Moroccan beldi zellige: 7 steps to order the right quantity and have it laid without nasty surprises

Beldi zellige is a glazed terracotta tile, shaped and cut by hand in Fès. That is where all its charm comes from: two pieces laid side by side are never quite identical, and it is this irregularity that produces the shimmering effect people are after. An industrial tile is calibrated to the millimetre; a beldi zellige is not.

This difference has very practical consequences on site. The thickness varies slightly from one piece to the next, the edges are not perfectly straight, and two glazing baths can give shades that are very close but not identical. Nothing serious: that is the whole point. Provided you think ahead about quantity, layout and laying before confirming the order, and not once the crates have arrived on site.

The first mistake, when preparing a project from a distance, is to send a single overall surface area. A bathroom wall in beldi zellige is measured wall by wall, with a sketch for each room: width, height, and the position of doors, windows, niches, sockets and taps. A shower niche or a built-in bench completely changes the layout.

Get into the habit of photographing each wall with the tape measure visible in the photo, and noting the condition of the substrate: new concrete wall, old plaster wall, or a surface that is already tiled. This information determines the preparation and the laying time. If you are abroad, have the person who will oversee the work take the measurements, using this same written protocol, and have the dimensions confirmed before ordering.

A hand-cut zellige is cut on site: at edges, in corners, around pipes and fittings. These cuts use up material, and some pieces break or simply do not find their place. This is normal, and it should be factored in from the start: you do not order a zellige wall down to the last square centimetre.

So allow a safety margin above the measured surface area, to be confirmed with whoever will lay it. And keep a few spare pieces after the work, from the same batch, stored safely: the day a tile cracks or you decide to add a splashback, you will have the right shade to hand. It is a small detail that costs little and saves a lot of regret.

The format is chosen before the quantity. Amarchy offers traditional zellige in 10×10 cm and bejmat, as well as contemporary formats: the look, the number of pieces per square metre and the difficulty of laying are not the same. The laying pattern (straight, offset, diamond, with or without border) must also be decided before quantities are finalised.

The second point to lock down is the shade. Because glazing is done in baths, a supplementary order placed later may show a slightly different nuance. So the useful reflex is simple: order the whole wall or room in one go, and have the production lead time confirmed in writing, as it depends on the format, the quantity and the colour chosen.

A beldi zellige quote should be read line by line: supply of the zellige, substrate preparation, laying, cuts, skirting where needed, removal of rubble. It is by comparing this detail that you can see whether an offer is genuinely cheaper or whether it leaves out half the work. At Amarchy, the quote is free, detailed, and you receive it within 24 hours.

Also ask for the schedule in black and white: order, delivery, start and completion dates, plus the single point of contact who will follow the project. On bespoke work and its laying, a two-year contractual guarantee runs from handover, covering manufacturing and installation defects. For a larger project, the turnkey option saves you having to coordinate the trades yourself.

Handover is the decisive moment, and it is often the one people miss when they live far away. It happens on site, at the end of the laying, with a detailed visit and a checklist of points to verify rather than a quick general glance.

What to check: overall flatness and alignment of the rows, evenness of the joints, cleanliness of the glaze (no cement residue worked into it), no cracked or visibly mismatched pieces, and how the corners and shower surrounds are finished. Write down any reservations, photograph them, and have them put right before you consider the job complete. A handover report protects you, even from a distance.

Got your surface areas, your format and your shade? The next step is simple: ask for a free, detailed quote, and you will receive it within 24 hours. For a quick chat, WhatsApp 06 61 97 80 99 or call 05 37 78 70 07 with your dimensions and photos of the walls: that already answers 80% of the questions.

If you are in Morocco, the Skhirat showroom (Lot. 34 Jaouhara, 12050 Skhirat, Monday to Saturday, 9am – 7pm) is the most useful place to see the shades side by side, feel the formats and confirm a layout. Amarchy counts Moroccans living abroad among its clients, and works in Skhirat, Témara, Rabat, Bouznika, Casablanca and throughout Morocco: 12 years of work, more than 400 projects delivered.