Costa Tiling
Zellige is everywhere on the Costa del Sol at the moment, and it is easy to see why. Those glossy, slightly uneven tiles catch the light in a way that suits whitewashed walls and bright coastal mornings. But a shower is a demanding place for any tile: hot water every day, steam, soap, hard water, and someone standing on it barefoot.
Before you fall for a sample board, it helps to know what each material is good at and where it needs a hand.
What zellige actually is
Traditional zellige comes from Morocco, with Fez as its best-known centre. It is made from local clay, glazed by hand, fired and then cut into small squares or other shapes. Because every piece is handmade, no two are quite alike. The colour shifts from tile to tile, the surface ripples, edges chip and the thickness can vary by a millimetre or two.
That variation is the whole point: a wall of zellige looks alive, especially beside a window. It is also why it behaves differently from factory tiles:
- The clay body is porous. The glaze sheds water, but the edges and back of the tile absorb it. The glaze itself can show fine crazing and pinholes, which are normal for the product.
- It is not flat. Zellige is laid with very tight joints, often only a millimetre or two, and each tile is set by eye so the wall reads as even without looking machine-made.
- It is slow to lay. Blending boxes, back-buttering and adjusting tile by tile takes noticeably longer than laying porcelain.
Some tiles sold as "zellige" are machine-made, with a zellige-style glaze. They are more uniform and less porous, and they are laid and cared for differently, so ask which one you are buying.
Where porcelain wins
Porcelain is made from refined clays fired at very high temperatures, which makes it extremely dense. Its water absorption is 0.5% or less, so for practical purposes it is waterproof right through. In a shower that means no sealing, no dark patches at the edges and very little for soap or limescale to grip.
It is also predictable. Rectified porcelain is cut to exact sizes, so joints can be narrow and straight, and large formats mean fewer joints to clean. Ranges include plain colours, stone and terrazzo looks, and handmade-effect glazes that come surprisingly close to zellige for less time on the wall.
Most importantly, porcelain comes in finishes tested for slip resistance, which makes it the sensible choice for the shower floor even when the walls are zellige.
Zellige and porcelain side by side
| Handmade zellige | Porcelain | |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Glossy, irregular, every tile different | Consistent; plain, stone, terrazzo or handmade-effect |
| Water absorption | Porous clay body; the glaze sheds water | 0.5% or less; practically waterproof |
| Shower walls | Yes, with waterproofing behind and sealing | Yes |
| Shower floor | Not advisable: uneven, porous and slippery when wet | Yes, in a slip-resistant finish |
| Sealing | Before and after grouting, then from time to time | Not needed on the tile |
| Laying | Slow, skilled, tile-by-tile work | Quicker, especially in large formats |
| Relative cost | Usually higher, for both tile and labour | Usually lower |
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How to make zellige work in a shower
In a modern shower, zellige performs well as long as the build-up behind it is right. These are the points that matter:
- Waterproof the wall, not just the tile. Tiles and grout are not a waterproof layer on their own, whatever the material. Every shower needs a waterproofing membrane on the walls and floor, with reinforcing tape in the corners, around pipes and at the drain. With a porous tile like zellige, this matters even more.
- Start from a flat, sound wall. Zellige brings its own unevenness. If the wall underneath is also out, the result looks careless rather than handmade.
- Blend the boxes. Open several at once and take tiles from each as you go, so the colour variation spreads evenly instead of forming patches.
- Seal before grouting. A penetrating sealer on the faces and edges stops the grout staining the tile and reduces water uptake. Seal again once the grout has cured.
- Choose the grout with care. A fine cementitious grout in a colour close to the tile is the traditional choice. Epoxy grout resists water and stains better, but it is harder to clean off an uneven, porous surface, so it needs an experienced hand and a test area first.
- Keep the shower floor separate. Use slip-resistant porcelain, a small-format mosaic or a ready-made shower tray, and let the zellige start at the wall.
None of this has to drag the job out: a master bathroom we renovated in Marbella with hand-glazed zellige was completed in 14 days. If you are working to a date, our guide on how long a bathroom renovation takes goes through each phase.
Living with each one
Day to day, the difference is small if the installation is good.
- Zellige: squeegee or wipe the walls after showering and clean with a pH-neutral product. Avoid acidic limescale removers, bleach and abrasive pads, which can attack the glaze, the grout and the sealer. Reseal when water stops beading on the surface.
- Porcelain: the same squeegee habit keeps limescale down. The tile copes with most cleaners; it is the grout that needs care, so follow the grout manufacturer's advice.
Expect zellige to change a little over the years. A small chip on an edge or a fine line in the glaze is part of the material, not a defect. If that would bother you, porcelain is the calmer choice.
Which one to choose
Choose zellige if you want a wall with depth and character, you do not mind resealing now and then, and you like a surface that ages. It looks its best where light can catch it: a feature wall, a niche, or the whole shower enclosure.
Choose porcelain if you want the least maintenance, a perfectly regular finish, large tiles with few joints, or one material running from floor to wall. It also suits holiday lets that see heavy use.
And there is no rule against mixing them. Zellige on the shower walls with a matt porcelain floor works very well: character where you see it, practicality where you stand. You can compare finishes on our materials page and see finished rooms on our bathroom renovation page.
If you are weighing up tiles for your own shower, bring your samples, or your doubts, to a free site visit. We will look at the walls you have, talk through what suits the room and follow up with a fixed written quote. Ask for your free site visit.