| Mosaic pictures can be made from many different | | | | floors. The most commonly used size is 20x20mm |
| types of material. From the traditional smalti to | | | | and just under 1kg will cover approximately 30 sq.cm. |
| coloured card cut into shapes. The different | | | | Ceramics Ceramics encompass a wide range of |
| properties offered by these materials means that | | | | materials that you can use. Available in a huge range |
| finished mosaics can be placed almost anywhere in | | | | of glazed and unglazed surfaces, ceramics represent |
| the world, indoors or out. | | | | what is possibly the most versatile of mediums. |
| Below we list the most common materials used for | | | | Kitchen and bathroom tiles are are available in many |
| making mosaics. | | | | sizes and shapes and their colours range from soft |
| Tesserae is the collective name for the small tiles | | | | pastels to full blown primary colours. Some are even |
| that when placed close together go to make up the | | | | made to represent stone and other natural |
| mosaic picture. | | | | finishes.Glazed tiles have a thin coat of colour on a |
| Smalti Smalti is the classic mosaic material. | | | | white base, where as unglazed tiles have colour all |
| They are thick, rectangular pieces of opaque glass | | | | the way through. This makes them very useful as |
| approximately 10x15x7mm. The glass is coloured with | | | | they can be used however you want. |
| metallic oxides while molten. They are then allowed | | | | Objects such as old vases, dinnerware and bowls |
| to cool into 'pancakes' approximately 31cm in | | | | offer another source of tile. By breaking them into |
| diameter, from which the smalti is hand cut. This | | | | random sizes or cutting by hand into specific shapes |
| gives it its distinctly irregular surface with highly | | | | they can produce highly textured surfaces with |
| reflective powers. Smalti is normally sold in half kilo | | | | interesting and sometimes humorous designs. It is not |
| bags and by colour grouping. ie. | | | | usually frost-proof, so is not always suitable for |
| golds, reds, yellows and oranges; whites, greens and | | | | outdoors use. |
| blues; and blacks, greys and browns. Gold and silver | | | | Pebbles Stone used to be the main material used for |
| smalti is made by placing silver or 24 carat gold leaf | | | | making mosaics, starting with the pebbles used by |
| onto a glass backing and then covering with a thin | | | | the Greeks thousands of of years ago. Pebbles are |
| layer of glass, often coloured. Again these slabs are | | | | still used today but only by a few artists. As far as |
| hand-cut to various sizes but the common one is | | | | we know pebbles are not available commercially, but |
| 20x20mm. Because the surface of smalti is pitted it is | | | | rely on the artist gathering a modest collection while |
| usually left ungrouted, so as not to dull the surface | | | | walking along the beach or riverbank. The colour of |
| by filling in the holes with grout. The traditional | | | | the pebbles will depend on the geology of the area |
| method of pushing smalti into a bed of prepared | | | | you are collecting them in. Mixed with other types of |
| mortar is partially self grouting anyway. As smalti has | | | | stone stunning mosaics can be made. |
| an uneven surface and pitted body it is not really | | | | Marble In the past many mosaics were made from |
| suitable for floors, but is ideal on walls and small | | | | marble and different local stones. |
| decorative pieces. | | | | Because of the varying tones and colours in a single |
| Vitreous Glass Vitreous tiles are made from square | | | | sheet of marble it has a unique and varied interest. |
| glass of a uniform size and shape. The molten glass is | | | | For years now marble has been used on floors, but it |
| poured into trays shaped like waffle irons and then | | | | can also be used on walls. It is normally a thick |
| pressed to give a flat upper surface. The reverse | | | | material and one disadvantage of this is weight, |
| surface is bevelled and corrugated to give good | | | | which can make it tricky to fix securely in place. It is |
| adhesion. Because the edges are bevelled these tiles | | | | expensive but not as expensive as smalti, and can be |
| are ideal for use on three dimensional work as they | | | | obtained in a number of finishes. Marble can be |
| allow the material to curve naturally. Vitreous glass | | | | polished to a glassy finish and in this way is generally |
| offers the widest choice of colours. It is a lot | | | | supplied in small blocks known as cubes. Honed |
| cheaper than smalti and easier to cut. Virtually | | | | marble is polished, but stopped short of a glassy |
| indestructable and frost proof it is an ideal medium | | | | finish. This allows the colour of the stone to shine |
| for outside use. The flat upper surface makes it | | | | through but produces a matt surface, giving it a |
| suitable for reverse working, ie. table tops and flat | | | | more natural appearance. |