@BP so beautiful!! We just finished grouting with Avalanche and this is the grout looks in my kitchen

Here is from the distance

@Raggio Sole. Worked all day today on the zellige cle snowy white and am halfway done. It sure is a process. What did you put by the vent hood above the tile? It looks like you may have what we have going on. We have a 1/4 inch gap that I can cut a piece of zellige but I think it might be easier to just put a piece of wood there.

@everpark we got so lucky there… we ended up having full tiles for that last top row and just enough gal for some grout. The white you see is actually the horizontal white wood strip which is part of the hood trim

@Raggio Sole thank you! I tell you this is quite the tile to install. I feel like it’s what it’s like laying bricks, with all the back buttering. And all the little miters for the edge. I’ve worked two full days straight with my husband for this little area above a 48” range. Still have to grout.

And which type of grout did you use. Cle recommends the mapei flex color CQ but the other sellers recommend Mapei ultra color plus FA.

I used Mapei Flexcolor CQ as recommended (Ultracolor Plus FA is for wet installation instead). The grout is premixed and that will save you a lot of time! Make sure your trowel is not too big, so you can get between those small tiles. We used our fingers a lot as well to get between tiles since they are uneven. We had professional tile installers grouting the ledgestone we have outside our home and they were using they fingers to get the grout in there too.

Thanks!! Great advice and much appreciated.

Can I ask what color grout everyone used for these? Installing Riads Snow 2x6 zellige now and can't figure out if we want avalanche or white grout??

@Raggio Sole, is this Zellige in Weathered White or in Salt? I was afraid Salt would not be varied enough compared to the Weathered White but your kitchen tile looks beautifully varied.

We used Cle Sea Salt and avalanche grout. We used 17 boxes of tiles overall and combined them to show variation. Yes, there is absolutely variation in Sea Salt.

So helpful! Thank you. I see weathered white in so many designer pictures, so that gives me pause. I hope I can get the same picturesque effect without anything feeling drab by using Salt like you did!

I just ordered Sea Salt from Cle for my backsplash. How was your experience with Cle? After I ordered I saw a post bashing the customer service.

@B P - im assuming that your countertop is real marble. is it statuary/statuario marble?

I AM DROOLING right now!!! Absolutely STUNNING!

I can't seem to find a Zellige-subway-with a soft butter color. Any ideas

@Elizabeth Devine, this tile is a Zellige-look but the color is a creamy yellow. These are all the same tile with different names from different vendors:

Tilebar - Montauk Sand Dune

Soho Studio - Myorka Cream

Home Depot - Ivy Hill Tile - Amagansett Sand Dune

@heathercardone Did you go with the Mapei flex color CQ grout or the Mapei ultra color plus FA? And what makes it look glossy?

is there any warmth at all to the riad snow white zellige? in most photos it looks straight grey but in others has a bit of warmth

@Raggio Sole Hi! I just came across this thread and I am considering Cle Sea Salt- would you say that the tiles are a warm white or a cool white? My cabinets are a warm white and hoping it would be a good match- thanks!

I have sea salt. Definitely a warm white. Not stark white at all

@kay we are FINALLY installing our riad zellige. Your kitchen was a big inspiration. I am wondering if you used spacers and if so what size? Also, did you have any issues keeping a straight line? Thanks for all your help!!

@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.