Already a few millennia BC, people decorated their homes with ornaments and patterns from mosaics. This method of design is relevant today – the difference is that in those distant times, mosaic patterns were available only to the richest members of society, and today everyone can afford such a luxury as mosaics. Modern mosaic tiles allows you to create a unique pattern on the walls that will give the interior style and originality.
What is mosaic tiles?
This type of finishing material consists of a paper or grid base, on which small tiles of one or more colors are fixed. Fragments (sometimes called “chips”) can be made of glass, marble or other natural minerals, smalt, ceramics and even metal, and have both square and any irregular shape. Mosaic tiles are very convenient in installation and allows you to easily finish both straight and curved surfaces, as well as bypass pipes and other obstacles. Separate “chips” can be removed by pushing them with scissors – this may be required when the panel is independently compiling. Attach fragments of a different color to the place of remote ones can be bone glue. For cutting tiles on a grid or paper, scissors are also used. If you need to make mosaic cutting according to a fragment, then you can use the same tools as when cutting a conventional tile.
Glass mosaic is not afraid of humidity, so it is most often used to decorate pools or walls in bathrooms. Ceramic mosaic is used to decorate rooms or kitchens, since it does not tolerate moisture very well. However, such a mosaic has its own advantages – it is able to withstand temperatures up to 150 ° C, so it can be used to clad fireplaces. Metal mosaic should not be used in places where it is likely to pollution, since it does not like contact with chemicals. Mosaic made of natural stone, as a rule, is made to order – it is from it that make up a panel with any drawings.
It is worth noting that mosaic tiles available in the markets of building materials are often made in Chinese factories. In this case, the low -quality value of the material is not low compared to the prices of tiles made in Europe.
Preparation for laying mosaic tiles
Unlike ordinary tiles, the mosaic is not able to hide the irregularities of the walls, so most often it is glued to drywall or pre -leveled surfaces. Before gluing mosaic tiles in bathrooms, it is recommended to process with some waterproofing composition the pasted surfaces, and in the case of the pool, this procedure is required. In order for the tile in the process of installation and drying does not “slide” from the wall, under the place where it will be pasted, you can temporarily fix the metal profile for drywall.
The glue for mosaics differs from glue for ordinary ceramic tiles – latex should include latex. The color of the mixture should be white – otherwise the glue will radically change the shade of the mosaic itself.
To put the tiles smoothly, experienced craftsmen recommend marking the surface, drawing it on squares, the size of which exactly coincides with the size of one module – for this they use a laser level and a plumb line. To apply glue to the walls, a gear spatula with a tooth is 3×3 or 4×4 mm is required. In the event that the mosaic is made of stone, a tool with a large tooth may be required.
Laying mosaic tiles
First of all, glue for tiles is applied to the wall, while they need to cover only the surface on which the mosaic will be glued over the next 15 minutes (as a rule, this is not more than nine sheets). It is not necessary to apply glue to the surface of the tiles, but some masters still advise doing it with a spatula with a flat faces.
When laying mosaics on a paper basis, the tile is applied to the wall with applied glue solution so that the paper “looks” upwards, after which they are slightly tired of a plastic half -gather or roll with a roller. After the completion of the second row of mosaic is completed, you need to remove the paper from the first – for this it is carried out with a wet sponge and, after the paper coating becomes dark brown, it is slowly removed, pulling the edge. This must be done very carefully, since the glue by this time is not completely dry and the canvas can be deformed. When the paper is removed, the tiles must be finally leveled, and the excess glue on fragments of the mosaic is removed with a slightly damp sponge.
Mosaic on a grid basis is glued somewhat different. The sheet is placed on the adhesive composition applied to the surface with a net down, after which evenly smoothed with a rubber spatula, making sure that the distance between the “chips” coincides with the distance between the two sheets. Excess glue that leaked through the grid also remove.
You can proceed to grout mosaics no earlier than in the past one day. Before proceeding to the final stage, the surface of the tile must be cleaned with a bristle with nylon bristles and wiped with a damp sponge. The mixture for grouting mosaics, as well as glue, should have latex components in the composition. Grout is made by a rubber spatula, which is diagonally. About 20 minutes after processing about two square meters, the excess grout should be removed with a sponge moistened in water or in a special composition for mosaic tiles, which will remove the excess and at the same time polish the tiles.
Properly laid ceramic tiles will last at least 50 years. It is no more difficult to care for her than for the usual one – as it is contaminated, it is wiped with water with a diluted soft detergent.
