I've carried a lot of weird things home with me from trips (a steel grate with gas-powered coals inside?), but tiles? They weigh a TON and your excess baggage charge would be enormous. Add in the fact that many if not most will be broken in transit.

Just not a great idea. Surely you can find something you like online.

Did you search for zellige on this site? Lots of discussions on the subject.

Have you seen and touched these types of tile? Personally, I dislike the feel and look of them in person. In photos they look great.

You can also look for handmade tiles that are made in the USA , such as Pratt & Larson and Encore.

Anglo- I meant online but just online from other places outside the country. I can’t imagine carrying tile home from a vacation- I have a hard enough time carrying all of my clothing and hair/skin products..

Have not ordered anything, but Cle Tile makes their own zellige and other terracotta Moroccan tile right here in the US (California, I think). I've ordered samples from them. Really easy to work with.

https://www.cletile.com/

Tabarka Studio is another one, but they will be more expensive.

https://tabarkastudio.com

^ kayce how do they hold up in a bathroom?

I noticed one angry review on here from cletile but think the person may have just not known what to expect from zellige

Corinne Masterson - we decided against using zellige, actually. It seemed like a lot of work (both installation and upkeep). We are using hand painted ceramic tiles from Fireclay, instead. We still get that variation in color, but with a more uniform product. Haven't installed it yet, we're actually getting ready to order this week.

It seems like Cletile is pretty popular here. Does anyone know if they have info about cleaning/durability for each of their tile types?

Their website looked very sleek* but not super informative unless I missed something

https://help.cletile.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001499668-bathroom-usage-cleaning-and-maintenance

https://help.cletile.com/hc/en-us/sections/206607528-FAQ-s-for-glazed-terracotta?mobile_site=false

https://www.instagram.com/cletile/

Yess thank you!! My sundried brain needed directions

did you see the episode of joanna gaines where she used them in a stacked pattern in a bathroom? they looked very nice.

Fireclay tile is another option if you want more of a uniform look.

cletile actually get's their Zellige tile from Morocco.

^ brilliant! Lol thats a lot easier.

im honestly confused by their information. It states that you can’t use most cleaners on cement tiles or even some types of hair dye-

but right before that it talks about sealing versus not sealing the tiles. are these limitations for unsealed tiles or even sealed tiles?

Cement tiles are higher maintenance than other types of tiles which is why there are now porcelain tiles which replicate the look of the cement tiles.

its safer to use a stone safe cleaner on cement tiles. nothing acidic.

as for the ceramic, you don't want to damage the glaze with harsh cleaners, so use whatever they recommend.

as for sealers, I sealed my cement tiles 4 times before I installed them. (cement tiles are made up of ground marble and cement) I use a stone safe cleaner on those too. (floor tiles are marble)

Beautiful!!

But what about like mold and other bathroom grossness?

do most people get tiles that need stone safe cleaners and I just didn’t know?

I don't know about most people but after remodeling with marble, granite and hand fired ceramic, I only stock cleaners that are safe for stone. My "stone cleaner" is also used for mirrors and I have a toilet cleaner that is safe for marble.

I don't keep anything stocked that would damage the stone so no one can inadvertently use something that would damage it.

Ha! Do you find that it works well enough on mold?

this is the one I use in my shower. and a stiff scrubby brush.

As my dad used to say

“beauticious”

Invest in a good bathroom fan if mold is an issue.

I have one that runs automatically when the humidity reaches a certain level. It generally runs for awhile after a shower. I don't have excess moisture in my bathroom.

^ oh I am totally 10000% doing that. This will be probably the only bathroom I ever get to redo and although it will be small, I want to make the most of it with nice tile that I actually love & don’t mind cleaning

^ this is what I was planning on- with the Moroccan pattern tile only on the shower floor. My biggest concerns are just tile durability & not having my colors look too cool in an otherwise warmer toned house

They are not going to work well in a wet area for someone who has concerns about cleaning and mold. They are highly porous to start with. Outside wet areas, if you can deal with the restrictions on cleaning products, then fine.

Beth, I saw that Joanna Gaines episode and noticed there’s no grout in the blue tile bathtub wall. Wouldn’t that be a cleaning problem? Just wondering if over time dust and grime will be in the places grout should be. Is this type of tile usually installed like that? Beautiful tile though.

Green: What about if they are sealed?

Sealing does not make porous things non porous. It’s not a thick plastic coating. It merely takes up some space in the porous spaces, giving you more time me to clean off the stains that would otherwise penetrate. Sealer doesnt make it where mold won’t grow inside the tile. And yes, mold can grow inside highly porous tiles. That’s why crackle tile should be avoided in wet areas. The crackles exposes the porous clay underbody of the tile to water, which saturated it. These types of tiles are just fired at too low a temperature to be usable in wet areas.

Corinne, this tile is not the same. that star tile is a diff ceramic

the other thing you need to look at on the tile specs is the porosity level. For instance, on this Merola tile, the specs say:

Not something I'd want on my shower floor, but outside the shower would be OK

• Non-vitreous (Low density) – Tile with water absorption of more than 7.0 percent
• Semi-vitreous (Medium density) – Tile with water absorption of more than 3.0 percent, but not more than 7.0 percent
• Vitreous (High Density) – Tile with water absorption of more than 0.5 percent, but not more than 3.0 percent
• Impervious (Extremely dense) – Tile with water absorption of 0.5 percent or less. This is where porcelain tile is generally categorized

sealing doesn't make anything waterproof. Grout, even sealed grout, will still absorb water. Otherwise, we wouldn't have to worry about waterproofing our showers, right?

So when looking for tiles for your shower, look at the specs for the water absorbency percentage and go from there.

AJCN-I've seen those types of tiles grouted. (not sure what she did on those. Maybe since they were above the tub (there was no shower head on those) she figured a close fit-non grout was ok for that area.

My bathroom tiles used on walls of shower as well as bathroom walls are a crackle glaze from Encore and are rated to be used in showers so I don’t think a blanket statement regarding the suitability of crackle glazes used in wet areas is accurate. Unless the poster is stating that Encore is providing false information to consumers.

Anyone who recommends crackle tile for wet areas is providing false information to consumers. The crackle exposes the more porous underbody, which holds the moisture, and which will eventually mold. The tile boards are full of those problems and the showers that had to be redone.

Helen, you are correct. the tile manufacturer will always specify on the specs of their tile if it's suitable for wet areas. I had a crackle glaze tile from Walker Zanger that I put in the shower. a year or two later and the glaze became very matte. Turned out they had done a recall for that specific tile and no longer rated it for wet areas. They reimbursed me for new tile and new install though! It's great working w/well established tile companies. Encore would be the same.

Green Designs,,,perhaps a little homework on your end would be a good idea. (no one even mentioned a crackle glaze tile. she was talking about Cle' Zellige tiles. they are not a crackle glaze)

CleTile usage-Shower Walls:

Almost all of our tiles can be used on shower walls, even our cement and other unglazed tiles are fine as long as they are properly sealed. We recommend the use of a waterproofing penetrating sealer like miracle 511 porous plus for the grouted areas of glazed tiles (zellige, eastern earthenware, glazed thin brick, etc) and for unglazed tiles (cement, natural zellige, foundry flats, carrara marble) you’ll need to seal the face of the tile in addition to grouted areas. Single coat reapplication of the penetrating sealant is required once a year in shower applications due to the continuous exposure to water, and more often if installation is a steam shower.

But, since you commented, Encore Ceramics crackle glaze tile is safe for the shower. They do need to be sealed before installed, and periodically after that. Similar to a natural stone.

Not every crackle glaze tile is safe, so it would depend on the maker, but don't just say it's 'false info'.

https://issuu.com/encoreceramics/docs/2017_catalog/54

Wow, this is SO much more scientific than I imagined.

I really appreciate the advice but I am a little discouraged? My fear (based on experience) is that the contractor will provide me with a very limited spectrum of options for bathroom tile that are indeed waterproof but not what I am looking for. I’m concerned about not being educated enough to think outside the box & not being encouraged too.

Its really a shame that tile companies can’t be trusted to give honest information too.

Even after reading replies I’m still a tiny bit confused. So zellige is not good even for shower walls? Just not for bathrooms in general?

Could anybody be so kind as to list alternatives that will still add a lot of dimension and texture but maybe differ slightly from what I see everywhere else (i.e. subway tile)?

I just posted the info in bold in my previous comment. yes it's ok for wet areas. they will need a sealer and safe cleaners much like you would for a marble or natural stone tile. Marble is used in showers all the time. the Zellige are less porous than marble.

btw, those Zellige tiles have been used all over Morocco for thousands of years. even in areas w/water.

there are a million diff tile options.

Did you check out Fireclay tile? they have similar tiles to Cle' but less 'handmade' looking.

Ah Beth- thank you! I was in my car and having to skim a little bit.

Le sigh. It looks like this is another one of those things I’m going to have to become an unofficial expert on just to make sure I don’t mess anything up

Beth knows her stuff, so I would trust her judgement.

As far as your contractor, s/he should be able to supply you will tile recommendations if you ask but really he shouldn't push you in a direction. It should be up to him or her to work with a skilled subcontractor to successfully install whichever tile you prefer (given it's a tile meant for such an application).

Some other ideas for depth and texture are using Fireclays tiles and choosing variations of the same color, to me it gives an appearance of zellige.

There are a lot of shops online (tile shop, etc). that offer a lot of variation in their ceramic tile too. Here is an example of one from Bedrosians.
https://www.bedrosians.com/en/product/detail/cloe-tile/?itemNo=DECCLOBAB55G

Moroccan installation systems are not US based thinset systems. Very porous tiles, even sealed, are never a suitable choice for wet areas.

green,,,I posted a link to their install directions. For the US! For showers here in the US. It's perfectly fine. Zellige glazed tiles:

Quit arguing the fact. I merely mentioned Morocco because some of those tiles have been in place for hundreds of centuries. If it was so subpar, why are they still in place? They use the tiles here in the US for pool coping.

Corinne, have you seen some of the installs on their IG page?

https://www.instagram.com/cletile/

Hutch I think you just saved the day here!

Anybody have experience with shops like Bedrosians?

Bedrosians is a well known establishment. they're fine. but those glazed ceramic tiles can be found all over the place. just search, "handmade look glazed tiles" you should get a ton.

Edit Beth I think we cross posted. I have followed them on IG, that’s where I fell in love <3

Wow, you kind of can really tell the difference when you see the zellige side by side with the ceramic.

Ok- so the glazing makes the tile less porous. That would make sense. I’m gonna have to read some more. Id hate to miss out on doing zellige because of an untrue bad reputation.

It seems that my choices typically have asking “really?” until they see the finished product lol.

Like when I insisted our floors be redone before we moved in (despite the fact that they had just been done... in oil based semi gloss). Or when I insisted we pull down the wood paneling in our bedroom instead of painting over it.

I have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder (admittedly) about doing things my way. I find that a lot of people miss out on things they would have loved because they let themselves get talked into what’s easy. That’s a bit of a tangent- but it’s true!

On a semi related note- I meant to ask this too might as well ask here. Has anybody ever bought like secondhand tile from Craigslist? I just got to thinking one day it probably would save so much money. I buy everything else used anyway.

Also again Beth that shower is amazing- granted I’d do more of a white color zellige with black/white floor but still it looks amazing..

Corinne, a ceramic base is the type of clay. they are fired at diff temps. A porcelain uses a different clay base, also fired at diff temps. a glazed porcelain tile is just about impervious to water, hence, no sealing. Some ceramics and glazes are close. the amount of water absorbed is minimal.

Zellige tiles are made from a clay base found in Fez, Morocco. it's fired at a lower temp in the kiln. you've heard of Talavera tiles from Mexico? it's a glazed terra cotta tile commonly used outdoors. they can also be glazed. basically the same premise. Terracotta is not suitable for freezing temps which is why you only see them in warmer climates. ditto Zellige. they are all handmade

you have to ask yourself, 'do you want more of a hand hewn, imperfect type of look' or something more even and symmetrical. If the latter, then you don't want anything handmade with slight imperfections. You can get a handmade 'look' with some of these ceramic tiles. you'll get more of an even looking layout (like those Bedrosian tiles). If you don't want a shower that looks like some old Moroccan guy cut each one of your tiles by hand and laid them 100 years ago, then Zellige isn't for you!

Beth- where did you amass all of this knowledge?

I looked on amazon for a book on tile and I did find one but I have a feeling it’s going to be essentially another glorified picture book.

Is there some sort of central knowledge platform I can invade to learn these things? I will literally take a day off from work & plop down in my sunroom with some caffeine.

Thats basically what I did when we bought this house and needed to furnish it. I basically stuck a straw into Emily Henderson’s skull via her book & every blog post she’s ever written.

Oh but I do want a handmade look! I mostly just worry my (legitimate) obsessive compulsive tendencies causing me to run in and wipe the shower down every time somebody sneezes in our bathroom.

I guess I should worry somewhat about resale value too if maybe somebody else doesn’t appreciate the handhewn tile aesthetic, but I have a feeling it would be one of those things where it comes across as a selling point anyway just by virtue of the cost associated with zellige.

Bill Vincent was the tile guru here for many years, it's worth looking up his posts in the archives. The John Bridge tile forum is also very good for information and knowledge (two different things, by the way lol).

https://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/

One thing to keep in mind with tiles on wet surfaces is that most companies make a distinction between shower walls (generally ok) and shower floors (generally not ok).

There was a good blog post on using zellige tiles recently by a designer I follow (she was doing the One Room Challenge) -- the lesson would seem to be to find a VERY good tiler,

https://homeglowdesign.com/2019/04/13/3-important-things-know-before-install-zellige-tile/

Buy a TCNA manual. Read industry specs for yourself, and why actual professional tilers will not install it in a wet area. https://www.tcnatile.com/products-and-services/publications/218-english-publications/188-handbook.html

I’m actually going to read this now lol

Thank you Becky!! <3