Maroc Architecture et Zellij
Hand painted Moroccan tile – 17114
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Hand painted Moroccan tile – 17114
Description: Hand painted Moroccan tile originated in Granada and Sevilla, Spain in the 13th century. By using the same age old free style painting techniques and never use silk screen painting, we strive to maintain the hand making process, provide a living for all artisans involved in the making process of these historic hand painted tiles. And most importantly, provide you with a unique product that is made especially for you and with a story to tell and piece of history.
Handmade with love at our Moroccan Zellij tile studio in Morocco.
Available Sizes:
- 4" x 4" x 5/8" or 100mm x 100mmx15mm
- 6" x 6" x 5/8" or 150mm x 150mmx15mm
Applications: Ideal for bathroom wainscot, kitchen backsplash. Can also be used as a stair riser, base board, wall niche, or any other application you may desire.
Color: Available in all our standard colors click here to view color palette for our hand painted Moroccan tiles
Samples: You may order samples online
Minimum Order: No minimum order required
Shipping:
- Air freight: 5 days approx.
- Ocean freight: 6 weeks approx.
Production: 2 to 4 weeks depending on quantity
Returns: This product will be made especially for you. Once order has been place, we cannot accept returns, refunds or exchanges
This product is 100% handmade in Morocco
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Production Process
When you order Moroccan tiles, it is always custom made for you.
Understanding the basics of Zellij production process will help you plan ahead of time and will make you appreciate more your product knowing what it takes to make it for you.
- Tile is handmade in Morocco with a production timeline between 2 to 8 weeks depending on the nature of the mosaics, season of the year, production log, etc
- Samples’ approval process easily takes people an average of 2 to 3 weeks unless it’s all virtual with photos.
- Shipping
- Ocean freight is the most economical solution, however it does take an average of 4 to 8 weeks approx. and it works best for clients who order in advance.
- Express air shipping is the best available option for air shipping currently. It is door to door with a timeline of 5 to 7 days.
01 - Preparation of the clay
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Once collected from the quarries of Fez, the clay is mixed in large basins and let sit for at least 48 hours until a homogeneous paste is formed. |
02 - Sun drying and shaping
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The clay is shaped into rectangle with wooden molds measuring of 10 cm by 20 cm or 4" by 8". These bricks of clay are then dried in the hot sun for a few days. |
03 - Molding
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Once sundried, the rough clay bricks are manually cut in two distinct shapes, 5 cm by 15 cm or 2" by 6 " for the terracotta family and 10 cm by 10 com or 4" by 4" for the zellij family. The later is the base for all our handcut ceramic and mosaic tiles.
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04 - Baking
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The shaped and formed clay is sundried for a second time in the shade, then baked firstly at low temperature. Once the moisture is completely out, the kiln is fired at high temperature to bake the tile. This process takes a few weeks. |
First production step results in two product families:
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05 - Glazing
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Natural terracotta and Zellij are both glazed using the same old techniques of dip glazing. |
06 - Baking (again!)
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After the glaze has been applied, the tiles are stacked like a deck of cards inside our traditional beehive kiln for a second baking. |
07 - Manual cutting
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The final glazed tiles are then cut into specific shapes from basic square tiles to more complex geometric shapes. |
08 - Mosaic assembly
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This is the last step of production where your mosaics are assembled in either interlocking units or custom fitted based on client’s choice. |
09 - Shipping
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This is the last step of production where your mosaics are scheduled for shipping after cleaning, quality control and packing. |