original hydrolic press cress circa 1850's
Cement tiles are made by hand, one at a time, using mineral pigments, cement, a mold, and a hydraulic press.
The pigment composition is a mixture of high quality white Portland cement, marble powder, fine sand, and natural mineral color pigments.The individual patterns are made by manually applying separate pigments, one by one, in a handmade copper mold. It is an incredibly delicate and skilled process that can only be performed by highly trained artisans.
Cement tiles are not fired; there is no glaze layer on the surface of the tile. They derive their durability from the combination of finely dehydrated cement and a more coarse sand/cement layer. The pigment layer is hydraulically pressed into the surface and becomes a part of the tile. The tiles are then soaked in a water bath for 24 hours and then set to dry for another seven days.
Proper installation and protection of cement tile is key. Please ensure that tile is laid by a licensed tile installer. Zia Tile is not responsible for any issues that arise due to improper installation or care. DO NOT LET THE BOXES GET WET! Moisture can seep into the tiles, which may result in staining or efflorescence in which a residual powdery limestone layer is deposited on the surface of the tile.
We do not recommend installing our tiles outdoors in places that experience frost/freeze in winter. Care must also be taken in areas that may get wet as the surface may cause a slip hazard. Cement tiles are unable to withstand the weight of vehicles and therefore should never be used in driveways.
Wall tiles can be affixed to plaster, drywall, cement block, and cement backer board. The installation surface should be flat and dry with any loose paint removed and cracked surfaces patched. New construction foundations should cure at least 30 days prior to installing any tile.
We recommend 511 Porous Plus by Miracle Sealants for all cement tile installations. This penetrating sealer protects the original matte finish of the tile. For commercial projects and high traffic areas, a matte finish topical sealer such as Fila Surface Solutions Matt Wax can be used for an additional layer of protection. For showers and wet areas with hard water exposure, we also recommend using Fila Matte Wax to help protect the tile from mineral deposits. This is especially important with darker cement tile colors that are continuously exposed to hard water and calcium deposits.
Always test a topical sealer on a sample or small area first to ensure that the desired finish is acceptable.
ONGOING MAINTENANCE
Over time, cement tile wears like a natural stone product, which is part of the appeal of this old-world tile. Clients should expect natural wear, fine lines on the tile surface (also known as crazing) and patina to occur to the finish over time.
We’ll ship handmade cement tile and zellige anywhere that FedEx, UPS, DHL, and any LTL carrier can reach! If you live in Alaska, Hawaii, or anywhere outside of the continental United States, please email or call us for a custom freight quote as those are high cost delivery areas that will incur additional shipping costs.
All normal tile orders will deliver using LTL carrier service and are curbside delivery. The LTL trucking company that is contracted to deliver your order will contact you to arrange a specific date and time for curbside delivery.
During delivery, all customers are responsible for inspecting the shipment for shortages or damages against the packing slip and noting those damages with the driver on the Bill of Lading. Any issues with the delivery must be photographed and noted with the delivery driver on the shipping documentation in order to initiate a claim. The claims agents for the shipping company will request photos and written documentation to process the claim. Please take the time to ensure that this is done effectively during delivery in order to avoid any costs associated with replacement material for your order. Ensure that you have someone on-site to accept your delivery as any missed deliveries or delivery refusals will result in storage and redelivery fees to the trucking company.
Contact us within 48 hours after your delivery and we will work to replace any items damaged in transit as quickly as possible!
The Successful Delivery Checklist:
We encourage all customers to order samples through our website by clicking on the Request a Sample button each tile page. It is important to evaluate tile selections by first placing samples in the actual space where you plan to install to evaluate color, texture, and lighting in your space prior to placing an order. Samples are especially important with zellige tile. Given the very reflective nature of zellige, natural lighting in your space has enormous effect on the color tone of the tile once it is installed. Zellige will appear brighter in well lit spaces and warmer in areas that have less natural light. All cement tile and zellige sample orders are limited to up to 4 per tile design, and customers may order up to 10 samples total. We make every effort to ship all samples within the same shipment, but some samples may ship separately if specific samples are out of stock at the time the order is placed.
Some samples of special order tiles may be available and are limited to 1 sample per customer due to the limited amount of special order tile samples we have on-hand. Frequently, special order sample tiles will have a lead time that matches the order lead time listed on each individual tile page. All of our solid color cement sample requests are fulfilled in 4×4 solid sample color tiles.
The first 5 samples in our online cart are complimentary. Subsequent samples are $3 each and shipping is $8 for every 3 tiles shipped. Our samples typically ship out 2-3 business days after order receipt via FedEx, UPS, or USPS ground. For questions regarding samples, please email info@ziatile.com.
All tiles are hand made with inherit variation from tile to tile. These standard characteristics enhance the beauty and wear-ability of the product. Understanding how tile colors are achieved and wear over time is critical to appreciating the beauty and performance of the tile. All customers are responsible for sealing and protecting cement tile ordered from Zia Tile to ensure that the tiles are maintained correctly. Zia Tile is always here to advise on how and where to successfully install cement tiles but makes no guarantees on performance or maintenance after installation.
In stock tile orders ship within 2 business days of order receipt. Custom cement tile and zellige lead times vary depending on the design and schedule needs of clients. All lead times provided are estimated arrival times to our warehouse in Los Angeles and can vary depending on customs inspections and port congestion. Once orders arrive to our warehouse, additional transit days (typically 4-7 days) are necessary to ship pallet wrapped orders to our customers via LTL trucking carriers. We will make every effort to meet or reduce lead times where possible, but there are no guarantees due to the custom nature of the manufacturing process and inherent challenges with international logistics. All customers are solely responsible for providing measurements and quantities needed for each order. In addition, all customers are strongly advised to order 15% more tile than necessary to ensure that enough product is on-hand to successfully complete installation. Please consult your tile installer to ensure that your take-off quantity and overage calculations are correct.
Keep in mind that the price of the overage quantity is minimal in comparison to the cost of rush product and one-off shipping in the event that more product is needed after the original order due to site conditions, mistakes in order quantities, or installation errors. Trying to save a few hundred dollars by decreasing or eliminating the standard 15% overage is the most common mistake customers make when placing orders. This mistake can end up costing 5-10 times more to place small incremental orders AND significantly delay projects by weeks or months! Our website automatically generates a 15% overage calculation by separate line item in the ordering cart. We cannot advise strongly enough to ensure that you have 15% overage on all of your orders to ensure your project is successful!
All orders require 100% payment at time of order placement. Payments are processed online or via phone. Invoices are provided and copies are sent via email as well as available by accessing the Sign In function on our website. Sales tax is applied at the time of payment and paid as part of the original order. Shipping costs are charged with each order. Any changes to orders, shipping dates, and/or shipping methods will result in change order costs that will be determined at the time of the change request.
All sales are final once payment is received. There are no refunds or exchanges after 6 hours of order receipt as inventory is allocated to each customer based on the time the order is placed. Made to order tile cannot be cancelled or exchanged and an order for tile that is marked “in transit” is considered final after 6 hours as inventory is allocated to each customer at that time.
Zia Tile does not accept any returns of unopened boxes of tile as we would never sell returned tile that has left our possession to other customers.
All of our orders ship throughout the US and Canada using LTL trucking providers. The LTL trucking company that is contracted to deliver your order will contact you to arrange a specific date and time for curbside delivery. All deliveries are made on a pallet, and each tile box weighs 35-55 lbs, so it is very important to coordinate your tile delivery with your contractor or installer in advance so that you have the proper labor on-site at the time of delivery to move the boxes from the curbside.
During delivery, all customers are responsible for inspecting the shipment for shortages or damages against the packing slip and noting those damages with the driver on the Bill of Lading. If there are any issues, please contact Zia Tile as soon as possible but no more than 48 hours after delivery. We will work to replace any items damaged in transit as quickly as possible! Any issues with the delivery must be photographed and noted with the delivery driver on the shipping documentation in order to initiate a claim. Zia Tile must be contacted about any delivery issue or damage within the 48 hour window that North American shipping companies allow to process a freight claim. After that timeframe, customers have accepted their tile and no freight claim, tile replacement, or refund for damage is possible.
The claims agents for the shipping company will request photos and written documentation to process the claim. Please take extra time to ensure that this is done effectively during delivery in order to avoid any costs associated with replacement material for your order. Any missed deliveries or delivery refusals will result in storage and redelivery fees paid to the trucking company.
The Successful Delivery Checklist:
Zia Tile strongly recommends that all customers heavily leverage a tile installer in the up front planning, measuring, ordering, sealing, and maintenance of cement tile, zellige, cotto, or ceramic products. Leveraging an installer with specific experience who will closely follow the installation and sealing instructions is strongly encouraged. Zia Tile is not responsible for installation, on-going care, or problems arising from any orders after receipt of the product. Detailed installation guides and tile specification sheets are available upon request.
Recommended Cleaning Products:
General cleaning – Always use pH neutral cleaners such as Miracle Tile and Stone Cleaner.
Heavy cleaning and stain removal – use Miracle Heavy Duty Cleaner (Acid Substitute) and follow instructions on label.
Our supply chain is lean, which is why we are able to price our tiles approximately 20-30% cheaper than other suppliers. We will warehouse your product free of charge for 4 weeks. After that time has expired, each order that is held due to customer receiving delays will incur a $300 charge per week.
All customers acknowledge and accept the terms and conditions of sale outlined above by placing orders.
