoat for added protection that is applied by a roller after the mural is installed and grouted.

A UV overcoat was applied to the tiger mural in Florida. This mural is installed on the south-facing front of the stadium. It has been up for over two years and has been through two hurricanes, and it looks just as good as the day it was installed.

INSTALLATION OF TILE MURALS

Other frequent questions I get are, “Do you have to space the tiles?” and “Do they need to be grouted?”  Yes and yes! Just because we imaged the tile does not mean that you do not have to follow the same manufacturer’s recommendations for installations.

No tile should ever be butt jointed. Expansion of the surface that the tiles are adhered to and barometric changes can cause some shifting that can and will crack tiles after they are installed. Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on the proper grout width/spacing.

Grout is very important. It is there to keep moisture and dirt from getting behind the tiles and causing damage to the setting materials. Again, always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on grout for the particular application. Glossy tiles have a softer coating, and extreme care should be taken if you grout them. Only non-abrasive grout should be used.

FROM CONCEPTION TO REALIZATION

I was recently involved in a public arts program for a commercial project in Sarasota, Florida that I would like to share.

Whole Foods, an upscale organic grocery store chain, was set to open a new store indowntown Sarasota. The problem was, as with most grocerystores, they do not have a lot of exterior windows, and there was a lot of public concern that these large blank exterior walls would not be very appealing in their beautiful downtown area. So Whole Foods contacted a local artist as project coordinator to help them with this problem and used funds from a public arts program to help fund it.

Public Arts Programs are set up by the developer of a commercial public project to set aside a certain percentage of the construction cost for use in public arts.

I was contacted by the project coordinator to discuss the possibility of decorating the exterior with tile murals. Here are the details of the project.

1. She wanted to decorate two of the most visible walls. One faces south, the other east. On the south-facing wall, she wanted eight 5' x 5' murals, and on the east wall she wanted three 10' x 10' murals

2. On the south-facing wall, the murals would be installed at a level where they could be touched by passersby.

3. The images for the artwork would be painted by a local artist depicting life in and around Sarasota.

This obviously presented several potential problems. The first was the southern exposure, and the second was the need for the murals to be durable enough to withstand the possibility of graffiti and vandalism.

We decided on using the 12" x 12" glass tiles to combat the vandalism issue. With the image on the back side of the glass, it could not be scratched, and graffiti could easily be removed from the glass front.

Although the glass tiles have excellent UV resistance, we decided that awnings would be constructed on the south side to protect the artwork. The east side of this building gets minimal exposure to the morning sun.

The artwork was digitized and resized to the proper dimensions. The murals were made and shipped to Florida in late November 2004.

INSTALLATION

To begin installation, cement backer board the same size as the murals was installed on the walls. The tiles were then set and grouted in place. To finish the edges, metal bands were installed on all four sides of the mural to protect them.

This is where this project really took shape. The project coordinator then installed architectural foam pieces around the murals that made them look like they were mounted on a matte board. The area between the mural and the trim was painted a different color to make the murals stand out. Awnings were then installed over each mural, and lighting was put in under each awning to illuminate the murals at night.

The results were stunning, and the public reaction at the grand opening on December 6th was a huge success. Whole Foods was commended for preserving the beauty of the downtown area, and the people of Sarasota are happy with the new commercial development.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

A friend posed a question to me recently. He asked if I thought that technology for outdoor murals had reached a point where we do not have to worry about fading. To be honest, no, I do not. Will I have to replace some of the murals I already have up? Possibly. Do I give any type of written guarantee regarding UV Fading? No, I do not, but that only applies to murals that are installed in a southern exposure. Murals that are protected by awnings or installed in a more northerly exposure have been up for years with no visible signs of fading.

Technology advances in sublimation dyes and polymer coatings for tiles have come a long way over the past few years. Every day I hear of new products being developed that will add significant UV protection to our sublimated products. I’m excited to see what the future holds for our industry.

Here are a few of the suppliers of coated tiles:

Armor Coatings

Bison Coating & Supply

Laser Reproductions

Premiere Finishing & Coating