Zellige and Terrazzo Tile
in Highland Park, Los Angeles

Zellige + Terrazzo

LOCATION: Highland Park, Los Angeles, CA

PROJECT NOTES

Zellige + Terrazzo

Two focal points in Matt and Sarah's single-family home in the hills of Highland Park, Los Angeles: a fireplace hearth in black 4×4 handmade zellige and an entryway in 12×12 handmade terrazzo, both from Zia Tile. Both went down over self-leveler poured on the existing slab, set in a highly polymer-modified thinset, and grouted with epoxy so the joints could be as tight as the tile allowed.

LOCATION: Highland Park, Los Angeles, CA
YEAR: 2024
SCOPE: Standalone tile work
THE HOUSE: Single-family home in the Highland Park hills
MATERIALS: Black 4×4 handmade zellige and 12×12 handmade terrazzo, both from Zia Tile · SpectraLOCK Pro Premium epoxy grout in both installations · wet-look sealer on the entry terrazzo

The fireplace mid-install, the hearth stripped back to the slab with the first row of black zellige set along the edge.

The 12×12 handmade terrazzo in the entry, sealed to a wet look that brings up the black, cream and mauve aggregate.

The finished fireplace, black 4×4 zellige on the hearth beneath the white tiled arch.

The terrazzo carried up the riser of the step to the hardwood, with a stone threshold at the door.

The entry landing from above, terrazzo running wall to wall to the base of the stairs.

The fireplace lit, the black zellige hearth reflecting the fire.

The fireplace from the side, showing the tapered white tiles fanned around the arch and the zellige hearth below.

THE SITUATION

Our clients, Matt and Sarah, wanted to add character and personality to two areas of their Highland Park home. The entryway and the fireplace are both focal points, the two things you actually look at when you walk in, and they wanted beautiful handmade tile in each.

HOW WE BUILT IT

Both installations start the same way. We poured self-leveling compound over the existing slab to get a perfectly level and flat substrate, then used a high-quality, highly polymer-modified thinset. We wanted the entryway in particular to be as flexible as it could be, because that floor takes constant foot traffic and a rigid setting bed is where cracks start.

On the fireplace we used the tightest grout joints the zellige would allow. Handmade zellige has real size, shape, and shade variation from tile to tile, which is where its character comes from and also why the joints do so much work. To give that thin line of grout the strength it needed, we used SpectraLOCK Pro Premium, an epoxy grout chosen for crack and stain resistance. The entry got the same epoxy grout for a different reason: it sits right at the front door, so it takes more traffic than any other floor in the house.

After the fireplace was set we polished back any raised edges on the zellige. The couple had a young daughter who had recently been very excited to learn to walk, and the natural variance in handmade tile leaves edges that stand slightly proud of their neighbors. We finished the terrazzo in the entry with a wet-look sealer, which gives the tile that permanently polished look and pulls the aggregate colors up.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Questions about
this project.

Why pour self-leveler over a slab that is already there?
Because flat and level are not the same as solid. An existing slab can be perfectly sound and still have enough dip and roll in it to show at every grout joint, especially with a large format tile. Self-leveler gives you one flat plane to set on, so the tile lies right instead of being fought into place.
Why use epoxy grout instead of standard cement grout?
For crack and stain resistance. On the fireplace we ran the tightest joints the handmade zellige allowed, and a thin joint needs all the strength it can get. In the entry the reason was traffic and staining, since that floor takes everything that comes through the front door.
Do handmade zellige tiles leave uneven or sharp edges?
They can. The size and shape variation that gives zellige its character means one tile can sit slightly proud of the one next to it. On this job we polished back the raised edges on the fireplace by hand, which mattered because there was a newly walking toddler in the house.
Does terrazzo need to be sealed?
Sealing it is what we would recommend, and it is also a finish decision. Here we used a wet-look sealer on the entry terrazzo, which protects the surface and gives it a permanently polished appearance that brings out the color in the aggregate.