Zellige and Bejmat Installation Guidelines
Please note that the following information is offered as a guide only and in all cases professional advice should be gained from a qualified industry specialist.
All Zellige tiles are made by hand, therefore noticeable variations in thickness, colour, shade and size are to be expected. Edge chips, blowouts, scratches, crazing, warping, and potentially a speckling of an alternate glaze are a normal occurrence for this archaic tile. These irregularities give Moroccan Zellige their authentic and enduring handmade beauty that has a wonderful organic and natural feel.
IMPORTANT: Due to the noticeable colour 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, dry laying the tiles, that is laying them out on the floor to establish variation prior to installation.
There can be a colour 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.
What may be considered a flaw, fault or defect in other tile ranges such as vast colour variations between tiles, varying shapes and sizes is NOT a flaw, fault or defect.
Traditionally Zellige tiles are butt jointed or tight set and requires skill and patience on behalf of the installer. These are archaic tiles and the installation process is slow and requires time to bed the tiles and arrange the varying sizes.
Lipping of the tiles is normal and cannot be avoided.
Zellige tiles can be laid with grout joints. Whether to butt joint or lay with grout joints is a decision for the owner or designer.
Use a fine grout in order to fill the sometimes very small gaps when the tiles are butt jointed. Where lipping occurs wipe grout back so that grout is only filling the voids and not covering the tile.
Glazed tiles do not require sealing. Natural terracotta will require sealing. Please refer to sealing requirement for Terracotta with your preferred sealer manufacturer.
Dust and residue from shipping should be cleaned prior to installation. Please refer to the Ardex report for cleaning the back of the tiles. Back buttering with notch trowel adhesive application on the wall is recommended.
For external corners we recommend a mitre. Tiles are easy to mitre with a wet saw. The sharp edge can be sanded back evenly and the corner void filled with grout. This provides a beautiful corner finish.
Please Remember
Zellige and Bejmat tiles are handcrafted products. Their unique variations and imperfections are not defects, but the very essence of their timeless, authentic and natural beauty.
Download Full Installation Guide
Download the complete Zellige and Bejmat Installation Guidelines PDF for full installation details and best practices.