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fired opal zellige 4"x4"x3/8"

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declining overage? your job could be put on hold or delayed. likely higher costs in tile and contractor time. and the next batch of tile may not be an exact color match.

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product description + credits

* this product makes up 9.285 pieces per square feet and comes in 100 pieces per box

opals carved from the deepest earth have inspired our fired opal glaze which diffracts into varying shades of blue, turquoise, teal and occasional tans. if your project needs a magical blue that transforms at every glance of the eye or turn of each hour, this is the blue for you.

credits
(1) design: studio strongwater / photography: nicole lamotte

about this collection

zellige are terracotta tiles from morocco. zellige (pronounced zill-eejh') acquires its coloring from the historic clay body that is a rich terra cotta, inherently forcing it's hue through all the glazes.

if you're tired of the same-ol same-ol, then this tile born from a 10th century tile-making craft has arrived just in time for you! clé zellige is handmade in morocco. formed from the moroccan earth, and baked in kilns fired by burning olive pits.

available sizes? 2"x2", 4"x4", 3.5" hex, 2"x6" (nominal size)"

color variations? it isn't authentic zellige without wild variations of color and shade!

glaze variations? the zellige glazes have a lovely gloss surface that will have specks, pits, chips and flaws, as well as, undulations of surface. this varying and glossy finish can best be described as a "sequin-like" surface.

faq

what grout joint size, type, and color do you recommend?

zellige is traditionally set without the use of any grout. in morocco the installations are done with a butt joint and no grout whatsoever–and they have withstood the test of time. however, at clé we recommend as tight of a grout joint as possible: butt joint or 1/16", with mapei flexcolor cq grout for unglazed zellige, and mapei ultracolor plus fa grout for glazed zellige.

important: we do not generally recommend using a contrasting grout color with zellige, as it will highlight the thin hairline cracks/crazing found on the tiles, and fill in any pits, and/or chips. if you choose to use a contrasting grout (i.e. white grout with black tile) please order 20-30% overage in order to cherry-pick the tile of the imperfections that are standard to zellige. additionally, you must make sure to apply a penetrating sealant or grout release prior to grouting in order to minimize the possibility of the contrasting grout curing in the inherent hairline cracks, pits, and/or chips.

grout color selection is always up to our client and/or their design professional. however, clé is often asked for our opinion on best grout selections for our tiles. and due to the large array of grout colors that are now available, clé would like to offer this general guideline on a foolproof grout color selection for any of your clé tiles.

first, have your professional tile contractor complete your tile installation, except for the grout portion.
next, when ready to grout, ask your contractor to bring ALL grout color charts from his preferred grout manufacturers, for your review.
lastly, choose a time of day when you are most pleased with the lighting in your space (either natural lighting, installed lighting or a blend of both). during that lighting and time of day, select the grout color that best matches your tile selection.

note that the full mapei ultracolor plus fa & flexcolor cq color catalogue contains 40 colors to choose from. visit the mapei website to view.

what is the standard grout joint size for zellige?

because all zellige is hand cut after firing into the individual tiles, they are crafted to allow for a very tight grout joint. in order to increase dcof in wet area applications of 4”x4” zellige (especially shower floors), we recommend broadening the grout joint size on the setting of the pan tiles, vertical staggering of the tile layout or cutting the tiles into 2”x2” squares. for hexes we recommend at least a 1/8” grout joint for shower floors.

for more information about grouting please see our zellige installation & maintenance guide.

IMPORTANT: unglazed zellige must be sealed on all applications before and after grouting as the final step of installation in order to be cleaned easily and to avoid staining.
unglazed zellige in low commercial traffic floor installations and in areas susceptible to grease build-up we recommend three to five coats of miracle mira matte top-coat sealant in addition to sealing for unglazed zellige.
unglazed zellige on a busy kitchen backsplash we recommend applying the clé top coat kit to the tile surface and grouted areas instead of using our recommended sealant.

IMPORTANT: if zellige tiles are being grouted with a contrasting grout color vs. a matching one, then you should also seal before grouting because many tiles may have crazing without it being visible to the eye and would only come out with the grouting of the tiles as the invisible crazing absorbs the dye from the contrasting grout.
dry applications of glazed zellige are an exception as they do not require sealing as the final step of installation.
glazed zellige can be installed on pool and fountain water lines in non freeze/thaw locations but only with application of a waterproofing, penetrating sealant. all wet area installations of glazed zellige (backsplashes, showers, steam showers, pool & fountain water lines), grouted areas and possible grouted pits, chips and areas of visible crazing must be sealed as the final step of installation.

exterior walls require vertical weather flashing and waterproof, penetrating sealant.

for more information about sealing please see our zellige installation & maintenance guides.

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 (not suitable for unglazed zellige).
- if you have a painted surface next to your tile, you can choose to paint the outer edge of the tile to match the painted surface (not suitable for unglazed zellige).
- 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.

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. clean using soft materials, like a cloth, instead of coarse materials. always avoid harsh chemicals and acidic or alkaline cleaning products. grout lines can be cleaned with warm water and a soft bristled cleaning brush. immediately clean up spills—do not allow liquids to sit on the tile surface. most stains can be removed with a pH neutral dish soap, hot water and the scrub side of a sponge.

topical sealants on unglazed zellige will require periodic stripping and re-application of sealant—please refer to a professional for this. single coat reapplication of the penetrating sealant is required once a year in shower applications due to the continuous exposure to water. for glazed zellige, this includes all grouted areas. for unglazed zellige, this includes the tile surface and all grouted areas. reapplication is needed more often if installation is in a steam shower or pool/fountain waterline. please refer to a professional for this.

see zellige installation & maintenance guide for more information.

what type of finish should i expect with this collection?

in our zellige collection, with the exception of two colors, all the tiles are glazed and have a glossy finish. one of the exceptions is the dark charred cedar that is glazed but matte, and the other exception is our natural zellige that also has slightly different sealing requirements and usage areas due to it being unglazed and very porous.

how much variation should i expect?

zellige are created from natural glazes, pigments and terracotta clay. every one of these natural materials is completely unfiltered allowing for maximum variation and irregularities. plus, they are fired in hand made kilns that are fueled using olive pits. all of this handcraft is what makes zellige so magically varied - tile to tile. please enjoy the extreme variation of color, shade and surface texture. what does this mean to you? your zellige order will contain the following: noticeable variations in thickness, size, shade and color are to be expected. there is also color and size variation between batches that will be hard to match with an add on order, please keep this in mind when calculating your order, and be sure to purchase enough material.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SIZES OF ONE COLOR: it is also impossible to guarantee a perfect color match across different sizes of the same zellige glaze if installing them together - some variation is to be expected between sizes. if you wish to have your tiles made to order for optimal color continuity, please email contact@cletile.com to inquire.

IRREGULARITIES: you can also expect your tiles to be affected by cracks, chipped edges, pitted glaze surfaces, crazing and iron spots. once installed properly and grouted, the above issues will bring you the textured zellige look that is so treasured by the design world. if the above irregularities differ from your expectations, clé highly recommends you select another tile that will yield more surface regularity.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BLENDING: due to the noticeable color and shade variations, it is very 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. do not install without blending tiles from all boxes.

the majority of our zellige tiles are rated v3 for color variation, t3 for texture variation (exceptions listed below) as outlined in our tile variation reference guide.
natural zellige v2, t3
shattered pearl zellige v4, t3
tea ceremony zellige v4, t3

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 full sense of what this tile offers. if you want a uniform looking glazed tile we do not suggest purchasing zellige.

what's crazing, and should this be expected with zellige tiles?

zellige tiles are made by hand and will show visible crazing. crazing refers to the hairline cracks which may occur in the glaze surface of tile after firing and is common in handcrafted tile.

why do you suggest i order at least 15% more than my measurements?

industry standard suggests adding at least 15% overage due to tile cuts, potential breakage, or future repairs. note that due to the firing methods and raw materials used to create glazed clay tiles, your order of zellige tile will have a percentage of tiles greater than 15% with cracks, crazing, iron spots, edge-chipping and pits through the glaze to the clay body. there is also color and size variation between batches that will be hard to match with an add on order, please keep this in mind when calculating your order, and be sure to purchase enough material.

clé WARNING: having an installation with tiles that experience any of the above imperfections is the traditional look for zellige installations. any editing of these naturally occurring imperfections from your tile shipment will greatly reduce the traditional appeal of your installation. if these imperfections do not fit your project’s needs we recommend ordering 20-30% overage. this allows your contractor to cherry-pick these imperfections from your order.

for more information related to ordering and shipping, please be sure to visit our shipping and returns and delivery information resource pages.

dimensions:

square - 4”x4"x 3/8"
square - 2”x2”x 3/8" (front mounted with plastic on 16 piece sheets)
hexagon - 3 1/2”x4"x 3/8"
bejmat* - 2”x6”x 3/4” *bejmat actual measurements tend to be closer to 1 3⁄4" x 5 1⁄2".

disclaimer: please note all dimensions are nominal and can vary plus or minus 1⁄4 inch.

usage

interior floor, exterior floor (bejmat only), interior wall, exterior wall, shower floor, shower wall, steam shower, residential low traffic, residential high traffic, commercial low traffic, backsplash, kitchen, fireplace surround, pool & fountain waterline (GLAZED zellige tiles only) for non-freeze thaw locations only. Limit all exterior usage to locations not affected by freeze thaw.

product specifications

installation and maintenance guides

welcome to clé

fired opal zellige 4"x4"x3/8"

color variation

Texture variation

Frost Resistant

Not Frost Resistant