Please Respect the Liner
Hello, class. Today we’re discussing a small detail that can make or break your design. Please silence your phones and show some respect for the liner.
Let’s start with some vocabulary. Please, contain your excitement.
TRIM: Finishes an edge, corner, or transition. Think bullnose, quarter round, and jolly liners.
LINER: A narrow strip used to create a border, separate materials, or add a decorative detail. Can be flat or raised. Some are also used to finish exposed edges.
MOLDING: A dimensional piece that adds an architectural finish. Think wood molding, but in ceramic or stone. Chair rail, crown, base.
Now that we’ve established those definitions, manufacturers will promptly disregard them. In fact, they already do. These terms are often used interchangeably. A pencil liner might be listed as a molding. A chair rail is a molding and a type of trim
The names may overlap, but the pieces don’t necessarily do the same job.
My advice? Shop by function. Tell your designer or tile consultant what you need the piece for. Finishing off an exposed edge, adding a decorative detail, separating materials, etc. This will help them narrow things down in a snap, and make sure you’re getting the right piece for your design needs.
(And remember my previous post about dye lots: glazed trims are often produced separately from field tile. Coordinating does not equal identical.)
I also love this fun little twist from Artistic Tile.
Featured here is their Opus Baccello molding in Calacatta Rosa Marble. The unique design of stacking the liners instead of doing a single row, plus duplicating the design on the front of the slab sink, elevated this bathroom from what was already a beautiful design, to something even more memorable and unique. In other words, it’s super cool.
This is “Layer. Edit. Repeat.” in action: sculptural liners, a small-scale organic mosaic in the same stone color, and bronze fixtures that pick up the warmth of the slab’s veining. Different textures, a restrained palette, nothing fighting for attention.
In conclusion, these pieces are critical to tile design and should never be an afterthought. They can polish things off, or even carry the room. Class dismissed. Go appreciate a liner.
