The History of Mosaic Tiles
Mosaic tiles are everywhere – we’ve encountered them, whether in a church’s floor or an intricate mural your Nan’s bathroom. The tiny squares of ceramic wonder be around for an age, but many folk don’t know their origins. If you’re among them, you should read this article as we’re about to go a little deeper into the mosaics’ back story…
As you’d expectfrom a mosaic tile, the story of mosaic tiles is entwined with that of its more renowned brothers: ceramic tiles as well as porcelain tiles first appearing around 4000 years ago during the Mesopotamian period. These mosaics were fashioned out of ivory, shell and stone, and were employed by artists to make portraits and likenesses of gods and kings.
Around 200 BC though it was 200 BC, it was 200 BC and the Roman Empire was in full swing and brought with it an array of revolutionary techniques for manufacturing and aesthetics. Craftsmen soon realized that there was a great deal of money involved in making small “tesserae” (or uniform) ready-made pieces that artists used to create mosaics. And that’s what they did! The small blighters were all over the place as Roman artists made use of small squares of stone (marble in particular) to make sprawling floor mosaics depicting the opulence extravagant, lavish, and debauchery and squalor of Roman life.
As history moved along into the Byzantine period so did the layout of mosaics, moving from floors to walls and ceilings. This period saw glass being used more and more with the creation of ornate glass tesserae referred to as’smalti that were usually backed by silver or gold leaf for extravagantness. It is believed that the majority of Byzantine mosaics had religious themes and, consequently, they were usually found in cathedrals. If you’re ever in Ravenna in Italy, you can visit it as one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites there and see some fine examples.
The following wave of mosaic growth occurred during the time of Islamic empires (such as the Ottoman Empire) which were influential and spanned across the Middle east to North Africa with its pomp. Islamic mosaics generally featured a strong theme of religion which was evident in their use of numerous different-shaped tiles with geometric shapes being the most popular to design patterns and motifs.
In the latter half of the 1800s and that’s when the Art Nouveau movement was really getting more popular with artists like Anton Gaudi and Josep Maria Julol, who were shaking things up and making more dramatic naturalistic mosaic art, something that the great and famous aspired to imitate in their homes. The use of mosaics set the tone for the way in which they are used and viewed in contemporary settings, right up to the present day.
Why Should You Use Mosaics
Cost effective, easy installation, and ability to create your own bespoke designs – they’re just three reasons why DIYers and renovators the world over are in love with mosaics. Whilst domestic installations don’t tend to take an overtly artistic approach , such as. making large murals mosaics can be used to allow an personal expression whether it’s through accents or borders or even through a personal message inserted into walls. However, go to any high-end bar, hotel or even public space, and you’ll see mosaics used in all manner of ingenious ways, both inside and out.
Installing Mosaics
At the first glance, mosaics can appear to be a painful experience to install but they’re actually not. A common misconception is that you’ll need to take your time to the mosaic pieces with grout however this isn’t the reality whatsoever. Mosaics come as tile-like square panels joined with a fabric mesh that are fixed to walls and floors exactly the same way tiles. You can use them as you would porcelain or ceramic tiles (more on adhesives in the future).
They are cut with cutting tools into any form to be able to fit into the space you’re installing them and once they’re in place, the grout is liberally used to fill in the gaps in between each piece and then washed off using a damp sponge just like you would do with larger tiles! Instructions on how to install mosaics on walls and floors are provided later in this manual.
Mosaic Colours and Types
Our mosaics are sure to turn other tile retailers’ collections into the cocked hat. You’d be here all day if we only tell you about the top tiles (hey there are a lot of people are a fan of a number of the tiles we offer). But, we wouldn’t be serving ourselves well if we didn’t let you know about some amazing corkers that look stunning in bathrooms wall, kitchens, walls and floors, regardless of what your personal design style.
Mosaic Sizes
Mosaic sheets measure, by and large, 300 x 300 in size and are available in a square format of tile-lie. The number and size of chips (the smaller pieces of tiles that form the mosaic) may vary greatly. For example glass mosaics such as Alaska Glass Mosaics generally feature uniform square chips that measure around 43mm sq or 48mm sq while something like Nice Stoneglass Mix Mosaics sport similar to modular chips that come with a variety of sizes, all contained in one tile.
How to Select High-Quality Mosaics
Our vast collection of mosaics is priced at a reasonable price isn’t a guarantee that they’re not of high quality. Prices can vary significantly from high street where some retailers sell this type of tile at a cost that is nearly double of those sold by online sellers. The best way to determine which tiles are worth the cost is getting samples of tiles to examine their qualities. When you receive your sample, the finish should not contain dimples, marks, scratches or imperfections on the surface. Additionally, If you’ve bought solid colour mosaics, those colours should be fresh and clear, and free from fading.
Utilizing Grout using Mosaics
As you’ll have gathered by going through this article, there are numerous mosaic styles to choose from. Did you know that there are plenty of options when it comes to grout , too. Granted, the choice of colors isn’t as extensive as the sheer number of mosaics available There’s plenty to let you express your own personal design.
How to Install Mosaics
Wall Preparation
The process of preparing your walls for a massive dose of mosaics is not that different to prepping walls for regular tiles. A majority of mosaics come mounted on mesh backings and are typically 300×300 inches in size. Therefore, as you would for ‘normal’ tiles, you’ll need ensure that the surface is level and primed (if it’s rendered, plywood and plasterboard, or even screeds of cement or sand you’re tiling onto). The application of Mapei Primer G using a brush or roller and allowing to dry for at least 2 hours before beginning to tile to improve adhesion. assist you to the max there!
Floor Preparation
Mosaics are available in a variety of types of materials such as glass, stone, travertine and marble. Regardless of what the tiles you select are made of, it’s important to make sure that the flooring they’re laid on is level. It’s Mapei’s Ultraplan’s Renovation Screed that is the perfect solution for those who have floors that are uneven It can be applied with pump or hand and, finished with an emery roller or trowel. After your floor has been smoothed (leave the screed in place for 24 hours) it’s time to start laying your tiles. The same advice provided for tile installation on board, render, or plywood walls is also applicable to this and you should ensure that you’re primed to prime!
Setting Out
Find the centre of the floor or wall and draw a vertical and horizontal line using a spirit level. Dry lay your mosaic sheets, starting at the centre working your way out towards the end of the wall/floor. If you want the tiles on either side to be cut at approximately the same length, do this by adjusting your to the vertical line of reference.
Fixing
It’s important to be aware that mosaics can be quite difficult to apply directly on wall surfaces coated with adhesive due to the mesh backing’s elasticity is not as strong. This means that you’ll often find the ’tile’ (made up of many mosaic chips) will flop about when being handled. To prevent this from happening it is recommended to use Mosaic Backer Sheets grid-like, inflexible structures made of plastic that have are coated with a self-adhesive back. They are connected to the self-adhesive sides making a rigid “full tile’ which is then much easier to push into the adhesive for walls and floors. Using backer sheets negates the need to push onto each mosaic chip individually and guarantees that the pressure that you apply to the tile when pushing the tile into adhesive will be evenly distributed and creates an even, smooth surface.
Cutting
Cutting mosaics is slightly more straightforward than cutting ceramic and porcelain tiles, as you are able to simple cut the back of the mesh down to the required size using scissors of a stanley knife. If you have to remove one or more of the chips however (such in the case of resizing to fit in gaps and/or corners) you should use a snap and score tile cutter, just as you would do for full ceramic tiles.
Grouting
It is always recommended to use Mapei’s Keracolour grout when making mosaics as this type of grout is a lot finer and can be fitted into smaller spaces much more easily. If you prefer using such as Kerapoxy Design then that’s no problem, it’s just that it’s easier to install using a finer grout faster and simpler.
Ending
It’s extremely unlikely to tile an entire flooring or wall using mosaics, but in the case of a mosaic piece being the final tile before the wall’s edge, counter-top and shower tray make sure to seal it with an identical silicone seal to avoid cracking due to movement. Like we said, mosaics come in all kinds of designs and materials, the majority of which do not require any additional post-installation procedures. However, there are exceptions to this rule for natural stone mosaics such as marble or the travertine. These products are best sealed using Fila Stone Plus Colour Enhancing Sealer to ensure they look great for years to follow.
How To Care for Mosaics
Once installed, mosaics are extremely easy to take care of. Mosaics with gloss or satin finishesrequire just wiping down using a damp cloth with warm water. Then, they can be dried or buffed with either a soft or microfibre cloth to keep them looking like they did when first installed. For mosaics with matte or riven finishes, follow similar methods, however, minus the buffing.
