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Using Mosaic Tiles as Functional Art in the Kitchen

JasonScott | May 19, 2010 |

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If you want to create a beautiful focal point in your kitchen, you can use mosaic tile to get the job done. It is a durable material and it is not expensive to install. You can use the tile to create an attractive backsplash over your kitchen countertops. There are many different types of tiles available for you to use including glass and ceramic tiles. They are also available in many different sizes, from one-inch squares to one-foot squares and larger.

While generally the larger tiles are use for flooring applications, you will find the one-inch squares equally at home on the wall or on the floor. These tiny tiles are particularly useful when you are creating intricate designs in your tile work. Since these tiles are so small, they lend themselves to creating splashes of color from the tiniest nooks of a kitchen backsplash to the expanse of an entire kitchen wall, turning diminutive tiles into large metal art.

Choosing the Tile

Tiles are available in such a wide variety of colors, finishes, styles and patterns, that you can find a tile to coordinate with your kitchen cabinets, your dishware, your palm tree wall art, or nearly anything else you can imagine. As you are considering which type of tile to choose to use in your kitchen mosaic, you can think about which type of tile finish would best fit your kitchen's style. If you are not sure which type of tile will work best in your kitchen, consider using ceramic tile, because it is a nice mix of color and shine and it is probably the most economical. Ceramic tiles come in a huge selection of colors, so you can find every gradient and shade that you are looking for as you fashion your kitchen mosaic. If, however, you prefer a little sparkle, then you may want to consider glass tiles or metallic tiles. While these selections are more expensive, they can create simply spectacular effects. Glass tile, in particular adds a depth and sparkle to your wall that cannot be duplicated in your ceramic tiles. Especially when used in an under cabinet backsplash, you can add color and brightness to a dull area. Since glass mosaic is created from glass, it is especially brilliant. The tile itself is glass with a solid color background on only one side of the tile. Since the tile is clear glass, you have to be particularly careful in preparing your wall surface for this tile, because any surface flaw may well show through the glass.

Speed the Process with Tile Sheets

Installing one-inch tile could potentially take forever to install, not to mention that it could be incredibly difficult to keep your grout lines uniform. The good news is, though, that you can use a combination of tile sheets and individual tiles when you are creating your mosaic. The tile sheets are made from single tiles, which are affixed to a backing, so all you have to do is hang the sheet like a single tile. So when you are designing your mosaic, use a piece of graph paper to decide which tile will appear where in your design. Then any time that you have a concentration of single color tiles, you can use a tile sheet instead of individual tiles, which will help you to achieve several goals. You will save time. You will get your tiles installed uniformly, and you will end up with a professional looking result. Another thing that you may want to consider is that there are many patterns already arranged on these tile sheets. So if you are installing a pre-made pattern, you can install a mosaic sheet in a fraction of the time that it would take to install individual tiles, and your finished project will look like it took hours of tedious installation.