Mosaic Tile in Los Angeles, CA

Glass, marble or porcelain mosaic: how the materials differ

A mosaic is any small tile, typically 2 inches or under per piece, mounted on a mesh or paper backing so it can be set a sheet at a time. The material decides where a mosaic belongs more than the shape does.

Where mosaic tile earns its place in Los Angeles homes

Mosaic backsplash

Mosaic sheets cover a short backsplash wall quickly and wrap around outlets and window returns more easily than large tile. On a long run, they can get busy, so many kitchens use a mosaic only behind the range or sink and a plainer tile elsewhere. Compare options on the kitchen backsplash page.

Mosaic shower floor

Small pieces bend to the slope of a shower pan, and the dense grout grid adds traction. Hexagon mosaic tile is the classic choice: a Google reviewer described hexagon marble shower floors in a 4-plex project, paired with larger arabesque walls. The shower tile page covers waterproofing and wall pairings.

Mosaic accent wall

A mosaic accent wall behind a vanity, a wet bar or a fireplace turns one surface into the focal point. Keep the rest of the room quiet so the pattern reads as intentional. For floors that need the opposite effect, long and calm, see wood-look tile.

Is a hexagon mosaic tile slip resistant enough for a shower?

Usually more so than large tile of the same material, because every grout joint is a small ridge for your foot to catch. That said, a polished marble hex is still slicker than a honed one. Check the wet DCOF value on the product sheet; the ANSI A137.1 standard uses 0.42 as the minimum for level interior floors walked on wet, and many mosaics marketed for shower floors list a figure at or above it. Honed, tumbled or matte finishes are the safer choice where children or older adults shower.

Repair, match or replace an older mosaic?

Many 1920s–40s bungalows and Spanish-style houses around Los Angeles still have their original small hex or penny-round bathroom floors, often set in a thick mortar bed. Some are worth saving. Signs that tell you which way to go:

• A few loose or missing pieces in one spot: usually repairable with matched loose tile.
• A crack running straight across the floor: the mortar bed or slab has moved, and patching only hides it.
• Grout washed out around the tub or toilet: water is getting under the tile.
• Stains that cleaning will not lift from unglazed porcelain: regrouting and sealing may revive it.
• Hollow sound across a whole shower floor: the bed has let go, and the floor needs replacing.

Replacing tile in the same layout is generally cosmetic work, but a new shower pan, drain or valve is a plumbing alteration that needs a permit, issued by LADBS for City of LA addresses or by your own city’s building office elsewhere. The CSLB classification for setting tile is C-54; look the setter up on the board’s license search before work starts.

From the sample board to the wall: buying mosaics step by step

1. 1

   Bring the surfaces it will touch

   A countertop sample, a vanity photo or a piece of the field tile you have chosen. Mosaics live or die by what surrounds them.

2. 2

   Look at full sheets, not chips

   Ask to see a whole 12-inch sheet laid out flat. Color variation across glass and stone sheets is part of the look, and a single chip hides it.

3. 3

   Check the backing

   Mesh-backed sheets set face up into thinset; paper-faced sheets are set paper side out and the paper is soaked off. Confirm which you are buying.

4. 4

   Choose grout with the sheet in hand

   Hold grout samples against the sheet. With mosaics, grout covers a large share of the surface and changes the color of the whole wall.

5. 5

   Measure and add overage

   Sheets are sold by the piece or box; add extra for cuts at edges and keep spare sheets for future repairs.

6. 6

   Arrange setting

   Have the mosaics you bought installed, or pass them to your own tile setter with the product sheets.

What adds cost to a mosaic tile project?

• Material: glass and marble mosaics generally cost more per square foot than porcelain.
• Grout time: more joints per square foot means more grout, more cleanup and a longer workday.
• Edges and niches: wrapping a niche or window return with mosaics involves fiddly cutting of individual pieces.
• Thinset type: glass usually calls for a white, polymer-modified setting material so gray mortar doesn’t show through.
• Substrate flatness: small tile follows bumps, so walls may need skim-coating to avoid a wavy finish.
• Shower floor prep: a mosaic floor sits on a sloped, waterproofed base, which is the bigger part of the cost.

Why start a mosaic search at Adcom?

• Mosaics next to the big surfaces. See a sheet beside cabinets, counters and floor tile instead of in isolation.
• Glass, marble and porcelain. All three material families are part of the tile selection, so you can compare them directly.
• Help with discontinued looks. Google reviewers describe the team searching out tile that wasn’t available on the showroom floor, which matters when matching an existing mosaic.
• Setting on request. Buy only the sheets, or have the mosaic installed.

Cleaning mosaics and where they show up around LA

Mosaic upkeep is mostly grout upkeep. Squeegee shower floors after use, wipe backsplashes weekly with a pH-neutral cleaner, and seal cement grout and any marble pieces once the grout has cured. Skip vinegar and bleach-based sprays on marble mosaics; they etch the stone. Los Angeles tap water leaves mineral spots, so a dry towel after cleaning keeps glass sheets clear. The shower tile ideas and backsplash ideas guides show more combinations.

Mosaics suit compact rooms well, which is why they turn up in Santa Monica condo bathrooms, small kitchens in West Hollywood apartments and the vintage-style baths of older Pasadena homes, as well as across the Los Angeles neighborhoods near the showroom.