- Don 't allow an installer with insufficient experience to
use your project as a testing ground. Whether the work will be
done by the mosaic fabricator or a separate contractor, inspect
other projects or at least be sure to see detailed photos of
jobs similar to yours.
- Watch especially for fat grout lines and misalignments where
sections of the mosaic were crudely joined. If they occur on
your project, these will always catch the eye (or foot) and be
disappointing.
- Be certain that the subsurfaces are sound and free of cracks.
Mosaics will not stabilize wobbly walls or floors; instead they
'll come off when the surface is flexed.
- Mosaic elements themselves are stable and water resistant,
but they can be dislodged if applied to mater- ials such as drywall
or wood, which soften or warp when wet. In potential wet areas,
specify cementitious backer panels.
- Be certain that the subsurfaces are flat and smooth. Mosaic
materials -- especially thin ones -- applied over 1/8 in. of
thinset will replicate the dips and bumps beneath them.
- Request the best installation materials, such as thinset
and grouts fortified with liquid latex. I specify my preferred
high-quality products even when I am not installing myself.
- A neutral gray grout is rarely wrong; avoid a high contrast
or bright color, unless you want an especially dramatic effect.
White and black grouts -- like clothes -- are harder to maintain.
- Discuss the question of sanded vs. unsanded grout with the
installer.
Planning and communication are paramount, both in the practical
and aesthetic issues. Accurate dimensions are critical; if they
can be measured on site while the mosaic is still in the planning
stage, great. Otherwise, incorporate some element of adjustability
in the design. A border around a picture panel may be expanded
or shrunk, for example, whereas the picture itself cannot. So
plan an "adjustable border."
- To ease installation, specify the same thickness of material
for the mosaics as for adjacent surfacing. Otherwise, make certain
the installer explains his plan to accommodate these differences.
- If the adjacent surfaces to be faced with mosaics are out
of square -- an old bathroom, for instance, with walls and floor
at odd angles -- either rebuild it or consider a design with
a "looser" feel, rather than one that relies on geometric
precision along all the corners.
- Clients should be urged to volunteer personal likes; designers
should solicit them. Comments such as, "Turquoise is my
favorite color, and my husband hates purple;" "We grow
orchids and collect old bottles;" and "Here 's a photo
of our daughter with her parrots" can suggest motifs that
will personalize a mosaic mural or custom border.
- Schedule the installation so that there is sufficient time
for the fastidious care it will require. More important, plan
the whole enterprise early enough -- months early -- so that
design revisions can be considered calmly and perhaps unusual
materials ordered.
Click Here for a Buying Guide to Ceramic Tile and Mosaics
Life is short, and mosaics last a long time. Why not create
something as enduring and delightful as the mosaic materials themselves?
George F. Fishman's one-person studio is in Miami Shores,
Fla. Collaborating at times with other designers, he has created
unique mosaics for homes, parks, churches, and cruise ships for
ten years. He specializes in pictorial work, using a mix of stone
and smalti.
