Green Zellige Backsplash
Hermosa Beach
About This Project
This kitchen backsplash in a Hermosa Beach condo used handmade Moroccan zellige tile in a deep forest green to create a jewel-like focal point between white upper and lower cabinets. Zellige is a hand-cut terracotta tile coated with a crackled glaze, and each piece varies slightly in thickness and surface level. Installing it requires a flexible polymer-modified adhesive rather than standard mastic, because the slight thickness variation across the field needs to be accommodated without creating lippage that catches the eye. The joint width was set at a slightly wider 3/16-inch to allow for the natural size variation in the handmade tiles. The warm-toned LED under-cabinet lighting in this kitchen was already installed before we started, and we confirmed the tile layout would terminate cleanly at the LED strip housing before committing to the first course. The warm light against the green glaze creates the glowing effect visible in the finished result.
Project Details
- Service
- Kitchen Tile and Backsplashes
- Area
- Hermosa Beach
- Materials
- Handmade green zellige tile, flexible polymer-modified adhesive, white unsanded grout
- Scope
- Residential kitchen backsplash
- Timeline
- Two-day install
What We Did
Layout confirmed relative to LED strip housing and cabinet edges; flexible polymer adhesive mixed for thickness variation accommodation.
Zellige tiles set with 3/16-inch joint spacing; back-buttering applied to each tile to ensure full coverage behind irregular surfaces.
White grout applied and cleaned carefully to avoid hazing on the crackled glaze surface; silicone at all transitions.
Interested in zellige or handmade tile in Hermosa Beach? Request a written estimate or call (323) 795-2774.
