Zellige – Esmeralda 4×4 Moroccan Ceramic Tile

Description

ZELLIGE is a Moroccan art formation in the world of tile and pattern making. The craft history of the tile started with the ZELLIGE. In the 11th century with the Moor invasion, the Spanish and Portuguese learned the craft and called it “AZULEJOS,” deriving from the Arabic word AL ZELLIGE which literally means “the cut and polished stone piece.”

ZELLIGE is a glazed and single fired clay tile (terra cotta). Its production has not changed much from how they were being produced around the early 10th century. ZELLIGE’s glorification and second coming to the contemporary design world owes itself to the growing interest in the design principle of cohesion through natural imperfection. One piece may represent nothing, but with different individual characteristics of ZELLIGE tiles, they form a unique space offering character to the discerning eye. The huge popularity of ZELLIGE tiles today can also be attributed to the handcraft movement going on in our modern world. The desire to coinhabit spaces with items built by hand and passion with organic raw materials, is prevalent today. Made in Morocco.

Installation: It is imperative that all tiles, right of the box, are laid out first, blended to the owner taste. Given the very traditional methods of production methods (hand forming, hand cutting, glazing, firing and also the impurities found in raw material) then anticipate the each tile will be always have minor “defects”, which, taken in isolation, may seem unacceptable but contribute to the subtle overall appearance. This appearance could be crazing, chipping and pitting. There is no square calibration since the tiles are hand-cut. There is no reason to sort the zellige tiles, as only to use the “perfect tiles”. Chips or Breakages of more than 1/2 square inch has to be tolerated. Based on your tolerance level, order 15-20% extra or more to point out to your contractor your selection. Butt joint is recommended, however tiles will not line up perfectly, in this case it is important to use “Wedges” spacers to leave a bit of a gap less than 1/16″. We do not recommend larger grout joints for aesthetic. Use a high-bond property thin set mortar in white color. The substrate must be flat and clean. The grout color must match the glaze. Non-sanded grout. Zellige can be installed in wet areas, provided that: Any waterproofing on substrate should be done prior with great detail. Include any additives to water proof the grout for wet area usage.

Applications: Interior walls, exterior walls, residential floors, wet areas.