Mosaic Wall Tiles Fitting Guide
Please ensure the tiles purchased are suitable for the application and thoroughly inspected. Ensure your tiler is aware of the expected finish and there are sufficient mosaics for the area.
Read the instructions on the packaging of Adhesives, Grouts and Sealants very carefully. Keep everything meticulously clean and orderly as work progresses.
No complaints regarding the appearance of the product will be accepted by the company once the tiles have been installed.
Tools For The Job: Grout Float, Notched Trowel, Tile Marker Pen, Spirit Level, Scraper, Tile cutter, Tile Nibblers, Tape Measure
Surface preparation: Check your substrates suitability for tiling before proceeding.
The surface must be properly prepared, suitably level, sound, clean, dry, and free of dust, grease or any loose material. All surfaces must be completely secure without any obvious deflection.
Planning: As a general guide, consider the natural focal point of the area to be tiled, and plan the tile layout and the starting point with this in mind. When you have finished marking out your surface you will often come to the end and realise that you will need to cut a sheet to fill the remaining area. In this case, depending on the size of the gap, you will either need to cut your mesh panel or revisit your marking out and shuffle it around a little so you're not left with an awkward bit of surface to tile or cut.
Cutting: To cut the sheets to size make sure you have a wooden worktop and that it is well covered. Using a Stanley knife, turn the sheet over so it exposes the mesh and at an angle, cut straight down the mesh ensuring there is no mesh left sticking out of your cut piece.
If you have to cut the glass we recommend scoring them on a tile cutter and then use nibblers to snap after scoring. Knock the sharp edges off with a diamond stone if required.
Fixing: Mosaic Tiles must be solidly bedded with tile adhesive. Please check the suitability of your adhesive prior to fitting your mosaics. If using a cement based adhesive, please check if your wall requires priming first.
Using a suitable notched trowel apply the adhesive onto the marked out areas, spreading only enough adhesive that remains workable. Take the flat side of the trowel and smooth over the adhesive to produce a uniform, ridge-free bed.
We recommend that light coloured mosaics or transparent glass are fixed with white adhesives.
Carefully follow the mixing recommendations supplied on the reverse of the adhesive product.
Grouting: As mosaics can have smaller grout spaces it is recommended that you use a fine grout.
When grouting mosaics there will be a lot more grout gaps and lines so ensure you have enough to cover the surface as once applied the grout will disappear quite quickly. The tiles may also be slightly uneven which means you will need to use the edges of your grout float to push the grout further in and ensure it fills all the gaps.
Once you have grouted a few metres of your surface you will need to wipe off the excess grout from the front on the tiles. Do not let excess grout completely dry out before removing from the tiles, as hardened grout can be very difficult to remove and could damage the tile.
Sealing: If your mosaic contains Natural Stone you will need to seal the whole area with your chosen sealer. This will render the stone oil and water resistant.
Cleaning and Maintenance: Do not use harsh cleaning products containing bleach, as this could cause damage to the top layer of material
