Q. What can stone mosaics tiles be used for?
A. Our pebble tiles range in color and are popular because of its durability, texture and unique look. Our pebble stone mats can be used indoors and outdoors. This product is a popular item to use on patios, steps, swimming pools, backsplashes, showers, kitchens, driveways and around fireplaces.
Q. Do you have any installation advice when installing stone mosaics?
A. Make sure to take care of these key factors during and immediately after installation in order to ensure a high quality finish. We recommend a qualified tradesperson, experienced in the laying of natural stone. This ensures that the final installation that is ultimately achieved, is a high quality, natural and professional looking finish. Please remember to sort tiles before installing to ensure an even stone layout. Even though stone and pebble variation is minimal, please realize that with all natural stone, slight natural imperfections may occur. Also remember to use a sealer to protect your stones, especially in high traffic areas.
Q. Does the size of pebble matter when choosing the tile that I would like to use?
A. Pebble size is generally a personal preference. Instead, look for quality of pebbles. Make sure that the colours are consistent and that there are not any holes in the stone and tight spacing between pebbles. Look for pebble mosaic tiles that have minimal spaces between each pebble. Also, look for a pebble mosaics that are pre-sorted with the same thickness, which will cut down on floor variation height, after the floor is installed. If not, you will end up with extremes in pebble height, making a very bumpy surface. All of our mosaics are hand picked and pre-sorted for thickness. For a contoured or vertical surface, you will find that smaller pebble sizes are easier to work with.
Q. What type of flooring should be underneath the stone mosaics that I will be installing?
A. All substrate flooring should be firmly fixed, flat, clean dry and free of contaminants and sealants. If your base flooring is not adequate, than this just invites a number of post installation problems; cracking of grout, thinset that does not bond correctly with the base flooring, and moisture getting in between cracks which then invites unwanted mould and mildew.
Q. What type of adhesive should I use?
A. A cement based, good quality thin set is generally suitable. It is very important that each pebble is thoroughly embedded directly in the thin set so that it does not dislodge because of future general use. We recommend all MAPEI products for setting materials.
Q. What type of grout should I use?
A. Your grout should be suitable for external or internal conditions. It is important to wait the time recommended by the adhesive manufacturer before grouting. This minimizes dirt ingress between the pebbles and pebbles from dislodging from the adhesive. Grout small areas at a time to avoid drying out unused portions of grout.
Q. What kind of sealers would you recommend?
A. It is recommended that the pebbles be sealed with a quality impregnator before grouting and then after grouting. Clear gloss or flat slate stone, non-yellowing professional acrylic grade sealants should be taken into consideration as well. There are various products on the market. Just make sure to seal your stones with a quality impregnator. If more stone color is desired, then try a matte finish sealer for a natural feel or a high gloss finish for a wet look. Whatever sealants you use, make sure that you follow the manufacturers recommended method of application. You also have the option of high quality 1 step sealers that you may find on the market which also work well. We always highly recommend any AQUAMIX sealers with all of our installations. All types of Aquamix sealers can be purchased at our store.
Mosaic Stoneworks is not responsible for any of our products once it is installed. If installation problems do come up, the matter needs to be dealt with by the installer. Mosaic Stoneworks guarantees the quality of the product and not the installation of the product.
