How To Install Mosaics

History of Mosaic Tiles History of Mosaic Tiles

Mosaic tiles – We’ve all seen them, whether on the floor of a church or a beautiful mural your grandmother’s bathroom. Those diminutive ceramic squares of beauty have been around for a long old time, but a lot of people aren’t sure of their roots. If you’re among them, then read on as we’re about to go a little deeper into the mosaic’s back story…

As you’d expect, the story of the mosaic tile is entwined with that of its bigger brothers; pottery tiles, as well as porcelain tile first appearing about 4000 years ago during the Mesopotamian era. These mosaics were created from ivory shell and stone, and were used by artists to create depictions and likenesses of gods and kings.

Around 200 BC however it was 200 BC, at the time of 200 BC, Roman Empire was in full motion and brought the introduction of new production methods and aesthetic ideas. Craftsmen quickly realized that there was plenty of money being made by small “tesserae” (or uniform) pre-made pieces which artists could use to create mosaics. That’s the method they used! In the next few years, these little blighters were everywhere as Roman artists made use of tiny pieces of stone (marble particularly) to create massive floor mosaics depicting the opulence of splendour, glamour, debauchery and debauchery of Roman life.

As the history of the world progressed into the Byzantine period so did the position of mosaics. They moved from ceilings to floors, walls and floors. This era saw glass being increasingly used, with the creation of ornate glass tesserae known as’smalti’, often backed with silver or gold leaf to create lavishness. The majority of Byzantine mosaics were religious in nature and, as such, were often seen in cathedrals. If you happen to be within Ravenna in Italy it is possible to visit one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites there and view some beautiful examples.

The next phase of mosaic development came during the days of Islamic empires (such as the Ottoman Empire) which were influential and spanned across into the Middle east to North Africa in its glitz. Islamic mosaics typically featured a religious theme that was woven throughout them. They also used lots of different shaped tiles, with geometric shapes being a firm favourite to create patterns and motifs.

In the latter half of the 1800s and that’s when the Art Nouveau movement was really expanding its reach with the likes of Anton Gaudi and Josep Maria Julol really shaking things up and popularising more expressive organic mosaic art something that the great and the famous sought to copy in their own home. The use of mosaics set the stage for how they are viewed and used in contemporary settings, right into the present.

Why Do We Use Mosaics

It’s cost-effective, easy to set up, and the ability to create your own bespoke patterns – these are only three reasons why renovators and DIYers around the globe enjoy mosaics. While home installations aren’t known to be overly artistic in their approach ie. creating large murals mosaics allow for an personal expression by way of borders or accents, or with a personalized text incorporated into walls. But, visit any luxury hotel, bar or even public space and you’ll see them employed in all sorts of innovative ways, inside and out.

Installing Mosaics

At first glance, mosaics could appear like a real problem for the posterior to set up however, they’re actually not. Many people believe that you’ll need to take your time to grout around each mosaic piece but that’s not the situation in any way. Mosaics are tile-like panels, which are held together by an a mesh which is attached to floors and walls similarly to how tiles. You can use them as you would porcelain or ceramic tiles (more on adhesives in the future).

They can be cut using cutting tools into any form to accommodate the area in which they will be installed. Once they’re laid it is used to fill in the gaps between each piece . Then, it’s cleaned off with a moist sponge just like you would with larger tiles! Instructions for installing mosaics on floors and walls can be found later on in this guide.

Mosaic Colours and Types

Our selection of mosaics will turn other tile retailers’ offerings into a cocked hat and you’d be here all day if we only tell you about the most popular designs (hey there are a lot of people love many in our selection of tiles). However, we wouldn’t have been serving ourselves well should we not let you know about some amazing corkers that look great in bathrooms in kitchens, walls, and floors, no matter what style of decor you prefer.

Mosaic Sizes

Mosaic sheets are in large measure, 300 x 300 and come in a square tile-lie format. The size and number in the chip (the tiny pieces of tile which make up the mosaic) are wildly different. For instance glass mosaics, such as Alaska Glass Mosaics generally feature uniform square chips around 23mm sq or 48mm sq, whereas something like Nice Stoneglass Mix Mosaics sport like modular-like chips that are available in an array of sizes, and all in one tile.

How To Select Mosaics With High-Quality

The fact that we have a wide variety of mosaics is affordable isn’t a guarantee that they’re of poor quality. Prices vary considerably from the high-street where some stores offer this kind of tile at nearly double the price that are offered by online stores. The best way to know what tile is worth the cost is by receiving samples of tiles so that you can evaluate their quality. After you have received your samples, the finish should not have dimples, markings or scratches on the surface. Also, If you’ve bought solid colour mosaics, they should be fresh and clear, and free of fading.

Using Grout with Mosaics

As you’ve gathered from the information you’ve read, there are plenty of mosaic designs to pick from. But did you know that there are plenty of options when it comes to grouting too. Although the selection of colors may not be as wide as the variety of mosaics that are available however there are enough options to allow you to show your individual design.

How Do I Install Mosaics

Wall Preparation

The process of preparing your walls for an enormous amount of mosaics is not much different from preparing walls for regular tiles. A majority of mosaics come mounted with a mesh backing, and generally are 300×300 inches in size. As you would for ‘normal’ tiles, you’ll need make sure that the tile’s surface is primed and level (if it is rendering, plywood board, sand/cement screeds that you’re tiling on). By applying Mapei Primer G using a brush or roller, and then allowing to dry for at least 2 hours before beginning to tile to ensure better adhesion will aid you in the long run here!

Floor Preparation

Mosaics are available in a variety of materials including glass, stone, travertine and marble. Whatever tiles you choose to make them of, it’s important to ensure that the floor that you’re placing them on is level. It’s Mapei’s Ultraplan’s Renovation Screed that is an absolute godsend for those who have floors that are uneven It can be applied with pump or hand, and, finished with a trowel or spiked roller. Once your floor is appropriately smoothed (leave the screed to dry for 24 hours) then you’re ready to begin laying your tiles. The same guidelines you’ve received tiles that are laid on render, plasterboard, plywood walls applies here too be sure you’re primed to prime!

Setting Out

Find the center of the wall or floor and mark a vertical and horizontal line with a spirit level. Dry lay your mosaic sheets, starting at the centre before moving to the edge of the floor or wall. If you require the tiles on either side to be cut roughly the same length, do this by altering your vertical reference line.

Fixing

It is important to know that mosaics are fiddly to apply directly to adhesive-coated walls due the mesh backing’s elasticity is not as strong. This means that you’ll often encounter the ’tile’ (made comprised of several mosaic chips) can move around when being handled. To avoid this issue, we suggest using Mosaic Backer Sheets – inflexible grid-like structures made of plastic that have has a self-adhesive layer on the back. It is then connected to the self-adhesive sides and create a stiff ‘full tile’ which is then much easier to insert into the adhesive for walls and floors. Using backer sheets negates the requirement to press onto each mosaic chip separately and ensures that the force on the tile when pushing it into the adhesive is evenly spread and creates a flat, smooth surface.

Cutting

Cutting mosaics can be a bit more straightforward than cutting ceramic and porcelain tiles since you can just cut mesh back down to the desired size with knives or scissors that are stanley. Should you need to break through any of the actual chips , however (such for resizing them to fill in gaps or corners) you should use the score and snap cutter just like you would for ‘full’ ceramic tiles.

Grouting

We’d suggest using Mapei’s colour grout when constructing mosaics since this kind of grout is much more fine and fits into the smaller spaces with ease. However, if you’d prefer to use similar to Kerapoxy Design then that’s no issue, but you’ll find installing using a finer grout faster and simpler.

Finishing

It’s extremely unlikely to tile the entire flooring or wall using mosaics but in the event that a mosaic sheet is the final tile to be laid before the wall’s edge, worktop counter or shower tray make sure that you apply the same silicone seal to prevent cracking from movement. As we’ve mentioned before, mosaics come in a variety of types of materials and finishes, many of which do not require any additional post-installation procedures. However, there are some exceptions. These are natural stone mosaics, such as marble or travertine. These mosaics are best sealed using Fila Stone Plus Colour Enhancing Sealer to ensure they look great for years to follow.

How To Care For Mosaics

After installation, mosaics can be extremely simple to maintain. Mosaics with gloss or satin finishes, simply require wiping down using a damp cloth and warm water , and then dried or buffed using a soft towel or microfibre cloth to keep them looking like they did when first installed. For mosaics with matte or riven finishes, follow the same process, but with a reduction of the buffing.