do i need to seal zellige tiles?
for exterior sealing, clé recommends stonetech heavy duty exterior sealer from laticrete.
for glazed zellige with visible crazing, unglazed natural zellige, or if using a contrasting grout, clé recommends sealing with stonetech heavy duty sealer from laticrete as a pre-grout treatment.
dry applications of glazed zellige do not require sealing as the final step of installation.
for all other sealing and protecting, clé recommends stonetech bulletproof sealer from laticrete.
for more information about sealing please see our zellige material guidelines.
do you offer trim for your zellige tile?
at clé we follow the international model of no trim and highly recommend our clients to do the same. below are the trim alternatives we recommend for this collection.
- if your project needs to turn a corner either inwardly or outwardly, mitering the tiles to meet seamlessly in a corner gives it the cleanest, crafted finish.
- another way to complete your tiling is to run a bead of caulk or grout along the exposed tile edge
- if you have a painted surface next to your bejmat tile, you can choose to paint the outer edge of the tile to match the painted surface.
- like with any of our tiles, you can also build out the sheetrock so that the surface of the finished sheetrock is flush with the surface of the tile.
for more detailed recommendations about about trim, please see our trim guide.
how do i take care of my zellige tiles?
over time, a natural patina will occur on floors as they are maintained and naturally wear. this inherent traffic pattern is a highlight of using zellige and should be both anticipated and favored.
mild, pH neutral soaps should be sufficient for most cleaning—test before general use. for all other maintenance, clé recommends laticrete cleaning products.
see our zellige material guidelines for more information.
what type of finish should i expect with this collection?
all tiles in our zellige collection have a glossy glazed finish with the exception of charred cedar which is glazed but with a textured satin finish rather than glossy, and natural zellige which is unglazed and has an unfinished porous surface.
how much variation should i expect?
zellige tiles are created from natural glazes, pigments and clay, are fired in handmade kilns using olive pits, and chiseled by hand into desired shapes and sizes. because of the natural materials and the artisan production methods, there will be noticeable variations in thickness, size, shade and color. there may even be differences in the same color across different sizes of zellige. if you want a uniform looking glazed tile, zellige may not be right for your project!
tiles may be exposed to moisture and/or condensation during production or shipping which may affect the color of the tiles once received. setting tiles out to dry prior to installation will return return the color to normal.
due to the natural materials and production process of zellige tiles, there will be degrees of variation in color, shade and size in your order, therefore it is important to blend the tiles from all boxes once they arrive and place them in their installation area to ensure you have the layout you want before installing.
please note that it is impossible to guarantee a perfect color match across different size tiles in the same zellige glaze, which may affect your layout. it is expected that there will be variation across the different sizes, due to the handcrafted nature of the tiles. If you wish to have your tiles made-to-order for optimal color continuity, please email contact@cletile.com to inquire.
variation and imperfection ratings:
our zellige tiles, with a few exceptions, are rated 'level 3 medium' for color variation, 'level 3 medium' for texture variation, and 'level 3 heavy’ for size variation. the exceptions are unglazed natural which is rated 'level 2 slight' for color variation, and shattered pearl and tea ceremony that are rated 'level 4 heavy' for color variation.
glazed tiles: our glazed zellige tiles are rated ‘level 2 prevalent’ for both pits/chips and cracks/crazing, with the exception of argan brown, battled armor, charred Cedar, midnight port and scribes’ Ink that are rated 'level 3 heavy'. For iron spots all glazed tiles are rated ‘level 1 light’.
unglazed tiles: unglazed (natural) zellige tiles are rated 'level 2 prevalent' for pits/chips, and 'level 1 light' for cracks.
see illustrations in the technical specifications section above, and read more about the ratings in our tile variation & imperfections guide.
are there best practices for sampling zellige?
due to the high variation in color of our handmade zellige tiles as well as the variation in texture of each tile (pits, specks and chips from the wood-firing process) we strongly encourage sampling more than one piece to get a better sense of what the tile has to offer.
how will my zellige samples compare to my actual order?
as noted in the variation and add on orders sections of our faq, color and size variation between batches (kiln loads) of zellige, in addition to variation from tile to tile, is to be expected given the handcrafted nature of the product. this makes it unlikely that your sample will be a perfect match with your actual order.
if you want a uniform looking glazed tile we do not