Important factors to consider when buying mosaic tiles for your bathroom

In verbal terms, a mosaic is said to be a decorative art design, made up of ceramic, glass, or stone pieces. These pieces are arranged in a definite pattern to create a unique design or image.  Although ceramic and glass decorative art designs are typically used in swimming pools and spas, it is becoming more and more popular to add these designs to both indoor and outdoor bathrooms.

When it comes to discrete mosaic designs; the term relates to design inlays produced with a variety of materials such as colored glass, porcelain/ceramic, stone, etc. The mentioned materials are combined in a small format and spread over a mesh sheet, which makes the installation process an easy one.

Discrete mosaic designs can be inlaid on any bathroom surface as an interior decorative piece. These mosaic designs have a unique ability to entirely transform a dull, unattractive surface into a stunning masterpiece filled with style and fashion. If you are looking for something to permanently enhance your bathroom’s appeal, discrete mosaic designs can serve you better than anything else.

Various Tile Mediums

For this article, when we talk about discrete mosaic designs, we are referring exclusively to ceramic/porcelain and glass designs.  It is important to understand that discrete mosaic designs are inlaid into the background tile of the surface.  The background tile can be ceramic/porcelain, glass, or stone.  To make your tile selection easier, we discussed the three major types of bathroom tiles below. Getting yourself familiar with these types of tiles will aid your decision-making and choosing the correct discrete mosaic design and background tile for your bathroom.

Glass

Glass, as a medium for discrete mosaic designs and background tile, is the oldest one, except for stone.  Although glass is the most expensive option of the three mediums, glass does offer a high degree of sophistication and old-world charm. Glass has been used by the ancient Romans and Greeks to decorate their houses. Without ever getting old, this type is a stylish option for your bathroom. 

Unique Characteristics:

• Available in a wide variety of shapes and colors.
• You can opt for completely transparent, opaque, semi-transparent, matte, shiny, etc.
• They are humidity-resistant.
• They are moisture-resistant.
• Glass tiles cannot serve as a resident to fungi, molds, stains, etc.
• It offers some considerable durability.
• Glass can be easily cleaned; hence; glass tiles are easy to maintain.

Ceramic and Porcelain

Ceramic and Porcelain, as a medium for discrete mosaic designs and background tiles, is extremely pocket-friendly.  It’s for those of us who have a beer budget and a champagne designer taste. Ceramic and porcelain can be an ideal choice for those who want stylish décor with a relatively small budget. You can select from a variety of textures, colors, looks, etc. 

Unique Characteristics:

• The perfect option to handle the humidity in your bathroom.
• Very pocket-friendly.
• You can create any style or look in your bathroom.
• Ceramic and porcelain are scratch and stain-resistant.
• They serve both; an accent wall or the entire floor. 
• They also offer an anti-slip property.

Stone

Stone background tile is a perfect choice if you are a nature lover and looking forward to creating an overall natural look in your bathroom. Stone, however, is not very often used to make discrete mosaic designs.  It is primarily used as background tile.  You can, however, get discrete mosaic designs made from porcelain that looks like marble. 

Unique Characteristics:

• Best choice for you if you are a modern, nature, traditional, and contemporary style lover.
• The pattern uniqueness due to natural stone use is unbeatable.
• Natural stones are naturally durable, can you deny it? Stone tiles can be more durable than any other type discussed above. 
• You have a wide variety to select the right stone tile material for your bathroom, such as travertine, granite, limestone, quartz, slate, etc. 
• Provide an anti-slip feature.

Important factors to consider before buying

When it comes to choosing the correct medium type for your bathroom, you face many challenges.  Living in a world offering a wide variety of discrete mosaic designs and background bathroom tiles makes the process even trickier. This is because there are several looks, materials, features, installation methods, styles, and the list goes on. 

Before you get into the actual process of buying material for your bathroom, there are vital factors you need to keep in mind. These will help you to know what can be maintained better for your bathroom while offering the same stylish look you are looking for:

• What is your budget for this bathroom transformation?
• What type will last longer?
• Which type will be easy to maintain?
• Which one can be easily installed?
• Is your selected type environmentally friendly?
• What surfaces will be tiled?
• Which background tile will be best when it comes to bathroom safety?

Budget:

Decorating your bathroom with tiles is not a cheap option. First of all, when it comes to the background tiles you need to purchase at least 5% more tiles than required, because tiles may break during installation.  Another expense to consider is the cost of inlaying your selected discrete mosaic designs.  The background tiles will need to be cut to the outline of the discrete mosaic design to allow for the design to sit level with the background tile.  It is recommended to carry out comparison shopping and select the materials and installer that perfectly fits your budget and promises to serve the same quality.

Safety:

The bathroom and shower floors are an area in your house prone to accidents because they get wet.  Keeping this in mind, we highly recommended you select a background tile specifically designed for this purpose.  Discrete mosaic designs are usually small enough to not be a slip hazard.  If, however, you are concerned about slipping on your discrete mosaic design, then you can get them with a non-skid finish.  Never choose high gloss glazed background tiles if you have children, as they are more slippery.

Style

There is an almost endless variety of medium types when it comes to background tiles.  You can even mix stone with glass or porcelain/ceramic with glass or all three mediums together.  When it comes to discrete mosaic designs, the best is either porcelain/ceramic or glass.  You can go with a modern theme with mostly glass and porcelain/ceramic as your background tile or go with a more old-world look with stone background tile.  Or, just free-wheel it.

Take away:

Tiling your bathroom using mosaic tiles can bring an entirely new look to the area. With a wide variety of style options and various ornate types (each with unique features), you are free to choose the one that fits your budget, safety, and the look of your dreams. With mosaic tiling, you can mix and match the bathroom style as per your mood and budget.