#Grouting zellige tiles how to#
#Grouting zellige tiles plus#

Their ancient glazing and firing process can cause some crazing, edge chipping, cracks and color variations. These tiles are created by hand from unique, non-refined clays at a local factory in the Fez region. So before any tile work, its a good idea to soak every tile in room temperature water for about 1-2. But that doesn’t mean you cannot create an intricate mosaic pattern by using colors, shapes and various laying techniques. Zellige tiles are handmade of clay and extremely porous. They offer subtle, sophisticated variations in colors that make them a wonderful choice for almost any style home in this country. These glazed terracotta tiles are not patterned in that sense. When most people think of Moroccan tile, they think busy and bold, in intricate shapes that fit together like puzzle pieces. Once I received the tile sample I immediately fell in love, but I could see that most installers would balk at working with this quirky tile. What is zellige? Zellige tiles hail from Morocco, a place steeped in old-world charm and renowned for its trade and craftsmanship. In short, the Zellige tile is the far more exotic and beautiful older sister to the basic white subway tile. The perfect imperfect handmade tile turned out to be something called Zellige (pronounced “zee-LEEJE”).

#Grouting zellige tiles how to#

That means we don't promote butt joints or mixing grout to the improper consistency.After schlepping around and mocking up numerous tile samples on my way to finding the perfect imperfect tile, I had an oh-la-la! tile moment. Zellige Instructions: Zellige Tile Installation & Maintenence How to Measure a Room How to Mix Mortar Pro Tip: How to Waterproof a Shower Before Tile. DIY'ers don't have the experience that pros do to understand when they are skating on thin ice. Be prepared for it to be a bit rough, though.īut here in the Advice Forum, DIY'ers are looking for reliable, solid information to help them out and we stick to industry standards. Grout is one of those things that really impact how the tile looks and how its installed. And there are more than a few pros that will help you assess this particular website's claims. Cls Weathered White Zellige Tile in The McGee Home Pantry. Q: Do you grout zellige tiles A: Yes, you should grout your tiles to prevent stains or moisture from reaching your substrate from spaces between the tiles. We can talk about how mixing grout to the consistency of 'thick water' dramatically weakens the grout. Q: Is zellige tile hard to clean A: Thanks to their glazed finish, you can easily wipe these tiles clean Use warm, soapy water and a soft, non-abrasive cloth to clean them. We can talk about how grout will not permanently stick to the microbevel of butted tiles.

Most of our customers choose to use a white or off-white grout color with their cement tiles, like the (gorgeous) Jaipur Pink 2×8. Be aware that dark grout on a light tile can easily stain the surface.

#Grouting zellige tiles plus#

We can talk about the intricacies of how butted tiles puts concentrated loads on small areas of tiles and promotes damage. The world’s finest handmade cement tiles and Moroccan zellige, plus Cotto, Ceramics, and Limestone. Enamel glazing is then applied to the fronts of the tiles by hand. You are welcome to split hairs, talk shop, or talk about experiments/possibilities over there. To make traditional zellige tiles, natural clay (usually from the area of Fez, Morocco) is mixed with water, hand-shaped, dried, and then kiln-fired, often using olive pits. You're more than welcome to talk about how these other websites are promoting installation methods that are against the industry standards in the Pro's Hangout. Butting tiles in a shower is not asking, but begging for problems down the road of excess moisture getting in the walls/floor. Cement-based grout will not stick in there permanently.

Butting tiles in a shower, even with the microbevel being filled with grout is bad.