With the help of mosaics, you can make the interior of the kitchen or bathroom attractive and original. There are many types of this material in the modern market. And most of them, like tiles, are glued to the walls with a mortar. However, recently manufacturers have begun to produce a new type of material of this type. Such a mosaic is called self-adhesive, and in addition to its attractive appearance, it is also distinguished by the extreme ease of installation.
What are they made of?
Like any other, self-adhesive mosaic can be made of different materials. Such decoration differs from the traditional one only in that the mini-tiles in this case, even at the production stage, are fixed on an adhesive substrate. The latter is made using rubber and bitumen.
Like a regular mosaic, self-adhesive is usually assembled into assembly squares with an area of 30x30 cm. A white waterproof film is glued on the back of each such flexible plate. The use of this material prevents the drying of the rubber-bitumen adhesive substrate.
Characteristics
The thickness of the decorative layer in the sheets of such a mosaic usually does not exceed 5 mm. The standard sizes of each mini-tile for this type of finish can be 25x25 mm or 10x10 mm. On sale today there is a self-adhesive mosaic:
- glass;
- ceramic;
- smalt;
- stone;
- composite;
- metal.
The colors and textures of this modern material can be very different. If you wish, you can purchase a monophonic self-adhesive mosaic or assembled from tiles of different colors for finishing the kitchen or for the bathroom.
What surfaces can be glued
The ease of installation of the mosaic of this variety lies, among other things, in that it adheres to the surfaces very firmly and at the same time quickly. That is, the master does not have to hold the sheet of such material for a long time when finishing on the wall with his hands.
Gluing a mosaic of this type is allowed on absolutely any surface. Most often, such sheets are fixed, of course, on the plastered walls. But if you want with a self-adhesive mosaic, you can finish wooden surfaces, concrete or metal. In kitchens or bathrooms, such material is also often mounted simply on top of old tiles.
Since the rubber-bitumen substrate of the mosaic of this variety is completely not afraid of water, it is possible to glue such sheets, including next to sinks, above bathrooms and sinks. But at the same time, this type of material can only be mounted on the walls and ceiling. Self-adhesive mosaic designed for the floor does not exist on sale.
What tools and materials are needed
Since the self-adhesive mosaic, in addition to the decorative layer, also has a sticky substrate, various brushes, spatulas and adhesive solutions are not used during its installation. Of the painting tools for applying such a finish to the walls, you only need a roller.
Also, the home master, who decided to use a self-adhesive mosaic in the kitchen or for the bathroom, will need to prepare a building level or a laser level. Such tools will subsequently be needed to perform markup.
In addition, for the installation of mosaic flexible plates, you will need:
Grout during installation of such sheets is usually not used. Self-adhesive mosaic on the wall and without it looks quite harmonious. In addition, to finish the walls with such material with your own hands, you will also have to prepare well-sharpened scissors. Such a tool will be needed for cutting material.
The main stages of installation
The procedure for designing a kitchen with a self-adhesive finishing mosaic usually includes the following steps:
Mounting the material of this variety is actually an extremely simple operation. Even a person who has never dealt with difficult types of facing materials can cope with such work. However, at each stage of the work when finishing the walls with such a mosaic, all the required technologies, of course, must be observed exactly. Otherwise, the design of the kitchen or bathroom will turn out to be sloppy and unattractive.
Surface preparation
Many real estate owners note the fact that even on not too smooth walls, self-adhesive mosaic tiles look dignified and quite attractive. However, before installing this material, the walls, of course, should still be prepared in the most thorough manner. In this case, the finished decoration in the kitchen or in the bathroom will ultimately look as neat as possible.
For example, the procedure for preparing walls for mosaic finishing may include:
Dust and dirt from the walls before gluing the mosaic can simply be washed off with a damp cloth. Alkaline household cleaning products are commonly used to remove oily stains. It can be, for example, a warm solution of laundry soap. In any case, before mounting the mosaic sheets, the walls cleaned with water must be thoroughly dried. It is impossible to glue such material on wet surfaces.
Chips and cracks on the plaster before gluing the mosaic plates can be repaired, for example, with gypsum putty. Such material is easy to install and also sets very quickly.
The most difficult procedure that you may have to perform before installing the mosaic on a self-adhesive base is the alignment of the walls. Such an operation usually becomes necessary in the premises of houses of old construction. In such buildings, corners in kitchens and bathrooms can be heavily obstructed. In such rooms, at the joints of the walls, the mosaic sheets simply won’t lie flat. As a result, the finish will look ugly and messy.
Eliminate blockages of corners in rooms, usually by plastering walls using beacons. The procedure is technologically unfortunately quite complicated and it’s better to entrust it to specialists. If the home foreman does not have plastering skills, and it’s too expensive to hire specialists, a mosaic in a room with obstructed corners can only be glued over a countertop or, for example, around a bathroom mirror. The remaining surfaces in this case should simply be decorated with wallpaper, decorative plaster, plastic panels, etc.
This way of designing a kitchen or bathroom can actually be a very good solution. Designers, for example, do not recommend using mosaics to decorate all surfaces in rooms. The fact is that small tiles can make rooms visually less voluminous. In most cases, the mosaic still looks better in combination with other finishing materials.
What you need to know
Before proceeding with the installation of self-adhesive mosaics, the wall, of course, must be marked out. The fact is that the glue on such sheets, after they are pressed to the surface, hardens in literally 1-2 minutes. It will most likely be impossible to correct the material after its installation in any way. Therefore, apply such a mosaic to the surfaces should immediately as accurately as possible. The master has no right to make mistakes when installing flexible plates of this type.
How to mark the walls
Draw surfaces before installing mosaic tiles, usually as follows:
apply the building level to the wall in an upright position and draw a line;
30 cm back from the first line and draw the second;
repeat the procedure until the wall is completely marked.
In the same way, horizontal marking is also performed on the surface to be trimmed. Ultimately, the wall on which the mosaic will be glued should be laid out on even squares with an area of 30x30 cm.
Installation technology for self-adhesive mosaics in the bathroom or kitchen
Actually, the sheets of such material themselves are attached to the walls according to an extremely simple technique:
the material is taken by the corner with the right hand, and the protective film is carefully removed from its back with the left;
take the second corner of the sheet with your left hand, bring it to the wall and press it to its surface, according to the marking;
carefully level the sheet against the wall with your hands.
At the final stage, the mosaic element 30x30 cm is ironed with a paint roller, paying particular attention to the corners and edges. When mounting sheets assembled from tiles of different colors, of course, among other things, you need to carefully monitor the pattern.
Original way
They use self-adhesive mosaics for the kitchen or bathroom with the goal, of course, first of all to give these rooms a neat and solid appearance. But if desired, the wall design using such a finishing material can also be made very original and unusual. To do this, during installation you just need to make a kind of "interweaving" between the mosaic sheets of different colors.
Before sticking tiles using this technology, you should draw a diagram of the future pattern. During installation, in this case, some mini-tiles are simply cut out of the sheets. These "excess" elements can subsequently be glued in the kitchen or in the bathroom, for example, in hard-to-reach places. Cutting sheets of self-adhesive mosaics using this technology can be done using ordinary sharp scissors. The rubber-bitumen substrate of such a material is cut very easily.
Useful Tips
Thus, the installation of self-adhesive mosaics is an extremely simple matter. To design a kitchen or a bathroom when using this material, even with your own hands, you can literally in a couple of days. But in order to prevent the mosaic from being overrun and to do the job as efficiently as possible, when gluing the walls with such material, it is worth following the recommendations of experienced specialists.
For example, to separate a film from a self-adhesive mosaic of the master it is necessary only immediately before its installation. Otherwise, the material will be hopelessly damaged. Bitumen glue dries on such flexible plates in just a few minutes.
Start laying self-adhesive mosaic tiles, as usual, should, of course, from below - from the floor of the room. If the ceiling after laying the mosaic for a row remains too narrow a strip, the tile can simply be cut with scissors. In exactly the same way, if necessary, they are also applied when mounting sheets in the corners.
What brand to choose and how much is the material
Experienced craftsmen advise to buy a self-adhesive mosaic only from trusted manufacturers. Unfortunately, completely substandard material of this variety may be offered on the market today. Such a mosaic in the future, most likely, will begin to fall off the wall, will fade in the sun, etc.
We have earned very good reviews from consumers in our country, for example, the material of this variety of the Veromar and Orro Mosaic brands. Self-adhesive mosaic “Leroy Merlin” is also very popular among domestic property owners. In rooms in apartments, including in the kitchen, such material, according to many consumers, looks simply great. A quality mosaic of this type is worth about 3-5 thousand rubles. for 1 m 2 .