CONTACTHandmade Malibu Tile Entryways
in Beverly Hills, California
Handmade Ojai Tile, Beverly Hills
- LOCATION
- Beverly Hills, CA
- DURATION
- 5 working days
From crumbling concrete to finished tile.
This Beverly Hills Craftsman has belonged to the same couple for several decades, and the property is full of their character: koi ponds, courtyards of lush greenery, art everywhere. Two entrances hadn't kept up. The front door was dull and drab, and the side entry's old concrete steps were weathered and falling apart. The goal was to make both of them beautiful and filled with color.
There wasn't much opening up to do on this one. The real discovery was at the rear steps, which had been neglected long enough that they were past saving: crumbling at the edges and, as we'd find out, being slowly pried apart from below.
Every tile came from a custom manufacturer in Ojai, California, in the Malibu style that's unique to Southern California craftsman homes. These aren't stock tiles. We purchased a specific layout for each entryway, sized to cover exactly the door surround and the steps: a main mosaic of field tiles plus border pieces.
At the front door, we floated a cement scratch coat over metal lath before setting a single tile. This is an exterior installation right at the frontage of the house, and that base is what makes a tile surround structural: built to be functional and withstand the test of time outdoors, not pop loose after a few seasons.
The side steps were rebuilt, not patched. We built wooden forms and resurfaced each step with high-strength cement and rebar, framed the outsides with cinder blocks, and filled those with cement and rebar as well. The platforms were finished with 12×12 Saltillo tiles and bullnose edge pieces, and the front facades of the steps got the custom Malibu tiles. With the door trim refurbished and everything freshly painted, it reads like a brand-new entryway.
Tree roots. The edges of the old steps had been invaded by roots deep and sturdy enough that it took several hours of brute work to cut through and remove them all. There was no skipping it. Left in place, those roots would eventually have uprooted the brand-new block work the same way they destroyed the old concrete. Our clients, who had spent a long time thinking about this design, were thrilled to see it come to life as the finishing touch on a property they've loved for decades.
Questions about
this project.
What is Malibu tile?
A hand-glazed decorative tile style native to Southern California craftsman and Spanish revival homes: bold color, patterned borders, and field mosaics. Ours came from an artisan in Ojai, CA, made to order in a layout sized for each entry.Does decorative tile hold up outdoors?
Yes, if the base is right. For the front entry we installed a cement scratch coat with metal lath before any tile went up, which is what separates an exterior installation that lasts a lifetime from one that delaminates in a few winters.Why rebuild the steps instead of patching them?
The old concrete was crumbling and root-damaged, and a patch inherits the problems of whatever it's stuck to. Forms, high-strength cement, rebar, and a cinder-block frame gave the new steps their own structure. The tile on top is only as durable as what's underneath it.
More on this kind of work: see the full service.
Similar projects: Highland Park Tile, Lago Vista Patio.
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