help needed with installing mosaics!

[novicetiler]

can anyone help me? what is the best way to install paper fronted mosaics on a wall? how can i solve the problem of adhesive seeping through the gaps on instalation and ruining the look of the grouting?

should i pre grout the back of the tiles before installing them,

or is it possible to get an adesive and grout that look the same? Bearing in mind that some mosaics are glass and semi transparent i am using a fired earth white adhesive at the moment but it seeps through the gaps and makes the grouting a nightmare.
also when should i remove the paper? if i do it when the adheshive is dry then i can't rectify any misalighnments, if the adhesive not completely dry then i can move the tiles around a little but this is very tricky if i have previously back grouted them before installation. What a dilemma...does anyone know the answer?

 

[Jasonb]

What size trowel are you using, it should be a small 4mm notch otherwise you will have too much grout.

Also BAL do a mosaic adhesive which dries bright white so will not show once grouted. If its not in a wet area this is one of the few times when a combined grout/adhesive could be used.

The paper can be removed once the adhesive has firmed up and any excess grout racked out while still soft with a stanley knife.

Jason

 

[Mudster]

Welcome to the world of fully vitrified mosaics.

Yes there are professional adhesives for this kind of fit.

Nicobond produce a powdered mosaic adhesive and grout that is designed for use in this application, it is produced for contract swimming pool work and can be bought through Nicholls and Clarke outlets in the London area.

Paper faced mosaics are designed to be pre grouted as you fit, this is where these specialist materials come in, Fired Earth and a lot of these up market tile outlets don't even know these products exist in most cases.

Mix, your adhesive/grout, and grout the tiles in the usual way before you set them, serate the wall with the same product and fit the sheets in position.

Leave for at least 24hrs, preferably 48hrs after you've finished the entire fit then thoroughly soak the paper, not just a wipe with a sponge, it needs to be wet.

You can then fill in any missed spots with the same adhesive grout and this will provide a seamless finish.

Fit your sheets up like brickwork, overlapping them, this will go some way towards disguising the sheet outlines.

These mosaics are not desinged to be perfect, they are designed to provide a decorative wall covering which had "character". all the misaligned tiles add to that....how could you possible set them straight if you can't see them to do so?

Good luck.

 

[novicetiler]

Many thanks..as i suspected i need a professional product that fixes and grouts..thanks very much for the advice

 

[extiler]

i go along with jason on this one, BAL make a product called 'mosaic fix'
which is brilliant and is brilliant white, to match their 'microflex' or 'superflex grouts' so if the adhesive comes through you can't see it.