
There are two ways to work around this: to match your grout as closely as possible to your tile, like our beautiful La Riviera Lavanda Blue with white grout. One key difference - the tiles are highly porous, which can cause grout dye to leach into the tile and cause discoloration. We recommend following these steps to ensure a clean installation and long life for your tiles! Installing these ceramic tiles does have some slight variations to installing standard tiles thanks to their non-uniform appearance. Mallorca Green 2.5” x 8” tiles have the same appeal as a classic subway tile but add a soft hand crafted appearance! Mallorca 4” x 4” white zellige-look tiles have a stunning ceramic finish to their appearance, showcasing the same organic texture and iridescent shine! Use these tiles anywhere you want to catch natural light or as a stunning way to add an iridescent quality to a low light room!

The glazing process gives these beautiful tiles a unique finish - it reflects the light with a pearlescent sheen that reflects the light. The glazing process creates subtle color variations between each tile - between the hand crafted shape and glaze application, no two zellige tiles will look completely identical! Once the clay has been soaked in water and hand formed into tile shapes, then sun dried, they are hand painted with a glaze to provide color and shine before baking.
GROUTING ZELLIGE TILES FREE
They also must be free from lime or iron, other minerals that are likely to cause damage once tiles are installed. The standard clay composition includes a high percentage of kaolinite clay, which has a low shrink-swell capacity, making it ideal for tiles that are less likely to suffer cracks or damage when water is absorbed. Traditionally these tiles are made of clay mined from a specific area of Morocco. Their natural look has become a welcome trend for interiors that embrace an organic finish! As interior designers and homeowners started to turn to prize personality and distinct details to set houses apart, these tiles have started to come to the forefront of decorator’s must-have lists! These days zellige tiles are largely used in homes in square or rectangular shapes. This stunning riyad wall exemplifies the traditional style of Moroccan tile and showcases the intricate patterns that craftsmen create by hand cutting square ceramic tiles to create mosaic patterns.

This process was also done by hand, resulting in subtle variations in color that set these tiles apart with another unique quality.Īfter glazing, the tiles would then be chipped into intricate shapes used to create colorful mosaics - these works of art were used as a status symbol and a statement of luxury as they represented hours of skilled work and craftsmanship that went into creating the detailed mosaics. Instead of being uniform and smooth, the hallmark of zellige tile is the unique finish and glaze that gives each tile a distinct appearance.īefore they were kiln baked, a craftsman would apply color and glaze to the tiles. As each tile was hand shaped by a craftsman, they take on a unique surface and texture unlike their descendant, subway tile. This Moroccan tile style refers to intricate ceramic tiles that were hand crafted from clay and dried in the sun before being baked in the kiln. Zellige - pronounced zell-ee-guh - is quite literally the word for ‘tiles’ in Arabic. Zellige tiles refer to a Moroccan technique for creating tiles that dates back over 1,000 years! This beautiful interior design detail is experiencing a revival as home decor trends have started to prioritize unique elements and personalized style when it comes to turning a house into a home. Looking for your newest interior design obsession? One trend that we can’t get enough of are the beautiful designs you can create with zellige tile! Although this stunning hand crafted ceramic tile has recently taken design lovers by storm, it is actually a timeless building material that has a historic past.
