The originality and unlimited possibilities of using mosaic tiles make it an increasingly popular material. It can easily be used to cover a bathtub body, a protruding wall, a kitchen countertop, or be used in the hallway and living room. Let's consider options and methods for decorating the interior with mosaic tiles.
Types of mosaic tiles
Mosaic tiles are a set of small elements of various shapes, from 1 to 5 cm, glued to a mesh or special paper that holds them together, at equal intervals. It can be made from stone and glass, ceramics and metal, plastic and porcelain stoneware, as well as more exotic materials such as coconut and bamboo. Such a wide range allows mosaic tiles to fit into almost any interior style, from loft to classic.
Stone mosaic tiles are most often made from marble, travertine, quartz or slate. Given the good technical parameters, this type of tile is very often used for both wall and floor cladding. For more demanding buyers, there are also mosaics made from semi-precious stones, such as agate or malachite, on the market.
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Smalt mosaic and ceramic for durable decor
When choosing a mosaic, the interior of which should sparkle with all the colors after installation, preference is often given not to Venetian glass, but to smalt. This is a type of glass mosaic that has a noble matte surface with a soft and calm shine. Not sodium, but potassium salts are added to the material to give it a dull finish. The tiles are produced by pressing glass particles and oxides, maintaining a sintering temperature of 700-800°C. The pressing process lasts 24 hours, resulting in a shock-resistant mosaic that is resistant to aggressive substances and acids. An example of the use of smalt mosaic can be seen in Fig. 2.
This option is more suitable for decorating hallways and living rooms, since its soft glow does not hurt the eyes at all and serves as an excellent addition to various decorative elements. There is one more feature due to which smalt coating is so valued in living rooms.
Figure 3. Marble mosaic can be used not only to decorate a bathroom, but also to decorate a bedroom, hotel or kitchen.
Even factory-made tiles are slightly different in shape and size, i.e. Each mosaic cube is individual. Today, about 10 thousand shades of such mosaics are produced.
The use of decorative mosaics will help make the design of the room more vibrant and modern. Today, Moroccan mosaic is quite popular, as is its aluminum model.
Peculiarities
Mosaic is a very ancient art form that was used in ancient states such as Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and Persia. The word itself comes from opus musivum - a work dedicated to the muses. Mosaics have been widely used to decorate a wide variety of buildings throughout human history. Mosaic is a type of monumental art that involves selecting and fixing small elements on the surface of an architectural structure - stones, smalt, ceramic tiles.
As an art form, it opens up wide possibilities. Thanks to the small size of the pieces from which the mosaic panel is laid out, it is possible to create images of any nature - geometric, floral, plot, multi-figured. Any topic is subject to mosaic: intimate, everyday, pathetic, military, national, religious, state.
It is the wide possibilities, external beauty, and resistance to environmental influences that maintain the popularity of this art form to this day.
Mosaics were created from those materials whose manufacturing techniques were mastered by builders at one time or another in human history. These were glass and ceramic pieces. But natural elements were also widely used - stones of various shapes, sea shells, beads, broken porcelain, broken glass and mirrors, metal, porcelain stoneware.
Depending on the task, mosaic materials are chosen. This could be a way to diversify the masonry of ceramic tiles, create a painting, or decorate a detail of an architectural structure.
The elements from which the material is created are resistant to environmental influences. They are not exposed to the destructive effects of aggressive environments, fire, water. Therefore, mosaics are used not only in the design of buildings inside and out, but also in the decoration of fireplaces, stoves and small garden forms.
Mosaic can be used as an independent art form. In this case, it must be secured to something. As an art form, mosaic can be created from any small material - plastic caps, pieces of colored paper, computer parts, coffee beans and spices, from anything a real architect wants to create.
Stylish design
Mosaic is an amazingly beautiful type of fine art, created from small multi-colored pieces of stone, glass, and ceramics. It allows you to create works of art of various subjects directly on the interior surfaces of the room. Multi-colored pieces of material shimmer under the sunlight. The fine texture of the mosaic attracts the eye. It is simply impossible to tear yourself away from the contemplation of a harmoniously executed mosaic panel.
A mosaic panel can enliven any interior. It is not only a highlight in the design of a room, but gives the interior space of an architectural structure an aura of fabulousness.
It should not be used on all surfaces of the interior; it needs to be given a specific place that corresponds to the plot, color and purpose. Then she will enrich the space with her presence and create an atmosphere of coziness, comfort and beauty.
Mosaics are most often made from materials that are quite inert and resistant to water and other influences. These are ceramics, glass, stone and others, so it is logical to use mosaic panels in residential and public spaces with high levels of moisture or where there is a live fire. It can be used to decorate bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, fireplace areas in living rooms.
The small pieces from which the mosaic is laid out allow you to create any drawings and subjects, from antiquity and classics to modern abstractions.
If you wish, you can order a plot from ancient Greek myths, a battle scene, or a black square made using this technique for your wall. Such a fragment can be placed in any room of a residential building or public building. It can be used both on the entire wall, and on a fragment of a wall, on a piece of a structure, on a detail. Any surface or object that is finished with this material will be transformed.
The only negative feature of mosaic is its high cost, so when decorating a room you also need to calculate your budget. If financial capabilities allow, you can plan a panel on the entire wall. You can buy it ready-made or order it individually from a craftsman. With little financial resources, you can decorate part of the wall with a mosaic canvas, for example, it could be a fragment located in a place of high humidity or exposure to fire.
You can place a small mosaic on a piece of furniture or as an insert into a tiled wall. Inexpensive tile mosaics, which are produced complete with tiles, can be used on the floor and walls of the bathroom, kitchen, and hallway.
Types
The beauty and attractiveness of mosaics, as well as the desire of many clients to decorate their premises with them, forced manufacturers to develop different types of mosaic panels and kits. They differ in materials and price. This allows buyers to make a choice depending on taste, purpose and financial capabilities.
Mosaics are produced in several types.
- Glass. It is made of glass, has a variety of shades, and is lightly transparent. It can be gold, silver, matte, transparent, plain and with additional decor. A variety of shades are obtained by adding various chemical elements to glass. The gold and silver versions can be obtained by placing foil of the corresponding color in a piece.
This mosaic is resistant to aggressive environmental influences and is durable, so it is used to decorate kitchens and bathrooms, but it can also be used for other rooms, including bedrooms. It can be used to decorate individual pieces of furniture.
- Smalt. This type of mosaic came from antiquity. This is multi-colored glass, which, unlike glass mosaic, is opaque. It is obtained by adding various chemical elements to the glass mass. Like glass mosaic, smalt has many shades and a shiny surface. It allows you to lay out various patterns and picturesque paintings, is resistant to aggressive environments and can be used where you need to bear the load, for example, on the floor. At the moment, smalt is the most expensive of all varieties.
- Mirror. This mosaic is formed from mirror pieces of different shapes. It has the same properties as glass. As a rule, due to the fact that it strongly reflects the environment, it is used to decorate surfaces.
- Ceramic. This type is made from baked clay and has a variety of shades thanks to modern technologies. Ceramic elements are opaque, matte or glossy. This variety allows mosaics to be widely used as decoration. Ceramic mosaic tiles are very durable and resistant to water, so they are often used in damp rooms. One of its varieties is durable porcelain stoneware.
- Stone. This option is made from natural stone after it is cut into small pieces and processed. Like any stone, such a mosaic is very durable, but does not withstand exposure to aggressive environments very well and can be destroyed by acids and other chemical compounds. This mosaic is used to decorate stairs, swimming pools, decorate entrances and fragments of building facades.
- Metal. It is called a modern innovation because it is represented by squares of metal that make up a single canvas. It is used to decorate surfaces due to a certain type of metal.
Mosaic patterns do not leave anyone indifferent to their mesmerizing appearance. The beauty of such a panel lies in the small, often sparkling elements that, as a whole, create a very attractive overall picture. I want to look at it again and again. Representing an excellent alternative to the usual tiles, mosaics are able to add individuality to each individual room, conveying the unsurpassed taste of its owner.
The mosaic panel is universal for any room in terms of functionality. The need in the kitchen or bathroom is explained by resistance to moisture and dirt, and in the bedroom or living room, by the individuality of the design concept and exquisite luxury.
Now you can bring something alive and soulful into the interior not only with the help of painting and wall paintings; small tiles can also easily cope with this task.
Types of mosaics
The main difference between mosaic and other types of tiles is its size. As a rule, it has a regular square shape and a size of no more than 2 cm. Designer collections represent original production lines in which tiles of other geometric, and sometimes even abstract, shapes are acceptable.
This is done to create an individual design, so most of them are still small, classic sizes.
According to the composition they are distinguished:
- Ceramic - is a smaller version of the usual ceramic tiles and has all the same characteristics and quality composition;
- Venetian - not afraid of shocks and other mechanical influences, shiny, but not glossy;
- Smalt – matte, resistant to mechanical, physical and chemical influences;
- Metal - can be with the addition of fiberglass, usually stainless materials such as brass or copper are used.
- From natural stone - onyx, jasper, lapis lazuli, granite or marble are usually used, but any other type of rock can be used in the manufacture of natural panels for decorative masonry;
- Other materials - glass, mirror, porcelain and other other materials that only come to the creative imagination of modern designers and craftsmen.
By purpose they are distinguished:
- Floor;
- Universal.
There are only two gradations due to the fact that the universal one can be used even for decorating walls, even for niches, even for the ceiling, but special requirements are imposed on the floor.
It must be resistant to mechanical stress, moisture and not slip even when wet. For this purpose, special compositions are used in production, and the surface itself has a matte appearance with notches and a certain roughness.
Mosaic tiles are sold individually and require very painstaking work during installation. For the purpose of convenience, as well as for selling a complete color or patterned panel, it is often applied to special plates that have an adhesive or mesh base.
Such a base has the size of a large tile, for example 20x20 or 20-40, and can also be the size of the picture presented at the exhibition. This design will significantly reduce installation time, and make the process less labor-intensive and simplify it.
Where is mosaic applicable?!
The scope of application of mosaic tiles has absolutely no restrictions. It is suitable for domestic and industrial use; another question is whether it will be justified for economic and aesthetic reasons.
As for the design of mosaic tiles, numerous proposals allow you to use it both for decorating a bathroom or the interior of a luxurious room in a private house, and for decorating an office. It harmoniously combines with almost all other construction and finishing materials.
It can be used as the main masonry, to highlight niches or columns, and also to decorate panels, for example, at the head of a bed.
Bathroom
It was from this room that the widespread use of small tiles in the interior began. Designers so wanted an alternative to boring and boring tiles that glass panels, which have the same strength but a more sophisticated look, were to their liking. The small size harmonizes favorably with the usual cramped bathrooms.
Bathroom mosaic tiles are used on walls, ceilings and even as flooring. Resistance to moisture, temperature changes, as well as mechanical and chemical influences makes it simply indispensable for the bathroom, but the cost is several times higher than a standard tiled coating, which undoubtedly overshadows and stops many consumers.
Kitchen
Tiles for the apron naturally suggest themselves, because there is no more convenient and practical material for this area, which is subject to constant cleaning using chemical compounds. Most housewives want not just a kitchen, but a cozy and incredible room where they can pleasantly spend time preparing their favorite dishes and proudly welcome guests.
Therefore, the limits of using mosaics in this room have long gone beyond functionality. Nowadays, you can increasingly find bar counters and even countertops framed with small tiles. It turns out quite organic, fresh and practical.
Hallway
Another room that requires frequent cleaning, as all outerwear and shoes are stored in it. Being located on the border between the house and the street, it is subject to frequent pollution and, as a result, wet cleaning.
Ceramic mosaic tiles will come in handy here. Reflective textures and light shades will visually expand cramped spaces and add additional light.
Living room and bedroom
It may not be used as the main finishing material, but as a panel or for decorating individual elements, mosaic will fit into absolutely any living space. Walls with simple motifs, niches, columns and other structures will take on a completely different look.
It is not necessary to use pompous mirror or textured colorful designs; tiles made of natural stone or simply matte in pastel colors will decorate absolutely every interior.
Photos of mosaic tiles in catalogs open up a lot of possibilities and inspire flights of fancy. Living rooms, shopping centers, saunas and spas are increasingly giving preference to this, although not the cheapest type of finishing material, but so practical and elegant.
The variety of color and design solutions opens up enormous prospects for the consumer, attracting with its chic and individuality.
Photo of mosaic tiles
Mosaic is a beautiful art form that decorates many architectural structures. Its magic is in small pieces, from which you can lay out any images with a wide variety of subjects. The human eye is designed in such a way that it needs to cling to details when examining an object. This is why mosaics are so attractive. It consists of small elements that you can look at endlessly without getting tired of contemplation.
Peculiarities
Mosaic panels are used to decorate a variety of surfaces of architectural structures. In cathedrals you can see mosaic canvases on the curved inner surface of domes and on arches. You can find mosaics made of colored tiles on the roofs of sacred buildings. And also the inner surface of the pool and paths are laid out with small pieces of ceramics. You can place a mosaic image on the floor; it will unite the interior into a single whole.
But the most common way to place mosaic images is, of course, on the walls of architectural structures. On the wall, the mosaic is easier to read, as it is at visual level. Her beautiful images become part of a person’s environment, enter his world, delight the eye and lift his spirits.
That is why, if you want to include a painting made from small pieces of ceramics or stone into the design of the room, it is better to place the canvas on the wall so that it attracts everyone around with its beauty.
In an architectural structure, walls can be external and internal, flat and curved. The use of mosaic panels on external and internal walls is slightly different. As a rule, filling almost all planes is more typical for the interior of the room. But you can also use more fragile materials inside that are less resistant to the environment, rain and snow.
Exterior walls are most often partially decorated with mosaic cubes. Although there are houses where the facades are completely covered with paintings made from small pieces. But such images practically destroy architectural forms, turning the building into one continuous picture.
It's easy to apply a canvas of small pieces to a flat wall. But due to the fact that the mosaic is created from small pieces, it can be used to decorate any wall shape, including curved ones.
Materials
Modern manufacturers make small pieces from different materials to create beautiful images.
These can be glass cubes, transparent, painted in any color, colored matte, which are called smalt, gold, silver, plain and with decoration, and even mirrored, reflecting the world around us.
Glass is inert to chemicals, does not break down under the influence of rain and snow, and is durable when used adequately. Therefore, such cubes can be used to decorate walls both outside and inside the room. Their only drawback is the high cost of mosaics. In order to create creative compositions on the walls, you can use broken glass if it looks beautiful. Broken painted porcelain plates and other dishes are also suitable for creativity.
Any glass elements have the same properties characteristic of industrial mosaics.
Mosaics are also made from ceramics, creating small tiles of a wide variety of shades. Ceramic cubes can be matte or glossy, which gives variety to the elements used and decorates mosaic images with a combination of different textures. Ceramics is also inert to the environment, does not respond to aggressive solutions, does not react to rain and snow, and is quite durable. Therefore, it can be used to decorate the exterior walls of buildings and interior rooms.
It is especially good to use for wet rooms and places where there is a fire. A type of ceramic mosaic is porcelain stoneware - especially durable ceramics. Due to the special properties of porcelain stoneware, it should be used for finishing external walls, although it can look great inside too.
Mosaics are also made from natural stone. Industrially, cubes are made from marble, travertine, jasper, and lapis lazuli. Pieces are cut out of the rocks and fit together perfectly. Stone mosaics can be very beautiful, with natural patterns and veining. However, when placing it in wet rooms, you need to take into account the characteristics of the stone. The stone has pores and a certain chemical composition.
Because of this, some breeds may not tolerate the effects of modern detergents well and begin to fade and deteriorate. Therefore, it is better to decorate dry rooms with stone. And you can also use small stones of natural shapes and pebbles rolled by sea waves to decorate the walls.
Sometimes the use of natural, irregularly shaped pieces creates a stronger decorative effect than perfectly sawn industrial cubes.
Modernity has given us another type of mosaic - metal. It is limited to the gray colors of the metal and the shine of its surface, and therefore has less variety than other types. But it can also be very beautiful in interiors of a certain style. Metal pieces are made from stainless alloys. But since metal can be exposed to the external environment, as a rule, such mosaics are used in the interior of buildings.
Mosaics made from natural materials, in addition to stone, are often exposed to environmental influences. Therefore, it is better to use it inside a building.
At the moment, the industry produces elements for creating wooden panels, shell mother-of-pearl and coconut panels. Shells tolerate water well, so they can be used in bathrooms and kitchens. Coconut can withstand water, but should not be used in damp areas. Wood does not tolerate water well, it swells and can crack in a humid environment. In addition, wood burns well, so it is not used in wet rooms or near fire.
Mosaic elements
The shapes of mosaic elements can be very diverse. The most popular are cubes, as they allow you to lay out a wide variety of plots. There are options for panels made of elongated rectangular parts. Now factories produce hexagonal and octagonal parts for mosaics. There are even options for panels made of round or oval elements. There are typesetting mosaics in which all the parts are the same shape. And there are those that are a combination of different parts.
Very often, mosaics are used in interiors, where the elements are tightly fitted to each other. In such canvases, the components can be of the same shape or different. But there is a technique when cubes or pieces of other shapes are laid out according to the drawing. In this case, the components of the panel can be located at an angle to each other, depending on the pattern.
Mosaic placement on the wall
The typesetting canvas very actively attracts the eye. Therefore, it is not worth covering all surfaces with it. Its fine structure looks great against a plain background made of other materials.
Indoors, wall mosaics can cover one of the walls of the room. It can be monochromatic with a play of shades, matte and glossy surface from different pieces. But you can also use mosaics to create decorative patterns or paintings on the wall. You can place a mosaic picture on a fragment of a wall surrounded by other finishing materials. This way the canvas will look advantageous against a calmer background.
In any case, the room should have a wall dedicated to such an attractive element, which plays an important role in the room. Then this part of the room will become central and attract all the attention.
Sometimes the wall is finished with a more monochromatic mosaic or a not too bright pattern, but combined with a group of furniture, for example, gypsum cladding is suitable for these purposes. The velvet texture of the upholstered furniture emphasizes the beauty of the shiny mosaic. A furniture group, for example, a beautiful sofa and a mosaic should complement each other in color. If the solution is successful, such an element will become the main one in the room.
And mosaics are also used as a beautiful decoration in addition to other materials and furniture. A common technique for decorating a kitchen work surface with a mosaic canvas. The wall between the lower tier of furniture and the upper one, decorated with mosaics, creates a more attractive image of the kitchen equipment. The work surface in the bathroom between the washbasin and the mirror is decorated in the same way.
One of the main elements of the living room is the fireplace. The presence of increased temperature and fire in this area goes well with the laying of ceramic mosaics on the surface of the fireplace and the walls around it. Decorating the fireplace with a mosaic canvas gives this interior element a more solemn look.
Single-color mosaics are used to decorate parts of the wall in the form of a vertical or horizontal strip, an edge of the structure.
Sometimes the sinking parts of the room are decorated with mosaic panels to diversify their appearance. This way you can decorate a built-in closet, a niche, or a corner. As a result, such elements become very attractive and attract the eye.
The already widest selection of finishing materials is constantly being updated with various new products. Among such diversity, it can be quite difficult to understand and make a choice. But there are things that remain in demand for interior decoration, and mosaic is one of them. Let us tell you today everything about mosaics: its types, installation techniques, how mosaics are used in the interior. You can buy Italon tiles from the manufacturer using this link https://webceramic.ru/catalog/producers/5/ .
Mosaic is an interior decorative technique, patterns, paintings that are made from small pieces of various materials - colored glass, stone. Man has been using mosaics as a decorative finishing material since ancient times. If you delve a little deeper into the history of the use of mosaics, you can see how widely mosaics were used in the interior in Ancient Egypt and China. But the earliest example of the technology of using mosaics in interior decoration are panels that date back to the 6th century BC, they were discovered during excavations in Mesopotamia.
Mosaic in the interior is considered an indicator of wealth and well-being. Currently, marble, natural stone, and smalt are used to make mosaics. The use of natural materials is becoming increasingly popular, but not everyone can afford such luxury due to their high cost.
To ensure the availability of finishing, modern manufacturers have developed similar types of mosaics that imitate natural materials, while being in no way inferior to natural raw materials. They are durable, moisture-resistant, durable, resistant to high temperatures, and environmentally friendly.
Types of mosaics
Depending on the material used, the types of mosaics are divided:
Glass mosaic
Glass mosaic is a very common type of mosaic today. At a fairly low price, it stands out for its variety of colors and shapes. Glass mosaic creates shades such as silver, mother-of-pearl, gold and platinum very well. Glass mosaic in the interior allows you to highlight accent areas very well and brightly. The advantage of such mosaics over other types is their high frost resistance, durability, and heat resistance. Suitable for finishing kitchens, bathrooms, fireplaces, countertops, partitions and even floors.
Ceramic mosaic
It differs from ordinary tiles only in size. Ceramic mosaic has a fairly wide range of colors. Most often it comes in the form of traditional squares or rectangles. Features of this type of mosaic tile are increased strength and resistance to water. Ceramic mosaic is ideal for decorating a wide variety of
surfaces, both indoors and outdoors.
Stone mosaic
When making this type of mosaic, various types of stone are used, starting with inexpensive tuff and including rare breeds of jasper, onyx, and marble. The color of this material is unique, so each image made from this material is unique. This type of mosaic can be used to decorate: stairs,
countertop, pool, walls of the kitchen, bathroom, toilet, hallway, floor in the hall. It is often used for finishing steps, decorating entrances, door and window openings, and facades of external walls.
Smalt mosaic
In appearance, smalt mosaic in the interior looks like smooth glass. The color palette is rich and bright. Mosaic shades have a glowing effect. This mosaic is suitable for decorating interior surfaces, including frequently loaded areas. But it should be taken into account that smalt mosaic is very practical and of high quality, and is one of the most expensive types.
Sheet mosaic
A finished drawing or pattern made from various materials is sold attached to a sheet of backing. Sheet mosaic tiles are fixed to a mesh base, so they are easy to cut, which in turn makes it very easy to work on the most difficult to reach areas. Its practicality lies in the fact that it is quite easy to transfer it to a prepared surface.
As you can see for yourself, different types of mosaics give you the opportunity to choose both material and cost. But we will consider further how it is used in interior design.
Mosaic in the interior of various rooms
Most often, mosaics are used when decorating a kitchen, bathroom, or swimming pool, but this does not limit the possibility of using it for decoration in other rooms and rooms.