Types of mosaics for the bathroom and features of their application

Many residents often puzzle over how to decorate the interior of a bathroom so that it has an exclusive, modern and unsurpassed look. An excellent alternative to traditional ceramic tiles are different types of mosaics for the bathroom. The varieties of this finishing material and the features of working with it are described in this article.

Bathroom tiled with mosaics

Varieties of mosaics

A wide variety of materials are used to make finishing materials in the form of mosaics. There are mosaics made from:

• glass;
• ceramics;
• stone;
• smalt;
• shells;
• plastic and other materials.

A wide range of mosaic products allows you to realize any ideas for the color and texture of your bathroom. Mosaic also allows you to hide various types of wall imperfections. Let's take a closer look at the most popular types of mosaics.

Glass mosaic

Glass mosaic for the bathroom stands out significantly among other finishing materials. This material resembles rock crystal in appearance and is one of the best options for creating an individual room interior. The advantages of such a mosaic are as follows:

• the absence of open pores, due to which the facing material practically does not allow moisture to pass through;
• resistance to acids and other chemical elements included in detergents;
• ability to withstand temperature changes over a wide range;
• maintaining color saturation over a long service life;
• a rich selection of color shades to create an endless number of different combinations and implement the most daring ideas;
• low cost of material.

Glass mosaic

Glass mosaic for the bathroom is made from very fine white quartz sand. Such products are supplied in matrices that contain several dozen elements. The greatest demand is for mosaics of square, oval and rectangular (diamond-shaped) shapes.

Ceramic mosaic

Ceramic mosaic tiles for the bathroom are distinguished by a wide variety of material textures. When finishing walls, you get a shiny surface with decorative exclusive stains, small cracks of the most bizarre shape, and other irregularities due to the clearly expressed texture of the material. In terms of cost, this mosaic is somewhat more expensive than other types.

Ceramic mosaic

In order to increase resistance to moisture and low temperatures, a special coating (glaze) is applied to ceramic products. Thanks to this technology, this type of mosaic is excellent for cladding both inside the bathroom and for outdoor open spaces. Tile mosaic for the bathroom also has such positive qualities as:

• high hardness and strength;
• resistance against abrasive wear.

Features of other types of mosaics

It looks like a glass mosaic made of smalt. The difference lies in its more durable surface and the presence of the effect of emitting light from the inside, so when decorating a bathroom with such a mosaic, you need to think carefully about the issue of lighting.

Inexpensive as well as semi-precious stones are used to produce stone mosaics. The advantage of the material lies in the natural beauty of the stone structure, which becomes even richer when polished. Such a mosaic gives the interior an aristocratic and luxurious element. Stone mosaic is considered the most durable.

The mosaic on the bathroom floor can even be made of metal elements (brass, stainless steel). It is resistant to mechanical stress, but very demanding to maintain. You need to be extremely careful when handling detergents and especially chemicals.

Metal mosaic is high maintenance, but looks very impressive

Due to insufficient strength, plastic bathroom mosaics are almost never used as a finishing material.

Basic rules for working with mosaics

Cladding with mosaics is not particularly difficult, so it is quite possible to work with this material yourself. The best option would be to purchase a mosaic supplied in fragments on paper or a special grid. Installation is carried out using special glue.

In this case, the mosaic is laid out as follows:

1. The first step is to prepare the walls. It is enough to level them with cement mortar and give the surface a white tint to preserve the color and richness of the mosaic.
2. Before cladding, decide what the pattern (ornament) should be. It is advisable to lay out the required pattern on the floor for greater clarity.

[note] It should be taken into account that mosaic can act as both the main finishing material and additional, for example, to tiles. The cladding material, made in light colors, visually expands the bathroom. [/note]

3. Next, vertical and horizontal markings are applied to the wall, which will help to lay the mosaic sheets evenly.
4. Using a notched trowel, a small layer (up to 10.0 mm) of special glue is applied to the back of the matrix.
5. The mosaic sheet is applied in the right place according to the markings to the wall and easily tapped with a rubber spatula. The remaining matrices are laid out in a similar manner. Before the glue finally sets, the mosaic must be adjusted on the wall.

Wall cladding with mosaic

6. After the glue has completely dried (about 2 days), it is necessary to remove the protective paper layer from the front part of the mosaic. Light wetting is allowed to speed up the process.
7. At the last stage, the seams are treated using epoxy grout.

[note] It is recommended to start fully using the bathroom only after the grout has completely dried. This period, depending on the material and humidity of the room, can be 2-3 weeks. [/note]

Removing the protective layer

We can conclude that correctly selected and correctly laid mosaic is an excellent finishing material that will give the room an unsurpassed, individual design.