Ceramic mosaic: a variety of choices

Interior decoration of a home is a painstaking, laborious and costly process. Its result depends on the correct choice of finishing materials and the quality of the cladding. Among the variety of options, you can easily choose everything you need to create any interior. One of the most effective finishing materials is ceramic mosaic.

Ceramic mosaic is a popular material used for interior decoration of various premises.

Several main characteristics of products of this type should be highlighted:

• For the manufacture of mosaic tiles, manufacturers use types of ceramics with different levels of moisture resistance. It is worth paying attention to when choosing products that will often come into contact with water.
• Also, tiles can have a different coefficient of wear resistance. When choosing a tile material for creating a floor covering, you need to choose a tile with increased abrasion resistance. For interior wall decoration, tiles made from any tile are suitable.
• For facing the surfaces of open areas, attics, you need to take into account another important property of the material - resistance to low air temperatures.

• When choosing a mosaic for cladding flooring, slipperiness is an important factor. In this case, you should give preference to special matte or satin tiles. It is worth noting that the use of a modern anti-slip grout when tiling the floor covering minimizes this not-so-pleasant feature.
• There are many options for mosaics of various designs on the market. It can be plain tiles of various colors, products with patterns, translucent elements or glitter options. The surface of the mosaic tile can be completely different: smooth, matte, glossy, embossed, with streaks, interspersed, and so on. When choosing a mosaic design, you should focus on the type of room and surface, personal taste and interior features.
• The small size of the mosaic tiles allows you to make facing not only a flat surface, but also a curved one. This is especially true for products on the grid.

The high popularity of mosaics is due to the presence of a large number of positive characteristics of the material:

• This type of facing material is characterized by increased strength, resistance to mechanical stress. Such a coating will delight you for more than one year, without losing its qualities and original appearance.
• The cladding is resistant to high humidity. Excellent technical characteristics allow the use of ceramic mosaics for lining bathrooms, saunas and other similar premises.
• Ceramic mosaics are ideal for exterior decoration of stoves and fireplaces, as they withstand high temperatures perfectly.

• Such cladding is quite easy to care for. Light dirt can be removed with a regular damp sponge. When treating stubborn dirt with chemicals, the material does not lose its original external data.
• A versatile and practical mosaic tile is used for interior decoration of various premises.A variety of shades (green, blue, red and other colors) and textures, combined with the imagination of the master, guarantee a modern, original coating of any surface. The tile can be round, triangular, square or long, elongated. It can be a ready-made composition on a soft base or independent elements that open up wide possibilities for design.
• Environmentally friendly materials are used for the production of ceramic mosaics. The cladding does not emit toxic substances, so it can be safely used even for decorating bedrooms and children's rooms.

However, there are some negative points worth noting:

• Some types of mosaics are expensive (depending on the material and manufacturer).
• Surface cladding with ceramic mosaic is a rather complicated and time-consuming process. This is due to the presence of numerous small elements that make up the final coverage. It is necessary to have certain knowledge, skills and experience. Before proceeding with the facing work, you need to carefully study the features of the installation process. If you have doubts about your abilities, it is better to seek help from specialists. The services of qualified craftsmen for surface cladding are quite expensive, but you will get a high-quality result.

There are several ways to lay the mosaic.

• Cladding in one color, looks pretty good. For this finishing method, you can use both ordinary smooth tiles and embossed products.
• "Mix" - an option in which tiles of several shades are used. These can be contrasting colors or close, harmoniously combined shades. You can also use matte and glossy tiles at the same time.
• "Gradient" - a very effective decoration technique. The tiles are laid so that the color changes smoothly from one edge of the surface to the other. You can use tiles of several similar colors with the same surface. Matte and glossy tiles cannot be combined here.
• Creating a specific image requires special skill, imagination, strength and patience of the master. In the process of such cladding, real works of art are created.

The production of ceramic mosaics is carried out in the same way as the production of ceramic tiles. A distinctive feature is only the size of the finished product.

In the first stage of the mosaic production process, the raw materials are prepared. All necessary components are crushed and mixed. Then the raw material is dried and pressed under a certain pressure in molds. After that, the workpiece is again thoroughly dried. If the product needs to be fired only once, glaze is applied before firing. Then the workpiece is fired in a furnace at a high temperature. The double-fired product is processed at low temperatures.

It is also necessary to mention the producers of Germany and Russia, which in recent years have enjoyed considerable popularity among consumers.

Mosaic laying is a laborious and complicated process. The main requirement is the quality of the adhesive, because often the mosaic combines separate fragments of different shapes, and all the elements are held on the surface only with the help of glue.

The way the mosaic is laid depends entirely on its type:

• Artistic mosaic. This method of laying the material allows the use of tiles of different shapes and broken ceramics. The parts are stacked one at a time on durable glue. With this styling method, craftsmen create beautiful artistic images and panels.
• Ready-made block on a polymer mesh. The master lays out individual mosaic details on a polymer mesh and fixes them with glue, creating a fragment of the image. Then the resulting element is glued to the surface along with the mesh.
• Block on paper. Fragments of the mosaic are collected and glued face-down on paper. Then the finished composition is fixed to the surface. Products made on paper are small in size and are used mainly for finishing surfaces with curved lines.

You can make a block on paper with your own hands. You need to use special glue with certain technical characteristics. Experienced craftsmen use a silicone, two-component polyurethane compound. A special grout is also required to process the seams. It should not stand out against the background of the tile, therefore, when choosing, you should pay attention to the color of the product. To complete the work, you need a minimum of tools - several different spatulas.

When facing a surface with ceramic mosaic, increased requirements are imposed not only on the quality of the glue, but also on the condition of the surface. It should be completely flat. Differences in height, cracks and chips are strongly discouraged. At the same time, the surface should not be ideally smooth either. For better adhesion to the tiles, it must be rough. Therefore, after processing with a grinder, it is necessary to use sandblasting. Then the surface is thoroughly cleaned from dirt and degreased. Only then is a layer of special primer applied.

After careful preparation of the surface, it is necessary to apply the markings. Then you need to prepare a small amount of glue. It is not advisable to cook a large portion of glue, as it dries quickly. The adhesive is applied to a small surface with a smooth trowel and leveled with a notched tool. Then the finished module on a grid or on paper is pressed against the prepared surface and ironed with a rubber spatula. This is necessary to distribute the adhesive evenly under the module.

When performing cladding work using ready-made modules, you need to remember and observe two important points:

• The finished block, made on a mesh, is laid on glue so that the mesh base disappears into the solution.
• The product made on paper is glued with the paper base outside.

This is necessary in order for the finish to appear uniform. After completing the installation of the modules, the surface is dried. After three days, the paper is removed with a clean, damp cloth. Remains of glue from the surface are removed with a piece of cotton wool or a rag dipped in an alcohol solution. After that, the seams are treated with a special grout using a rubber spatula. Excess grout from the mosaic is also removed with a clean, damp cloth or sponge. Then the mosaic is carefully polished.

Observing all the nuances of work, you can create a unique interior. And if you want to show all your imagination, you can create an original mosaic with your own hands using broken ceramics. Stylish, graceful multi-colored or monochromatic mosaic made by yourself will be an excellent budget option for cladding any room.

For information on how to properly lay the mosaic on the grid, see the video below.