Decoration materials: mosaic

If you want to have in the house beautiful and practical finishing material, and the universal ceramic tile seems too traditional, look to the mosaic. Mosaic - a picture made up of small pieces or different materials. The word is Latin for "musium" means "dedicated to the Muses." The first mosaic images that have survived to our days, dates back to antiquity. However, today it is undergoing a rebirth. Increasingly, you can see the mural and paintings in a variety of destination premises: swimming pools, showrooms, lobbies otteley, cafes, shops, vernadite. And, of course, new homes and apartments. To replace the lost ancient secrets come industrial production technologies and installation of mosaic compositions. Firms that specialize in this, today mass. And each offers their own sketches and stories, which are usually hundreds of directories. But if they do not satisfy the tastes of the customer, can be used and drawings proposed by the customer. Of course, the artistic expressiveness of the mosaic panel is achieved not only the complexity of the figure, but also a variety of materials constituting it. Today we Tell about them. Glass mosaic. The most common material for the production of mosaic today - Venetian glass. It is durable, waterproof, heat resistant, cold-resistant and high impact. Moreover, it has a solid structure, and therefore not affected by micro-organisms and bacteria and can be used for interior basins. With regard to the color palette, it's hard to describe, so it colorfulness. To this end, in the production process in the glass add a variety of supplements: from boron, cadmium and selenium to the semi-precious mineral aventurine and mother of pearl. The most common form of typesetting elements (referred to as modules, chips, tessera) - square. What they are smaller, so more will be more precise image detail and drawing. Glass Mosaic has a very broad scope: it is the walls and floors in any enclosed spaces, from kitchens to swimming pools and bathrooms, as well as the surface of furniture, fireplaces, facades of buildings. Smaltovaya mosaic. Smalt - a type of glass mosaic. But unlike the last of the glazes containing salts of potassium, not sodium, and other natural compounds that give color materials. Modern smalt prepared by compacting small particles densely stained glass with added oxides and sintering at a temperature of 700-800 ° C during the day. As a result, the material acquires an excellent physical and chemical properties: impact resistance, frost resistance, resistance to aggressive cleaning agents. Smalt is interesting because it is opaque, but seems to glow from within. In addition, each cube is a little different hue. Because of this large area, lined with smalt one color does not look dull. Existing technologies allow to receive up to 10 thousand tones of smalt. This smalt looks very decent: it is easily recognizable by the color saturation, even the light colors have no white inclusions. She has a very smooth and pleasant to the touch surface, which is easy to remove any contamination (easier than with the surface of inexpensive glass mosaics). In addition to appearance, smalt is different from the glass to specifications. It is inherent resistance to abrasion, making it suitable for installation in locations with high stress inside the building and outside (corridor, kitchen, surface around the pool, the porch). Ceramic mosaic, rather its chips resemble ordinary tiles in a square or rectangle, only smaller. Suggested manufacturers colors and shades are very diverse. Mosaics can be simply glazed, and may contain "special effects" - cracelures (small cracks on the surface), divorce, blotches of different color, simulating a rough surface. Laid its surface will be more relief than the finished glass mosaics. Ceramic mosaic stronger glass, combined with resistance to abrasion and original appearance. In unglazed pottery - a porous structure, with all the ensuing trouble. But there are maloporistaya ceramics - monopressokottura. Ceramic mosaic suitable for coating various surfaces, including swimming pools, facades, walls and floors of bathrooms and kitchens. Stone mosaic. Its production uses a variety of stone rocks, starting with the cheapest tuff and ending with the rarest species of marble, onyx and jasper. The color of natural material is unique, the game structure is unusual, so that each mosaic image is certainly unique. You can leave a polished stone, and can "wear out" - then the color is more muted and the edges smoother. Chips produced very different forms - from round to irregular. Maximum size - 50 X 50 mm (mostly those elements are used outdoors). When planning the purchase of a mosaic of natural or agglomerated marble should be aware that this is a relatively soft materials in the care that you can not use abrasive cleaners or harsh brushes that can leave scratches on the polished surface. Should avoid contact with the surface of acidic liquids - fruit juices, wine, vinegar, etc. The majority of products made from these materials is recommended after the installation in areas with intensive exploitation of rubbing a special wax. Exceptions are agglomerates based on quartz. Unconventional materials. One of these - gres, happy to be used in interior design. Porcelain tiles are stronger than ceramic, and is much cheaper than imported materials. But if the technology of its manufacture complied with is not in full, over time it begins to delaminate and lose color. Used for mosaics, and the so-called Metron - a mixture of pieces of aventurine and multi-colored glass held together by a special composition - light but very durable, waterproof, heat resistant, resistant to temperature extremes. Metron is perfect for walls and floors, countertops made from it, window sills, baseboards. Metal mosaic appeared a few years ago. Modules are stamped metal caps height of 4 mm polumillimetrovogo stainless steel sheet. They are fixed on a patented rubber substrate, which gives the tile a necessary degree of rigidity. Modules may have a different shape, texture and even color of the surface. Oval, hexagonal, rectangular, diamond-shaped and square elements can lay out an intricate rug on the wall or floor. Surface of the steel making polished, matte, with notches of different types, and finally coated with a thin layer of brass or bronze. Metallizma quite expensive: 1 square. m - about $ 250-350. But if you use it as decoration or for finishing small areas, you get the option "cheap and decent," and at controlled costs interior acquires flavor. To finish pool there is a special series of high tech of the more corrosion resistant "steel". Manufacturers do not recommend using it for wall surfaces, which are on the street. Gold and platinum. Such decoration - an undeniable sign of luxury. All the factories that produce the mosaic, producing a collection of yellow, white gold or platinum. There is a series in which a mosaic from start to finish done by hand, laying between two layers of glass present gold foil 99-carat. Obviously, the price of such material a considerable - 2 euros per segment (20x20 mm) or 3300 Euro per 1 sq. km. m. But she looks great! Most often used gold mosaic piece, making the insertion. Similar products are offered for both walls and floor, blotches especially beautiful look at the bottom of the pool. The main suppliers of all this beauty - Italian BISAZZA, APPIANI, GIARETTA, MEGARON, SICIS, MARCHETTI FRANCESCO, TREND, French OPIOCOLOR, Spanish ZIRKONIO, Chinese CARTER. Although sellers and argue that the ceramic mosaic is the cheapest, in fact, it turns out that the cost of 1 sq. km. m monochrome glass mosaic - from $ 49, and ceramic - from $ 79. Ceramic is in the form of stones costs $ 120. The use of more sophisticated glass significantly increases the cost of production. Cost of 1 sq. km. m avantyurinovoy mosaic - from $ 101, and every piece of gold mosaic - from $ 1,3. Smalt - too fun not cheap: the minimum price of 1 square. m - about $ 170. Plain natural stone - from $ 108, and aged - from $ 112. At Metron you have to spend from $ 248 per 1 sq. km. m tile. The price for exclusive and copyrights corresponding panels - outdoor "carpet" can cost $ 10,000 or more. Of course, the mosaics are extremely beautiful, but professionals appreciate them more, and for practical properties. It's safe to say that the material is comparable in strength and durability with a mosaic, do not exist, it is really able to survive any adversity. Its easy to pack, it can coat curved surfaces. Each of the species presented today mosaics, as well as sketches, plots, applied technologies deserve a separate discussion, and it is still ahead of us.