Tiling Guide: Mosiac Tiles

Note: Although mosaic sheets are "about" 30cm x 30cm, they do, in fact, vary a great amount, so firstly do not assume a sheet is 30cm x 30cm and secondly, do not compare the price of one sheet with another, as it won't work. Get back to a common measurement like square metres - then you can compare.

Mosaics, in general, can be applied to any level, rigid, clean surface, using the correct adhesives of course. See your Tile Depot consultant for the right advice.

Tile Depot will be able to work out how many sheets you will need to cover your area.

Wooden floors

Yes, you can lay tiles over timber floors by using Howtex Single Part Flexible Adhesive.

Cutting mosaics

Larger mosaics can be cut with the scriber/breaker as with wall tiles, but most cutting is done by nippers because of the generally smaller size of the tiles.

Tile Depot also have tile cutting machines available for hire and these save time and effort in cutting.

Laying the tiles

Before starting, it is important to trial lay some tiles out to ensure as few small cuts as possible are used and to work out the easiest place to start.

Ensure that the tiles are straight by stretching a string from one end of the room to the other and follow the line, or use a straight edge. Make sure that there is plenty of adhesive on the back of the tile by lifting one now and then to check.

Ensure the tiles are pressed firmly into the adhesive by tapping them down with your wooden block.

Clean off any adhesive that may be on the mosaic and make sure your grout joints are reasonably clean. This will prevent blotchy grout. A small scrubbing brush is handy for this.