Paper Faced Mosaic Tiles Install

[Rob1982]

I plan to install about 2m of glass mosaic tiles in my new kitchen.

The tiles are called 'Utopia'

http://www.originalstyle.com/tile_mosaics_glass_tropical25.htm

I've done some wall and floor tiling recently but havnt done mosaics so iv got a few questions about them:

1. First off, is this something i shouldn't be tackling considering i'm not a professional tiler? Some opinions I've heard say paper faced tiles are a nightmare to fit and should only be done by an experienced tiler.

2. In the tile fixing guide it says to use a "white polymer modified adhesive". Can someone recommend a product and preferable one that i can obtain easily either. Can someone also recommend a matching grout (white).

3. Is it likely that the wall will be seen through the tiles once they're fitting? I ask because some of the paint i used in the kitchen is on the area i plan to tile and the difference in colours could be seem.

4. Any other pointers on paper faced tile installation would be more than welcome!

Cheers Guys.

 

[bathstyle]

1. It depends, as a DIYer you can really take your time on it, you'll certainly need to as you're using a mosaic that is fairly small.

2. Bal single part flexible is a Polymer modified adhesive and slow setting...and has a 5 hour pot life so would be good, also bal mosaic fix would do the job rather well as it's less grainy and (obviously) made specifically for mosaic tiles.

3. It really does depend on the tile, it's not ideal to be tiling on paint but isn't the end of the world as it's a light mosaic tile.

4. Get full tiles up first, don't attempt to cut as you go, it will be impossible. Use a mosaic beater or grout float to tap the tiles in position. Make the tile adhesive mix nice and stiff, you don't want any slippage.

 

[Rob1982]

2. I think I'll go with BAL Mosaic Fix adhesive (Bright White). There's a number of BAL grouts to choose from to. Is there a grout that is the same shade of white as the adhesive? If some adhesive comes through the gaps i'd like this to not be such a problem.

Also for about 2 m2 how much do you think i would need of both?

Cheers.

 

[bathstyle]

Bal mosaic fix is a good choice, go for Bal microflex grout, the important thing is to have the walls perfectly smooth and use a very fine notched trowel, go as low as 3mm if you can, less chance of oozage.

I'm not totally sure how well matched mosaic fix and microflex are in term of colour as I rarely use it due to cost but it is a white adhesive so should match well, your best bet is to not get any adhesive coming out in the first place.

You should get away with a 5kg bag of mosaic fix and a 3.5kg bag of Microflex, but the grout depends a lot on the thickness of the mosaic, maybe get a couple of bags and return one if it's too much.