Home owners have always struggled with the notion of whether or not to purchase a handmade mosaic made of glass. With the proliferation of different types of mosaic materials, such as ceramics, quartz, travertine, and marble, the challenge especially presents itself when it comes to a backsplash mosaic. As such, choosing the right material can be quite of a nuisance. However, since glass mosaics is the center of this article, we should only focus on his positive and negative attributes, to allow decorators to reasonably come to a good decision.

So is a glass mosaic suitable to be used as a backsplash? We will see in a jiffy.

The Negative:

I am not a negative or pessimistic person, but I prefer listing all the undesirable attributes first. So please, just hang in there, before we get to the good part.

1. Expensive: One major issue which can irritate a potential buyer, is how expensive glass mosaics are. They are even more expensive than marble mosaics, in most cases. I know what you are thinking: But it is just glass! Why is it so pricey? Many people confuse mosaic glass with Vitrail. Although they both have a similar composition, the latter can break real easily.

Mosaic glass, on the other hand, can be more durable. This is due to the fact that it is carefully produced using a more difficult and expensive process. As a result, you will have a pricing that will make anyone cringe. Thus, when a square foot of glass mosaic costs around 25 $, you will find it expensive to tile a kitchen or bathroom with a large space.

2. Not Always Unique: In most cases, you will end up buying a mass-produced glass mosaic, and we all know what mass-produced means: lots and lots of the same product. Bearing in mind this issue, I don’t think many people would still want to buy reproduction works. It only means it lost its artistic value and became a victim of the industrial machine. As such, if you care about buying something unique, you should carefully pick the right manufacturer which handcrafts glass mosaics or uses avant-garde techniques.
3. Can fall out of style

Glass mosaics are based on colors and patterns. Since these two aspects are dependent on what the current trending style is, it would mean implications for glass mosaics. In other words, if you buy a glass mosaic its color and patterns will run out of favor within a few years. You won’t have this problem when it comes to natural stone mosaics. Also, one should not forget to mention that glass mosaics themselves can eventually fall out of style. So you’d better be sure that you are up for such an issue if you are planning to own such a piece of art.

4. Difficult to Install

Unless you are an expert or really confident when it comes to tiling, don’t plan to install it by yourself. Any slight mistake can cause your expensive mosaic project to escape your hands and break. Trust me, you don’t want sharp glass fragmented all over the place. It is enough that you had to go through breaking something that has lots of value. A solution to that can be, hiring a professional, who has experience with glass mosaics, to do the work. However, finding help in such a niche occupation can be quite expensive. I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry, don’t you think?

5. Easily Scratched

Let’s face it: In the end, glass is glass. It has Mohs scale hardness of 5.5 making it very susceptible to scratches inflicted by other objects. So if pots and pans mistakenly come in contact with the surface of the mosaic, a graze in the glass will be unmistakably recognized. In such a circumstance, using the glass mosaic as a kitchen backsplash may not be such a good idea. However, all hope is not lost. When we take into consideration that the typical bathroom lacks these hard utensils, installing it there as a backsplash might be a better bet. Unfortunately, it would have been great if the glass mosaic, had been used to decorate the kitchen.

The Positive

Are you bummed out? Not yet? Good! Time to shed some light on the positive attributes of using glass mosaics as a backsplash.

1. Simply fancy

Glass mosaics always seem to dial up the dazzle as they look much more polished and sparkly than other mosaic works; an aspect that makes them look classy. The combination of flashy colors can easily merge to give patterns an artistic edge. They can also add life to neutral backgrounds without taking away their finesse. This is because they have the ability to reflect light like no other mosaics. So if you want to add a luxurious feel to a kitchen or bathroom, glass mosaics can give an iridescent and shiny finishing to your backsplash. They are great assets to swiftly attract the admiration of visiting guests.

2. It is Predictable

What’s great about glass mosaics, is that you get what you paid for. Unlike other mosaics such as natural stone made ones, they arrive at your doorstop looking the same as described online. Natural stone mosaics may have a different tinge from that in the picture. Sometimes, you may detect more visible alterations. However, this rarely or never happens when we take into consideration reputable companies. As a result, you may fall into the hassle of sending the package back and ordering a refund. As such, with glass mosaics, you can be sure that your backsplash receives the exact tiling that your beautiful home deserves.

3. Easier to Clean

If you are quite messy when you prepare your meals, glass mosaics are perfect for you. As they are easy to clean and resistant to mold, stains, and mildew, they ideally serve as a backsplash. So you do not have to purchase specific cleaning products. All you need to use is a moist cloth or a wet mop. In case there is a buildup of soap scum, a little bit of vinegar can do the trick. As for the bathroom, it is a less hazardous area when compared to the kitchen. Thus, it won’t be much of a liability when installed there.

4. Easier to sell

Since it is a highly demanded commodity, it easy to auction a glass mosaic for sale. At the moment, it is still trending and is a better alternative to ceramics and natural stone mosaics, in terms of how refreshing and sharp they look. This is interesting news if you are planning to sell your house since it can give you a better bargaining price. Moreover, if you decide that a glass mosaic is not for you, this aspect can allow you to reconsider something else by selling it. I guess glass mosaics represent a form of modern art and people seem more and more enticed by that.

5. Cleaner to make

If you are concerned with Mother Nature and the implications of pollutants cast upon it, you will be happy to find out that producing glass mosaics is cleaner than producing ceramic ones. When taking mass-production into account, it takes double the energy to produce a single ceramic tile than does to produce a glass tile of the same size. Moreover, some glass mosaics are produced from recycled glass refuse as opposed to ceramics which are so much harder to recycle. Therefore, if you have the choice between a ceramic and a glass mosaic, be certain that you are doing your environment a favor.

Did this article help you make up your mind?

Still not sure whether to buy a glass mosaic backsplash, or not?

Please leave a comment or a question in the section below, and I will gladly reply.