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How to install a mosaic.Get one-on-one expert advice from our lead designer to help you transform any area around your home or work.
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Your definitive guide to mosaic terminology. Explore the language of artistry, techniques, materials, and craftsmanship that defines our work.
Artistry
The direction or flow of the tesserae within a mosaic. Used to describe the movement and flow of tesserae.
Artistry
Pertaining to the period of the Eastern Roman Empire, known for mosaics using rich colors and gold smalti.
Materials
The base for a mosaic; generally what the tesserae are mounted to.
Historical Art
A reduced-to-scale design of mosaic art suitable for customer inspection.
Creation Process
A full-scale design of a mosaic, often traced onto a medium to which tesserae are added.
Installation
The process where adhesive, cement, or grout hardens and strengthens over time.
Installation Method
The traditional technique where tesserae are set directly into adhesive or mortar on the final installation surface.
Historical Art
A mosaic panel featuring a figure constructed of small tesserae worked away from the final installation site.
Installation
A white, powdery deposit that can appear on tile or grout surfaces due to soluble salts migrating to the surface and crystallizing.
Installation
A two-part grout (resin and hardener) recommended for superior water and chemical resistance.
Adhesives
High-performance, two-part adhesives known for strong, waterproof bonds.
Historical Art
A classic decorative border constructed of continuous, interlocking geometric patterns.
Design
An architectural movement that began in the late 1740s, popularizing medieval design elements, including mosaics.
Installation
The material used to fill the interstices between tesserae.
Cutting Tools
Specialized cutting tools used specifically for shaping smalti.
Installation
The gap between tesserae; the spaces in between where grout goes.
Glass
Round handmade Murano feature tesserae of "a thousand flowers" dating back to the 15th century.
Advanced Factor
Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate. A chemical component used in certain high-performance adhesives (e.g., polyurethane) and resin binders to enhance bond strength and durability.
Adhesives
A mix used to bond bricks or stone; for mosaics, often cement mortar is used as an adhesive.
Materials
Refers to mosaic pieces made from metal or metallic glaze.
Technique
Using very small tesserae.
History
The word mosaic is from the Italian mosaico derived from the Latin mosaicus and ultimately from the Greek word mouseios meaning "belonging to the Muses," hence artistic.
Technique
Mosaics made of minute tesserae. One or more lines of tesserae follow the edge of a special shape (letters or a major central graphic).
Technique
Roman geometric mosaics made up of hand-cut cubed tesserae of stone and marble. Tesserae form vertical or horizontal rows, but not both.
Technique
A major shape (e.g., heart, letter) is formed by a single tessera. Also referred to as Opus segmentatum.
Technique
A grid; all tesserae align both vertically and horizontally.
Technique
Tesserae are irregularly shaped, instead of forming rows. Also known as "crazy paving".
Technique
Wall mosaics made from glass paste and marble. Vermiculatum extends throughout the entire background.
Technique
When vermiculatum is combined with tessellatum or regulatum.
Technique
Tesserae are laid in overlapping semicircles or fan shapes.
Artistry
Latin for "work". The way in which the pieces are cut and placed.
Creation Process
A method of transferring cartoon designs to the surface to be mosaiced. The shape is pin-pricked and dusted with charcoal, leaving an outline of the design.
Historical Art
An inlay technique using highly polished, cut, and fitted colored stones to create images.
Artistry
A style of mosaic where broken pieces of pottery are used as tesserae.
Adhesives
Polyvinyl acetate adhesive; sometimes used for small indoor mosaics or as a temporary binder.
Cutting Tools
A hand-turned grinding wheel used to shape tessera.
Installation Method
A technique where the design is assembled face-down onto paper or a temporary surface, then transferred to the final substrate.
Glass
Small Italian molded glass tesserae with rounded corners.
Smalti
Handmade Italian rectangular bricks of opaque glass used in Byzantine mosaics (e.g., Ravenna). Often left ungrouted due to its naturally occurring bubbled surface.
Installation
A flexible material used to seal joints and prevent water penetration, especially at changes in plane.
Bases
Rubble layer beneath floor mosaics.
Installation
The underlying surface to which the mosaic is fixed (e.g., MDF, plywood, concrete, walls, floors).
Tools
A tool with a flat rubber blade used for applying grout or cleaning surfaces.
Artistry
An art technique that creates an optical illusion that objects exist in three dimensions.
All Mosaics
An individual piece of mosaic; the term for each piece of material.
Cutting Tools
An individual piece of mosaic; the term for each piece of material.
Installation
An adhesive made of cement, sand, and additives used to bond tile to a substrate. Recommended for natural stone.
Artistry
To build or inlay a mosaic (to form a mosaic pattern).
Glass
Mosaic glass tiles in a wide range of colors with a flat smooth surface. Frost and UVA resistant. Ridged on reverse for better adhesion.
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