Mosaic

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

i have been using original-syle a pool blend, the mesh backing looks a little like there is to much of it !, they have taken on board the problems with water soluble mesh adhesive, But this has lead on to another problem,as these cheaper blends have issues with there squareness as sheets they are usually warped in one or more corners ,which is not a problem with the old water soluble blends, as when they are laid in wet tile adhesive the mesh on the backs relax and you can return a few moments later and massage them into straight lines, but with the new waterproof blends they stay out of square so the only way is to slit the mesh in -situ then massage them into place, and this is very annoying time & time again on a big job ,you start to question why the manufactures can't produce a mosaic that is square !!:mad2: how can we relate this back to the far-eastern makers ? so they can do something ?

 

[Andy Allen]

i would get frustrated on a small kitchen splashy, gods knows how you must feel doing a large pool...

are all mosaics the same, or just the ones from o/s ?

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

i would get frustrated on a small kitchen splashy, gods knows how you must feel doing a large pool...

are all mosaics the same, or just the ones from o/s ?

it does tend to be the cheaper blends andy with most suppliers, it does get on your nerves a bit mate :yikes: i think i would prefer the blends that have the silicon blobs between them they seem a bit squarer and they have good tissary contact with the adhesive as there is no mesh to impede contact ,& the blobs are easily trimmed with a sharp blade

 

[Tony73]

I find very very easy doing mosaic tiles :hurray:. As long as walls are perfectly flat etc. Mark vertical and horizontal lines every 500-600mm.

 

[The D]

Good quality paper faced are the best in my humble opinion

 

[Tony73]

paper faced ok, but you dont see what you doing :smilewinkgrin:. some fall off etc. So not my favorite. But that is just my opinion

 

[Turkish tiler]

check the mosaic's box they are in if there is any email address or company name take picture send to them.

 

[Colour Republic]

This is why I never understand people pricing per meter before checking the goods.

 

[The D]

if You wet the paper you can see them no problem. No mesh obstructing the back 100 % contact. No silicone in the joints its all good. Also wetting the paper makes them easier to manipulate

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

check the mosaic's box they are in if there is any email address or company name take picture send to them.

one thing i have started to do is take the above details, photograph front & back and keep a sample sheet of every job i do just for reference ,as Dean said but they are very hard to get nowadays in the blends pool owners want? they were all that was available years-ago

 

[Tony73]

possibly Deano, i'm just not as comfortable with paper. Like mesh more

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

paper faced ok, but you dont see what you doing :smilewinkgrin:. some fall off etc. So not my favorite. But that is just my opinion

you can see the edges Tony for alining as the paper always stops short of the edges then when the adhesive has tightened you can remove the paper and adjust , some guys used to grout just before fixing

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

you can see the edges Tony for alining as the paper always stops short of the edges then when the adhesive has tightened you can remove the paper and adjust , some guys used to grout just before fixing

Spot on Dave, when I first started all mosaics were paper faced, as you say there is always a gap around the edge so you can line up joints ( staggered of course) and yes we used to butter the back side of sheets with Snowcrete (white cement) so grouting was just filling in between sheets. We mostly rendered the walls, then beat the sheets in as the render started to firm up, eg render in the morning, fix in the afternoon, same as the old twin tile method (floated coat) I have been back to patch some jobs fixed with this method and boy are they hard to take off, another example of the old ways standing the test of time.

 

[MTiler]

cant beat Bisazza mosaics for quality and ease of use, here's one I did earlier:

 

[Tony73]

yep aggree

 

[The D]

Have to agree Bisazza mosaics are top quality excellent for size witch is good when you are setting them in a tray your self.

View attachment 42933

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Sharon, fantastic work. Tony same as, I think I will hang my trowel up I would love to produce art work like that, I am just an average tiler, thanks for sharing.:hurray:

 

[mattle40]

Sharon, fantastic work. Tony same as, I think I will hang my trowel up I would love to produce art work like that, I am just an average tiler, thanks for sharing.:hurray:

Hang up the trowels and get the fishing rod out eh ;-)

 

[Tony73]

yeh Phil an average :lol::lol::lol:

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

And your work Dean, I posted before I saw your exellent example.

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

i agree with phil, awesome work you three :drool5:

 

[Tony73]

Thanks, feel lucky to get my hands on bisazza, and not once. Hope will do much more in the future :hurray:

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

just to say Bisazza were the most common mosaic tiles over in britain and as cheap as chips as the blends were limited when i first started , and look at them now very bespoke indeed

 

[MTiler]

just to say Bisazza were the most common mosaic tiles over in britain and as cheap as chips as the blends were limited when i first started , and look at them now very bespoke indeed

Cheers everyone.
Im lucky in that Ive done a few jobs using Bisazza.
They used to have a training centre in Croydon till a few years ago and closed it down. Orders usually take 3-4 weeks these days to arrive from Italy, a few suppliers in London have been a bit p'd off with them. They dont do themselves alot of favours. Their Installation Packs have changed yet again, it now only contains Filgel and a small bag of Ady.
One of the family left and set up Mosaico+ and their epoxy grout is just Filgel under another name.
All good fun.

cheers
Missy T