Smalt mosaic: application in interior design

Smalt is the oldest material obtained by melting glass with the addition of an oxide of various metals: gold, silver, copper. By crushing, the craftsmen obtain square or rectangular plates, which have a wide range of colors and a variety of textures.

Smalt mosaic is found in the ancient cultures of Greece, the Roman Empire, Byzantium and even in ancient Russian churches, preserving to this day incredible pieces of art, distinguished by extraordinary shine, overflow of shades, a combination of glossy and matte elements.

Modern designers boldly use mosaic technique in interior decoration. There are several advantages of this decoration option.

• the richest range of colors - bright and dark, saturated and transparent, which do not fade under any circumstances;
• longevity, which is evidenced by the frescoes of the most ancient temples that have survived to this day;
• wear resistance: smalt is not subject to corrosion, decay, abrasion, thinning, which makes it possible to use it both in the design of walls and floors, and this material can withstand a high degree of stress (thanks to this property, smalt mosaic is used in the interior of public places);
• the waterproof properties of the material allow the use of mosaics in hamams, swimming pools, saunas and bathrooms;
• smalt is absolutely independent of temperature conditions. These are two more of its most important advantages - heat resistance, thanks to which modern designers decorate the walls of fireplaces and stoves with smalt, as well as frost resistance, which allows the material to be used for facing facades and landscape design items.

Modern art critics distinguish several types of smalt mosaics. The classification is based on the peculiarities of laying out tesserae - pieces of glass. There are several types of such finishes.

Byzantine mosaic is the traditional and most ancient type, in which fragments are selected approximately of the same geometric shapes and sizes. Pieces of smalt are placed as close to each other as possible, and the gaps are filled with a special grout.

Florentine mosaic is not much different from the previous type in the technique of laying, but the finished canvases represent a complete plot. Tessera here can be of different shapes and sizes.

This type involves laying out a mosaic on a canvas that differs in material and texture (for example, cutting smalt into a tree).

Marquetry is a modern type of smalt mosaic on glass or metal. As an example - decoration of interior items (glass table with mosaics on the table top, decoration of the front door).

Due to its durability, mosaic painting can be applied in a wide variety of fields. Unlike frescoes or stone mosaics, smalt does not crumble, does not fade, and therefore does not require special care, restoration or protection. That is why smalt mosaics are used in their interiors by true connoisseurs of art.

Smalt can be used for cladding in a wide variety of shapes. These can be walls, floors, pillars, domes, doors, stairs, facades.Smalt mosaic appears as a separate work of art (painting), and in combination with other decorative elements, ornamental decorations, indoors and outdoors, in the cold and in the heat, even under water - this is the uniqueness of this decoration.

In the case when rooms with a high concentration of moisture (baths, saunas, bathrooms) are to be decorated, waterproofing work is required first. Nowadays, it is rare to find a master who puts a mosaic by hand, since there are ready-made canvases, with the use of which you just need to transfer the pattern to the surface to be decorated. Smalt is often produced in the form of blocks based on paper or fabric.

Qualified installers will independently carry out all work on surface preparation and mosaic application, will pick up an adhesive material, grout and carry out installation, observing the norms of temperature and humidity. But if you are lucky enough to hire a professional mosaic artist, be prepared to shell out a considerable sum for his work.

If you dream of decorating the interior with smalt yourself, you need to acquire certain skills. On the Internet, it is difficult to find a detailed master class on decorating using mosaic technique from smalt. This work is extremely laborious and requires a lot of time and a certain degree of skill. If, nevertheless, you decide to try to decorate any part of your interior in this style, we have developed a small instruction with tips especially for you.

To decorate the mosaic, we need pieces of broken glass of different geometric shapes. It is unlikely that you can paint it yourself at home - real smalt is cooked in ovens at high temperatures with the addition of various coloring pigments. It is more convenient to use ready-made material in the form of a sheet plate.

We suggest that you carefully read the instructions.

• Prepare the working area on a flat horizontal surface, excluding the hit of glass fragments on pieces of furniture, corners. Limit the access of children and pets to the work area. Cover the work surface with a protective material (thick film, newspaper). Use gloves and construction goggles.
• Correct splitting is very important. Place a wooden stump (cleaver) or metal cylinder in the center. Place a smalt workpiece on it and clamp it with a chisel. Apply not too sweeping blows with a hammer (glass chips quickly fly apart).
• After completing a certain amount of work, sort the shards into containers according to their color, geometric shape and size.

• When the splitting is finished, thoroughly clean the work surface - replace the protective material, vacuum, do a wet cleaning, change the gloves.
• Prepare a canvas or other item for laying the smalt. The substrate for the mosaic application must be strong, dry and not crumbly. Its surface must be perfectly clean and carefully leveled - dust particles and other debris, irregularities and pores can contribute to chipping off pieces of smalt in the future.
• Let's get down to the fun part - laying the mosaic. Modern craftsmen use 2 methods of laying out: direct and reverse. In the first option, pieces of glass are applied to the glue base (or mastic) face up, slightly pressing down. In this case, you always see the result you get.
• When using the reverse method, smalt cubes are laid face down, and then filled with adhesive, or glue is applied to the material (fabric, cardboard, film, mesh), which is used to cover the laid out mosaic.After hardening, the canvas is turned over, and then the tessera layout is edited. This method is more complicated, however, it allows you to make the most flat canvas and assemble large parts of the panel in a short time.

Thus, we got acquainted with the technique of laying smalt mosaic. Laying out smalt chips is a creative work and requires certain skills, special color perception, perseverance and development of fine motor skills. Remember that such a panel can be used in a variety of styles: from classics to avant-garde, as well as in futurism exhibitions and oriental interior design. The play of shape and color will not leave any guest indifferent.

For information on how to cut diagonal smalt mosaics and glue them correctly, see the next video.