Ceramic Mosaic Floor Tile Ideas

Ceramic tiles come in bold colors or designs that make a creative mosaic.

Ceramic mosaic tiles are smaller versions of geometric tiles used for creative flooring, backsplashes and other home decoration projects. This tile dates back to ancient times. Today, tiles are considered one of the most durable type flooring tiles. When deciding on a mosaic tile idea, decide whether you want glazed or unglazed tiles or a combination of both.

Blend Materials

Blend ceramic tiles with metallic, glass or stone. You can create a pattern by fitting a square of glass or a metallic tile between four ceramic square tiles, or by making similar flower-like designs. Decorate the floor with ceramic tiles in a solid color or a two-tone color scheme. Incorporating glass, stone or metallic tiles adds a sparkle and accents the flooring style.

Use Glazed with Unglazed Tiles

The majority of ceramic floor tiles, ancient and modern, are decorated with a glaze, according to a preservation article on the National Park Service website. The glaze provides the tiles with a protective layer. When creating a mosaic pattern, you can interchange unglazed and glazed tiles to create a dynamic glossy and unglossed pattern. For example, alternate three vertical rows of shiny glazed ceramic tiles with three rows of matte-finished ceramic tiles. Accent the glazed tiles with one or two marble tiles or bits of polished green or blue glass.

Detailed Mosaics

Create a detailed mosaic with small ceramic mosaic tiles. Buy, or custom cut, tiles to about 1 inch wide squares. You might also choose a rectangular shape. Plan out the kind of pattern you want to try in a sketch book first. Spirals, concentric circles and tiles lined by borders make creative, eye-catching options. You can also mix in iridescent, solid or marbleized glass tiles into the ceramic layout.

Mural Mosaic

Create an image with the ceramic mosaics. Choose color varieties like black, gray, and white or shades of green and blue to create a gradation effect. For a long-term project, try to create a city scene, a rural landscape or even a portrait. Sketch a plan for your landscape or portrait before plotting out the actual tiles. For a simpler mural, you can create geometric shapes and patterns, or clouds, suns and stars with alternating tile sizes.

References

• National Park Service: Preserving Historic Ceramic Tile Floors
• Country Living: Q&A: Finding Durable Flooring