Where fireplace tiles go
Three places suit them.
1- The fireplace surround, on the wall: the mantel area, the sides and the wall framing the fire.
2- The hearth in front of the fire, along the edge of the firebricks.
3- The wall and floor around a wood burner or an insert.
What stays firebrick
The firebox, where the fire burns, stays in firebrick. Neither encaustic cement nor zellige is a refractory material, and a refractory material is never replaced by one that is not.
Encaustic cement is not made for intense heat, and soot would blacken its pattern. Zellige, fired at 1,200°C, withstands heat, but we do not recommend it inside the firebox either: it would add nothing there. Your installer will confirm what your fireplace requires.
Zellige fireplace tiles
Zellige is glazed terracotta, cut by hand. Its glaze catches the light of the fire, and no two neighbouring tiles reflect it in quite the same way. It wipes clean. 43 colours, in 10x10, 5x10 and 5x5 cm. See all our
zellige tiles.
For the hearth floor, we recommend
bejmat: it has the colours and material of zellige, but its edges are not bevelled.
Encaustic fireplace tiles
On walls, our encaustic tiles are 12 mm thick; on floors, 16 mm. A fireplace often sits at the centre of a wall, and symmetrical designs follow its lines rather than competing with them.
Before grouting, the tiles receive a water- and oil-repellent sealer. Clean them with black soap, never with acid, bleach or white vinegar.
The rest of the room
For the floor beyond the hearth, tile rugs, plain tiles and wooden floor joins, see our
living room floor tiles.
For zellige and bejmat, choose from our
43 colours and ask for a quote. For encaustic tiles, order samples or design your tile in the
tile designer.
