Varieties of mosaics for walls and advice on choosing a coating for various rooms, the advantages and disadvantages of this type of cladding, ways to create a pattern on the surface. Mosaic is a type-setting of solid particles of the same or different sizes and shapes. Individual elements of a semantic load do not carry and represent pieces of various materials. You can learn how to create a mosaic image on the walls in this article.
Advantages and disadvantages of decorative mosaics
Mosaic replaces tiles in the kitchen and bathroom due to its many advantages. The main advantages of mosaic wall covering are as follows:
- The coating has a pleasant aesthetic appearance, the joints between the mosaic blocks are almost invisible.
- Mosaic on the wall has long been considered an elite decorative material. She talks about the wealth of the owners.
- Mosaic elements are very durable, they withstand the effects of abrasive elements, do not deteriorate under the influence of moisture.
- Maintenance of the coating is very simple, it is enough to wipe the surface with a napkin.
- The coating is not afraid of chemicals that are included in household detergents.
- The drawings that are collected on the mosaic can be unique. Patterns of any shade and palette are created on the surface. This is facilitated by the small size of the coating fragments.
- The mosaic fits well on flat and curved walls. It is also possible to finish surfaces of complex shapes - cylindrical, spherical, curved. With its help, it is convenient to veneer areas of non-standard shapes.
- The coating remains intact for many years.
- Broken tiles from a variety of materials are suitable for creating a mosaic.
- The mosaic is lightweight, no wall reinforcement is required before use.
- The cladding allows not only decorating the room, but also masking the defects of the base wall.
- Using mosaics of various colors and textures, you can divide a room into functional zones.
Like all finishing materials, mosaic has disadvantages:
- From small fragments begins to ripple in the eyes.
- Special glue is used to fix the elements.
- Wall cladding with mosaics is associated with meticulous work to create a high-quality pattern.
- Mosaic tiles are more expensive than usual.
Features of the use of mosaics in different rooms
Decorating the walls with mosaics allows not only to decorate the room in a flashy way, to give originality to the design, but also to create a durable protective cladding. Traditional mosaics do not lose their attractive appearance for many years, so the elements must be strong and durable. Cloth, straw, beads are not used to create mosaics. The properties of the material used must correspond to the purpose of the room.
Bathroom mosaics create an attractive appearance and keep the room clean. Approximate uses of cladding:
- The screen under the bathroom can be decorated with plain or patterned mosaics.
- With the help of multi-colored wall coverings, you can highlight the area of the shower, bath, washbasin, etc.
- A wall near a bathtub or washbasin with a mosaic backsplash looks great.
- The bathroom decoration will be a mosaic frame for the mirror.
- The coating can replace tiles for finishing niches and shelves.
- The window will appear visually larger if the rim is tiled.
- If the room is small, it should not be completely decorated with mosaics. In this case, it is recommended to create panels or combine mosaics with another type of coverage.
- In a small bathroom, it is recommended to use small decorative and floral designs.
In the living room, a good solution would be to place a mosaic panel over a sofa or fireplace. It will highlight the hospitality of the hosts. The panel in the form of a luxurious carpet creates an atmosphere of harmony and beauty. For those who want to tile the entire wall in the living room, it is recommended to use elements that create a shimmering effect. Guests will be surprised by the pleasant pearl shine of the coating.
In the hallway, a story panel on the wall or a mirror with a mosaic cladding looks good. Collect small mosaic patterns on the wall to create an atmosphere of originality. You can decorate window sills, columns and niches with glass mosaics
In the kitchen, mosaic wall cladding is popular due to modern materials that are easily cleaned of any dirt and are not afraid of high temperatures. With the help of a coating, kitchen aprons are created near the sink. You can also highlight functional areas in the kitchen. Small bright drawings are often laid out on the walls.
Types of mosaics for walls
The range of mosaics is very wide, which explains the popularity of this method of wall decoration. Mosaics are distinguished by many characteristics, but the main criteria are the method of laying and the material of the fragments.
The difference in mosaic installation method
The mosaic is assembled on the wall in two ways, depending on the state of the workpieces. There are ready-to-lay samples in the form of a base with already fixed fragments, as well as mosaic blanks in the form of individual fragments supplied in bulk.
Ready-made samples on a mesh or paper base with an already created pattern are used to create a continuous coating. Thanks to the flexible base, tiles can be fixed to surfaces of any shape - convex or concave. The mesh is fixed to the wrong side of the module, so the position of the fragments when laying is easy to adjust. The mesh is well cut and allows you to create fragments of the desired shape, trim corners and complex areas.
Paper backed mosaics are cheaper. It differs from the mesh version in that a thick sheet of paper is glued to the front side of the elements, which will be removed after the end of the installation. This option is more durable due to the absence of a mesh as an intermediate element. The absence of deformation of the pattern during finishing work is also appreciated, but the installation lasts longer.
For self-production of mosaics, a variety of materials are used - pieces of ceramic tiles, stone, glass, smalt. This is the most difficult option for creating a drawing, you need to work hard to get an acceptable result. To create a drawing, elements are selected by color, size, geometric shapes, and then resized according to the image. Thus, you can create a drawing of any complexity. One of the options for creating a mosaic involves the use of rectangular plates, with which you can quickly assemble a simple pattern.
Mosaic classification by material
Mosaic allows you to decorate a room in a variety of colors and textures.
Mirror mosaic is made from small pieces of mirror. The coating visually expands and brightens the room. The edges of the elements are blunt and not dangerous for the occupants. They are used in small, poorly lit rooms - bathrooms, corridors. A large number of miniature mirrors mask the unevenness of the walls well.
Ceramic mosaics differ from standard tiles in dimensions. Manufacturers produce goods in a variety of shades and textures. Rectangular patterns are used to decorate and protect building facades, swimming pools, kitchens and baths.
To create a mosaic, stones from sandstone, marble, and jasper are often used. Images are obtained unique, because in nature there are no stones with the same texture and shades. The material is easily processed - polished or aged. Stone mosaic stones are round or irregular in shape.
To decorate the walls of bathrooms and pools, sometimes broken mirror glass is mixed with marble or granite shards. As a result, the mosaic elements seem to flicker from the inside.
The mosaic with the effect of light refraction looks original. The coating is made of glass oxidized with metals and heated to a high temperature. The mosaic made of this material is frost-resistant and shock-resistant. Coating elements are produced in the form of cubes with subtle differences in shade and are used in bathrooms, living rooms, swimming pools.
Fragments of Venetian glass provide the mosaic with durability and resistance to various chemicals. During manufacturing, coloring additives are added to the starting material, so the color palette of the material is huge. Very small mosaic elements can be obtained from Venetian glass, which ensures high image quality.
Mosaic wall decoration technology
Laying a mosaic on a wall is more difficult than tiling a wall, and it is not a matter of the number of fragments. The difficulty lies in preparing a perfectly flat surface, as well as in the peculiarities of forming a pattern on the wall. The cladding itself goes through several stages.
Preparatory work for laying mosaic on the walls
Laying the mosaic on the wall begins with the finalization of the base surface. Small elements of the coating repeat all the unevenness of the wall, so carefully align the plane to obtain a high-quality mosaic. The wall should be as flat as for wallpapering.
Features of surface preparation:
- Examine the surface of the wall, check the strength of the old plaster. If there are blisters on the wall, or if the coating is crumbling, remove it before plastering.
- Level the surface first with a rough, cement-sand mortar. At this stage of processing, the presence of depressions or bulges within 2 mm is allowed.
- Check the angle at the intersection of the walls. If the angle differs from 90 degrees, provide it with wall finishing. Otherwise, wedges will appear in the corners, not covered with mosaics, which are difficult to seal.
- Putty the surface and remove any unevenness in the wall. The ideal option is considered to be finishing the wall with plasterboard sheets.
- Prime the surface to improve moisture resistance and adhesion.
- Paint the wall the same color as the mosaic if necessary.
The quality of the mosaic depends largely on the adhesive solution. There is no universal adhesive for all types of mosaics. The popular adhesive mixture such as Ceresit is not used for fixing glass, smalt mosaics; they require a latex solution. The reason is that dark glue shines through the translucent fragments and changes their color. To work with paper-based mosaics, choose transparent or white glue, if necessary, give it the desired shade in advance.
Installation of mosaics on the walls
The wall finishing technology depends on the type of workpiece: on a mesh base, paper or without a base, in a crumbly state. The installation of mesh mosaics is considered universal and can be used to assemble other types of coverage.
It looks like this:
- Determine the section of the wall on which you plan to lay the material.
- Before installing the mosaic on the wall, lay a pattern on the floor using the supplied material - the covering is sold with a ready-made pattern in the form of small panels.
- Check that the area of the workpiece matches the selected area on the wall.
- Draw a horizontal line on the floor to serve as the base for the bottom row of modules.
- Place the first row of sheets on the wall along the marked line, mark the location of the vertical joints between the tiles. Lines are needed to control the panels during installation.
- Apply a layer of adhesive to the floor, along the entire length of the first row, using a notched trowel with a gap of no more than 6 mm.
- Place the mosaic sheets on the mortar and press down with a slight force with a special pad with a rubber sticker. Spread the mosaic sheets in a circular motion until the seams between them are the same width.
- Repeat the operation for the higher rows.
After 24-48 hours the glue dries up and you can start grouting. The gaps are filled with mortar of the corresponding color using a rubber trowel. If the mosaic is bright, choose a neutral color grout - white or gray. After grouting, wait half an hour and clean the surface with a damp foam sponge
Paper-backed mosaic blanks look like separate sheets with a sheet of paper glued to the front side. When pressing the sheets to the wall surface, the glue will fill the gaps to the paper and will not go further, no grouting of the gaps is required. It is very important here to choose the right thickness of the adhesive layer, so experienced tilers finish the walls in this way.
Novice builders can take advantage of the mesh mosaic finish option. After the glue dries, wet the paper and remove it from the mosaic. If any gaps remain, grout the joints with a rubber trowel.
The technology of laying a mosaic wall with your own hands from individual fragments differs from the previous options. The easiest way to get fragments is to wrap the ceramic tile with a cloth and break it into small fragments with a hammer. You can also cut the tiles into small pieces, from neat fragments you can create an elegant and beautiful coating. There are two ways to create a pattern - from a previously prepared drawing and randomly.
In the first case, first a sketch of a wall or a section is drawn on paper on a scale, and then a drawing in color is applied on it. The image is transferred to the wall and pasted over with mosaic elements.
In the second case, it is not necessary to create a picture. Pieces of tiles are glued in random order, adhering to some rules:
- The shapes of the elements need to be refined to create a semblance of a single whole.
- The adjacent fragments should differ in color, so the pattern looks more interesting. The more colors on the mosaic, the more colorful the finish will be.
- After finishing the veneer, you can evaluate the work and replace unsuitable fragments.
- Neighboring elements should be of different sizes (within reason).
- The pieces should not touch each other, leave gaps for thermal expansion. At the end of the work, the seams are still overwritten.
- The thickness of the adhesive layer is not regulated due to the different thickness of the fragments.
How to glue the mosaic on the walls - watch the video:
From the outside, assembling the mosaic seems to be an easy and simple task. In fact, finishing the wall in this way is a laborious task, it requires patience, accuracy and strict adherence to the installation technology.
