@Shiloh S Congratulations! We used a laser level to keep straight lines.

@heathercardone @kay did you use spacers on your zellige install?

Im wondering if ours is too tight.

@courtneyco2 we used the maipei imtracolor plus FA. I think its just the light making them look glossy - they have some sheen but mostly look matte in my kitchen

@Shiloh S nope, no spacers! yours looks great! our crew used a laser level and every so often would add a wedge to keep lines straight, but ours were tight too

@Shiloh S that hood is gorgeous!!

Just installed Floor & Decor's Zellige Pearl Opal Polished Ceramic tile last weekend at my daughter's condo. We didn't leave space between (butted them next to each other which left natural grout space). They are handmade, but not as much movement as some zellige I've seen. Pretty easy to work with. $1.39 ea at F&D. Very happy with outcome, but imo, perhaps a grout with a bit more gray would've been best. She chose Bright White, to tie in cabs. Anyway, not bad for a family DIY weekend job :)

Below, photo before grout.

@Shiloh S, I have to agree, I love that hood!

@heathercardone where are your shelves from?

@andrea ours are custom from our cabinet maker - we went that route ($$) so theyd match our hickory island

@VLM That grout color lets the rustic characteristics of the tile- The color and surface variation, the edge handmade qualities create the interest as I look at it. It's the right color.

VLM, that is not a true zellige tile. Zellige tiles are hand made from a clay material found in morocco.

Yours are a polished ceramic meant to look like a handmade tile. they aren't.

(they look like they're trying to copy the Cloe tile

they still look nice, but nothing like a genuine Zellige tile.

For the 2x6 zellige, are any of the manufacturers slightly thinner? i am tiling around a window that has 1" thick trim and I don't want the tile to be flush with the trim.

bardzill, the zellige are usually 3/4" or 5/8". It's possible w/thinset it could be just below the trim level.

the other option is to go w/a glazed clay or earthenware tile. or, try a ceramic or porcelain that resembles a zellge. Bedrosians has some (but none will look just like the zellige) that are similar.

Thanks Beth. Funny you mention Cloe. We live near Bedrosians so a few days before we did her backsplash I picked up some Cloe samples and took them in to F&D to compare with theirs. I layed them on the floor side by side, I sat them up and looked at them from a distance, I substituted several different tiles to get a range, I took pics, lots of them, and tbh, there was not a lot of difference. I told her my preference is Cloe, but I would've had to HAND CARRY them to Boston (from LAX!) because she wouldn't get them in time. I was actually willing to do it, between DH and I, we could've managed it, but she liked the F&D ones so that's what we installed. For MY backsplash though, I'll go with Cloe! I just liked the range of colors better; a little less cream and more white. But definitely similar.

Has anyone used a matt white zellige tile and what was the result, were you happy with the final look? The gloss zellige tile I like has been discontinued, Also how easy is it to fix wall brackets as each tile is slightly uneven?

and how easy are they to clean in comparison to gloss

I was going to go with the matte and at the last minute returned it. Although I liked the variation in the tiles they just weren’t right in color for me. Plus if one chips on the wall you’re screwed, it’s a terracotta underneath.

@Angela Hemming May i ask for the details on your beautiful tile?

@Shelby Both tiles are CLE zellige. I used weathered white in the kitchen and tea ceremony in the 1/2 bath.

@kay Your kitchen is gorgeous! Can you please tell me what flooring you have down if you remember? It works so well with your cabinets/counters & tile! Just beautiful.

@Hillside House are your Cle tiles the weathered white? Can you share grout color! Yours turned out lovely.

Can anyone offer advice on a white Zellige tile??I like the looks online of several but a lot of the whites really have grey/silvery under tones.Has anyone used a shade of white in any manufacturer that has the white tiles but with beige under tones as well ??Message from Raggio Sole showed they used Cle sea salt tile and that does not look too greyish...is looks more of a white without grey tones and perhaps more lt beige undertones??I hate to order all these samples and get the same things...

Chris,,,if you want a specific shade of white, why not look at Fireclay tiles? you can order a white you like, and it will come varied just a bit.

If you like more of a beige, try the magnolia or the ivory whites

https://www.fireclaytile.com/fireclay-favorites-neutrals

otherwise, order zellige tiles from diff places and see what you like. did you try Riad?

@beth H. Do you know which tile is in the first picture you posted? With the varied white colors?

@Beth H. : I have been looking at Fireclay - I love the zellige varied colors but not sure about needing a really skilled installer for actual zellige. I was toying with the idea of mixing different warm whites from Fireclay since most of these neutrals are low variability. the hard part is that some are matte and some are glossy and I wouldnt want to mix sheens... are there any fireclay combos you think might work well? Maybe Feldspar, calcite and daisy for matte?

They will vary.(the one color. I don't think you'll have to buy diff colors and mix)

See if Lindsay still works there and have her send you out some samples.

as for install, it's not that difficult. I did a black zellige inlay in my floor

@Raggio Sole..Love your kitchen.I am considering the sea salt like you used but am between that tile and Zia pure white.what .Would you say that the variation in the cle sea salt that you used is a lot of gray tones or some beigey tones?Some of your tiles look to have a peachy/pink under tone to me... the Zia tiles seems to have a brownish tone in a couple tiles from the 3 tile sample I received.I got four tiles in sea salt by cle and they are all pretty much a starker pure white that is why I am wondering what the predominant tone is seen with the varitaion tiles??I don't want my backsplash to look dingy like I think the Zia may end up looking but I don't want anything that ends up looking too stark white overall.Opinion is appreciated!

I am grateful for all the help and inspiration I recieved on this thread! Thank you @kay and many others. I wanted to share our kitchen now that our its is (almost) finished. Hopefully its helpful for someone in the future. This is Riad Snow and Mapei grout.

@chrishackshaw and @ShilohS what did you end up choosing for your tile? Can you please post pictures? I can’t decide between cle weather white or riad snow white

We went with snow. Very happy with it! our walls, cabinets and hood are alabaster. The wall color isnt really showing its true brightness we see in person.

It looks a little bluer in close up, but overall doesnt look this cold.

Thank you! It is gorgeous! Your kitchen is stunning - I love your hood. Regarding the tile, does it have variation? I’m wondering if it is a bit too cool? Deciding between this and weathered white. Did you do the the thin 2x6 or the regular thickness? Any issues with installation due to to thickness?

Thank you. The Riad tile does have variation. The close up picture under my hood shows it best, but as the kitchen picture shows it appears bright and whiter than weathered white. We did regular thickness and my husband installed it fairly easily, but time consuming.

I really struggled deciding between the two so i understand the difficult decision you have to make. I think it really depends on your overall coloring scheme. Personally, Im happy I went with the lighter option. Just beware there are some icy tones but it all blends beautifully!

We have ordered the Zia in pure white...not installed yet.The samples that they sent appeared to be a bit warmer.The Riad seemed to have a grey tone and the cle sample was a snow snow white.

@VLM I'm also installing the Zellige pearl from F&D. Which type grout did u end up using? I'm between Mepei white and frost

Has anyone on here used Bedrosians Zagora ”neige blanc” ? ive compared it to my samples of Riad’s and also Cle’s sea salt. If youve used ”neige blanc” are you happy with it and do you have any tips? thank you!!

Does anyone know the difference between the terracotta tile such as ”Mochi” vs zellige tile ”weathered white” from Cle? I have a few samples at my house, the zellige tiles are very cool tomes such as weathered white is very grey, pure salt is stark white, and the terracotta tiles are more warm in tone such as mochi and rice paper creamy white. The tiles all have imperfections but the terracotta is thinner than the zellige. Trying to understand is there a real difference with installing, picking out grout or maintenance overall?

HU 83098,,, I have installed the actual zellige. it's about 3/4" thick, irregular. some people don't want the thickness. It was fine for my project since my flooring was also a similar thickness

zellige are glazed terra cotta. (I did apply a sealer to my zellige tiles. for some reason the glazing does tend to 'stain' or spot) Riad has some nice colors too.

Ture zellige are handmade in Morocco

Morocco recently required that true zellige tiles be made from a clay without lime or iron, both of which can damage the tiles, and labeled accordingly.

Terracotta is typically fired and glazed just like zellige, but zellige is fired in a traditional olive-pit kiln. They are also heated unevenly to give the tiles natural visual variation.

read this article if you like

https://www.remodelista.com/posts/moroccan-zellige-terracotta-tiles-pros-cons/

it just depends on if your surface can accomodate the thicker tiles or not. otherwise, get the one you like best.

Can anyone recommend a thinner Zellige type tile?.. I think it’ll be too thick and will stick out above our window trim but love the look.

Made in Morocco…hummmm. I suspect delivery will be impacted by all the death and destruction from the earthquake….

Amy, Riad tile has the thin zellige tiles!

Can someone please recommend a good grout? They usually recommend Mapei, but I've read so many horror story reviews about Mapei failing & having to be completely ripped out & redone, I'm hesitatnt to ask my installer to use it. Wondering why Mapei always seems to be the recommendation....is there something special about it for zellige?

@nancy we used Mapei white/eggshell. it looks great and is holding up well so far. there are tradeoffs with the premixes. color consistency is a plus. But the clean up is painful. Its super sticky, dries rapidly (<5m), leaves a haze. We also noticed minor scratches on the tile, though these are usually hard to spot unless you examine them closely under bright lights. I would suggest you make sure your installer is familiar with how to apply this stuff and not treat it like any other grout. You have to work in small areas, wipe it off after a few mins, and try not to get this stuff on your countertops bc it will add labor for cleanup. For my next project, I'll likely opt for another grout.

Nancy, if someone is complaining about Mapei it's because they've installed it incorrectly. they have a urethane-based grout, epoxy grout and a regular cementious grout. Which one were they talking about? Prob one of the first two that require an expert tile person to grout correctly, and not use too much water during cleanup.

The one MoMo is referring to is the FlexColorCQ. It MUST be wiped up within five minutes, being careful not to use too much water on the sponge/rag. The installer should watch the video explaingin how to grout w/this product. I showed my tile guys how to use it, they ignored me and did the old way, and it took me 3 hrs to wipe up all the residue and haze. (In my bathroom on marble tiles)

That being said, mapei is fine. I used it w/my zellige tiles as well as my cement tiles

I used the FlexColorCQ on these zellige tiles. either the black or the charcoal color.

Did anyone install Bedrosian's Cloe tile in white? Wondering what color grout you went with. A friend is trying to steer me away from white and I am wondering if a very light gray would be ok. My counter tops are a gray granite.

In case anyone is wondering, my tiles shipped to MA in less than a week. I was shocked. I had considered expediting because it said 12-15 business days, but the shipping cost would have been $300.

I would match the grout color to the tile. That is how zellige looks best.

@Shiloh S Your tile install and kitchen are beautiful! Can I ask what your countertops are?

Thank you. countertops are porcelain @SHarper

Hi, just came upon this thread as I’m trying to find a “soft white” zellige for a backsplash. Everything seems too bright/cool. What did you all find is the best as a warmer white? I’ve actually decided we might just go with a marble- calacatta gold- tile instead to better match colors

Hi! Was wondering if any of you have a short and sweet list of comparisons between zellige and regular ceramic tile? I'm trying to convince my DH that zellige is just as durable, it's just a different way of making the tile. Thanks so much! Also, love love all of your kitchens, absolutely beautiful!

This tile is great as long as you can accept the characteristics that come with handmade tile which are especially visible with contrasting tile and grout,

agree to look at lots of examples together - I think you need to be confident in your tile pro as well and best to see their zellige installations in real life if you can

FWIW my DH thinks zellige always looks like a hot mess lol