INSTALLING MOSAIC TILE - A STEP BY STEP PROCESS
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Prepare your mortar With the V-notched side
/ adhesive as
of the trowel apply mortar
instructed on the
/ adhesive to establish a
package. Using the proper and uniform depth.
flat side of a V-notch
trowel, firmly apply
the adhesive onto
the surface.
Apply the mosaic
tile sheets into the
mortar / adhesive
using light and
even pressure to
establish contact.
Apply subsequent
sheets lining up the
grout joints from one
sheet to another.
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
OPTIONAL - to
ensure each mosaic
sheet is at the same
level as the one
next to it, lightly tap
a wood block on top
of the sheets of tile.
After a 10-15 minute
period, If your tile is
covered in a protective
paper covering, wet it a
few times over and gently
peel it off. If your tile is
covered in protective
plastic, simply peel the
plastic off.
Prior to the final
setting of the
mortar / adhesive,
make final
adjustments to
ensure the joints
line up correctly.
After 24 hours, use a
non abrasive nylon
brush to remove
excess adhesive or
paper that is still on
the tile. Then wipe
with a damp sponge.
Step 9
Step 10
Step 11
Cleaning
Information
0-24 hours after
laying - no cleaning.
24 hours to 10 days.
Use clean warm
water and neutral PH
cleaner designed for
tile.
Prepare your grout.
Using non-sanded
grout for all
metal/non-metal
tiles with joints
0-1/8" or sanded
grout for non-metal
tiles with joints 1/8"
to 1/2", apply grout
with a rubber grout
float, forcing grout
into the joints until
they are full. Do not
use sanded grout
for polished / mirror
/ metal tiles.
After 1-2 hours, use a
cheese cloth towel or
moist sponge to remove
excess grout from the top
of the tile, avoid applying
to much pressure that will
wash out the grout from
the joints.
After the grout has
cured (typically
12-24 hours) use a
clean cloth or
sponge to wipe the
excess grout haze
off the tile. Use an
industrial alcohol
cleaner to remove
any excess glue
from the surface of
steel mosaic tile.
10 days and longer, a
mix of sulfamic acid
cleaning crystals and
warm water, applied
with a nylon scrub
brush, following the
manufacturers
directions and rinsing
with clean water.
NOTE: Because of
the metallic nature of
stainless steel tile you
should ensure a
qualified electrician
carries out electrical
work around metal
tile.
CUTTING METAL MOSAIC TILE
Often, due to the small size of the individual pieces on the mosaic tile sheet,
you can simply cut through the joints and mesh backing of the tiles on the
mesh sheet and simply remove them to fit your tile sheet around an obstacle or
at the end of a row. However in the case that simply removing tiles from the
sheet will leave too much of a gap you will have to cut the tiles to fit.
Although it sounds difficult, cutting metal / stainless steel mosaic tile isn't really
that challenging. This is due to the fact that the vast majority of metal and
stainless steel tiles are actually porcelain / ceramic tiles covered with a 1-2mm
stainless steel cap. If the entire tile was solid metal, cutting with regular tools,
even a basic tile saw, would be very difficult or impossible. The image below
shows the typical structure of a metal mosaic tile, using either a flat metal
piece or a cap cover made of metal.
The best method is to use a motorized tile saw, also known as a wet saw.
Because the tiles are so thin, you can often get by with a low grade, low cost
tile saw available at most big box stores. These saws typically retail between
$80-$100 for low use DIY versions, to close to $1000 for professional versions.
Many big box stores and tool rental company's also rent tile saws, so if your
doing a one-time-only project, you might consider renting a tile saw for a day to
get your job done. However, we must stress that tile saws can be very
dangerous, their diamond tipped blades are extremely sharp, and the size of a
piece of metal mosaic tile is often quite small, and thus it requires enough
comfort and skill to cut the piece of tile while maintaining your appendages!
The other option is to use a ceramic tile hand saw, also available at most local
big box or tile stores. It is important to mention however that there is one tool
that will likely not work for cutting metal tile, and that is a scoring tool that is
typically used for cutting porcelain and ceramic. This tool works on the basis of
scoring the relatively soft surface of porcelain or ceramic, however metal
capped tiles don't take well to scoring, so this method usually doesn't work.
If you do not feel comfortable with these sharp, potentially harmfully tools its
likely best to call a professional in to make the final cuts required to finish your
tile job.