Mosaic decoration of various manufacturing methods
Mosaic has not lost its popularity from the very past to the present. The available opportunities to afford to decorate the house with mosaic images are not available to everyone.
In the first row you can put people who care about the atmosphere of their home and create a mosaic with their own hands. Not one aspect emphasizes the versatility of the finish, which is clearly visible in the photo and video.
Mosaic goes well with various textured wallpapers, colored stucco, various paints and other types of finishes. Mosaic coverage is decorative and is universal for interiors.
Its application allows you to solve many problems in interior decoration, flooring and walls, window sills, fireplaces, balconies. Mosaic can be beautifully revetted not only a flat, but also a curved surface.
The content of the article
Mosaic selection conditions
It is believed that mosaic finish no different from tiling, sculpt yourself and sculpt. Upon a detailed examination and analysis, the conclusion suggests itself that this is far from the case and the laying technologies are very different.
The fact of the appointment of these facing materials is not in dispute. Materials for mosaic decoration and the difference in their installation deserves a detailed analysis.
Foundation requirements
Mosaic is divided into two types - finished tiles with a mesh or paper base and manual selection of individual fragments from broken materials of natural or decorative stone, tile. Regardless of the type of mosaic chosen, a carefully prepared base surface is required.
So:
- A straight wall should have a plane with a perfectly flat surface. Mosaic facing differs from tile laying in that when laying a mosaic, it will not be possible to level the surface with a different layer of glue.
The thin, flexible, mesh or paper base of the product repeats the shape of the surface to the nearest millimeter. The surfaces of all roundings, bends, arcs of segments, regardless of their shape, are also aligned to an ideal state. Alignment of the planes is achieved by plastering or plastering sheets of drywall. - Every day, advertised adhesives for ceramic tiles of the Ceresit class and many similar products are not suitable for all types of mosaics. Glass, smalt, stone, metal mosaics and others are fixed on the plane of the walls only with latex glue.
- A typical base preparation procedure involves the removal of paint stains, foreign elements and objects. Any contaminants, dust must be thoroughly cleaned and the surface primed.
This will increase the adhesion of materials and, if the work is done accurately and efficiently, in a few years you will not have to redo everything.
Attention: The completed screed, which smoothes out surface defects, dries for at least 10 days.
Mesh-based material laying
Mosaic tiles made on nylon mesh are among the most common types of finishing material. Such a mosaic is performed and pool decoration.
Provided that the walls are thoroughly prepared, laying mosaic tiles is quite simple.
So:
- Glue is applied on the wall with a comb with a tooth no more than 6 mm and the mosaic is applied to the wall, carefully pressed with a special tool with a rubber base in the form of a sticker.
- By smooth, circular movements, pressing and spreading individual tiles, if necessary, uniform seams are achieved. Particular attention should be paid to combining the individual mosaic paintings into a single unit, and the seams should correspond to the seams between the individual tiles.
- A distinctive feature of this mosaic is that after the glue dries in a day or two, the joints are freed from excess glue and are wiped.
- Grouting is done according to the principle of tile. The joints are filled with white or colored mortar with a large rubber spatula, and excess mortar is wiped with a dry, clean material or a damp foam sponge.
Paper-based laying
Finishing a mosaic coating on a paper basis has a positive point, when, subject to the rules of gluing and the correct selection of dyes for glue, the final grout can be omitted.
So:
- Paper-based mosaic gluing is done with transparent, white glue, you can get the glue of the desired shade.
Attention: A correctly calculated layer of glue will allow to avoid uneven seams with excess glue and voids with a lack of glue.
- When pressing the mosaic, the colored glue spreads on its own, filling the seams, and the paper on the front side does not allow it to get out.
- After complete drying, the paper is wetted and easily removed from the surface.
- If necessary, grout with a rubber spatula.
Manual mosaic set
Hand-made mosaic finishing is a complex, but effective laying of material, requiring labor, selection of patterns and cutting of each individual fragment. The painstaking work and patience will not only justify the time spent, but will also exceed all expectations, especially if two finishing methods are used.
So:
- In the first version, for clarity, fragments are laid out on the floor, and the selected parts of the mosaic are transferred to the wall.
- In the second case, the front side is glued to the paper, and the finished pattern is placed on the wall.
- It is clear that the sizes of the fragments cannot be large, otherwise it will be inconvenient to work with them.
- The finished mosaic panel is cut with a knife into convenient elements for gluing and parts are transferred to the wall. This is a better way to set mosaics from almost any type of material.
Attention: Cutting the mosaic at the seams is done with a knife, and cutting the tile will have special mosaic tongs, working on the principle of nippers.
Mosaic plaster
It is a finished mass of a mixture of acrylic resin and colored, natural or artificially colored chips. It is resistant to atmospheric changes, mechanical damage and humidity.
So:
- Acrylic resin gives the product durability and water-repellent properties, thanks to which the plaster does not absorb water, but does not prevent its evaporation.
- Stone plaster is washed and rubbed without the risk of its destruction.
- Resin gives elasticity to the plaster and prevents mechanical damage.
- Several types of plaster are distinguished and are classified according to the size of mineral chips.
- Finishing with mosaic plaster with a grain diameter of 0.5 mm is used for facades. There are limitations, so before buying you need to make sure that the right choice is made.
Priority property
The main requirement for mosaic plaster is strength and durability. The mass is applied very carefully and without fail on dry walls.
Water will evaporate for a long time from wet walls due to the high diffuse resistance of the mosaic plaster, despite the vapor permeability.The instruction says that with proper preparation of the base, the durability of the plaster and the absence of molds depend.
So:
- The surface of the walls is cleaned and leveled, freed from plaque and greasy stains.
- The base is cleaned of splinters, lumps of dirt, flakes and dust.
- Experts recommend priming the surface with a deep penetration solution.
- The primer mixture strengthens the base and allows you to adjust the process of moisture absorption.
- The surface is carefully leveled with cheap materials or stucco, which saves on expensive mosaic plaster.
- Mosaic plaster is sold in a plastic bucket in the form of a prepared mass.
- Individual batches of plaster may vary in shades, so when purchasing several packages, you should make sure that they belong to the same batch, series and production date.
- The mass made on different days is poured into one container and thoroughly kneaded.
- The mass must be quickly developed, so the organization of uninterrupted work is of great importance. The fresh mass applied to the surface must not be allowed to come into contact with dried plaster in order to avoid noticeable joints.
- The plaster is applied by a strip of not more than 1 m by hand, or the spraying method is applied, followed by smoothing and removing gaps between the grains.
- The mass is always applied in one direction to give uniformity to the plaster layer. It is not grouted.
- Manual work with plaster can be done even by not very skilled builders, and spraying, without fail, must be entrusted to specialists.
Note: Fresh plaster should be protected from the sun and wind for the first day, it should not come into contact with the ground in order to avoid pollution and capillary absorption of water.
A kind of mosaic
So:
- Glass mosaic is resistant to moisture and contact with water, does not react with household chemicals, therefore it is used for bathroom finishes, showers, pools and other rooms.
- Ceramic mosaic is similar to ordinary ceramic tile, and you can choose a matte or glossy mosaic to perform various works.
- Mosaic made of natural stone is most often used on the floor decoration of wet rooms.
- Metal mosaic is gaining popularity, but it is not suitable for rooms where the moisture content is high, and the price of this product is still high enough for widespread use.
Mosaic care is carried out with neutral detergents without the use of wax, oil or acid-containing agents.
