Zellige Shower Remodel in Old Torrance

About This Project

A shower remodel in an Old Torrance home using handmade zellige-style square tiles in a sage green glaze. The brushed brass sliding door rail and matching shower hardware were installed by the plumber; our scope was the tile work from substrate to grout.

Zellige tiles are handmade in Morocco from natural clay and have an irregular surface, slight thickness variation, and a characteristic crazing in the glaze. They require a more flexible thinset than machine-made tile and wider grout joints to accommodate the thickness variation. We used a polymer-modified thinset with a higher flexibility rating and set the joints at 3/16 inch rather than the 1/8 inch we would use for rectified tile. The irregular surface is part of the aesthetic — the light catches it differently across the wall throughout the day.

The shower floor uses a small-format black mosaic that contrasts with the sage walls. This is one of the more distinctive bathrooms we have installed in the Old Torrance area.