Vertical Zellige Backsplash in a West Dundee Kitchen
About This Project
This West Dundee kitchen received a full backsplash installation using handmade zellige tile in a vertical stack pattern. Zellige is a Moroccan clay tile fired at lower temperatures than porcelain, which gives it the characteristic surface variation and slight gloss that catches light differently at different times of day. Each tile is slightly different in size and thickness, which makes it more visually interesting than machine-made tile but also more demanding to install cleanly.
Because zellige tiles vary in thickness by up to a couple of millimeters, we used a flexible polymer-modified thinset and wider grout joints than we would for a standard ceramic tile. Setting the vertical stack pattern required establishing a true plumb line from the countertop up to the shelf, then working outward so the cuts at both ends of the wall were equal and fell behind the open shelf brackets rather than in the visible field.
What We Did
Established plumb reference line; planned cut positions to avoid short end pieces
Used polymer-modified thinset to accommodate thickness variation in handmade tile
Set in vertical stack; maintained consistent joint width with plastic spacers
Grouted in off-white; sealed grout after full cure
