Glass mosaic – the prime pool surface finish

trends
1: Internal and external pool tiling projects
may feature 80 square metres of glass mosaic
and a larger quantity of tile or stone. This
fabulous pool features Ezarri Deco Mix by
Europe Imports, NSW.
Glass mosaic – the prime
pool surface finish
Glass mosaic has always been regarded as the premier swimming pool
surface finish. Leading mosaic manufacturers market attractive blends
containing vivid colour combinations which shimmer and sparkle on
bright summer days.
L
ocal suppliers such as Bisazza
Australia,
Europe
Imports
(Ezarri) and the Trend-Group
promote a wide variety of popular colour blends, however, designers
and homeowners can create their own
compositions which can be pre-sheeted
to produce stunning, and quite unique
designs. Concepts can be enhanced by
the inclusion of emblems or other decorations which add a personal impetus to
the overall design concept.
According to industry estimates one
in four homes in Australia has a pool,
and a reasonable percentage of those
pools feature glass or ceramic mosaic.
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Ceramic mosaic is less expensive and it
is specified more frequently, but glass is
the optimum product.
Old problems
Back in 2000 renowned building diagnostics expert Peter Hartog investigated a number of swimming pool
failures which occurred in hotel and
public swimming pools in Australia and
Southeast Asia.
Peter established that in some instances pool mosaics were installed
without reference to the technique described in Clause 5.6 2(d) of AS 3958.1,
which refers to the combined method
that requires adhesive to be trowelled
onto the substrate, and evenly buttered
on the entire back of each sheet, before
the two surfaces are carefully merged,
and the mosaic is beaten into place.
Peter also discovered that some failures could be attributed to the use of
inappropriate glues to bond tesserae to
backing mesh. Unfortunately, the applied thin-set tile adhesive was prevented from making contact with the back of
the sheet of mosaic due to the presence
of an excess of water-soluble glue used
to position the mosaics. The glue often
covered the entire back of the sheet.
The problem was exacerbated when
the backing mesh became wet, which
resulted in swelling, and caused individual tessera to come away from the
sheet.
Hartog’s findings prompted mosaic
importers, large and small, to investigate production processes, and things
have decidedly changed for the better.
At one point, the article in question sat
by our fax machine and we constantly
sent copies far and wide.
Seminars were held on the subject at
DesignBUILD and Glennon Ceramics
actually invited a party of specifiers to
examine the content of the article and
the related images in detail.
Those days are gone
I cannot recall the last time anyone reported a similar problem. The featured
mosaics are produced using a high content of recycled materials and responsible manufacturers have developed
sheeting systems which are designed to
largely leave the back of the tile free to
make direct contact with the trowelled
adhesive.
According to AS 3958.1, ‘The contact
coverage of the adhesive should be maximized – minimum contact coverage for
swimming pools should be 90 per cent’
which can be successfully achieved by
using the double-stick technique described earlier.
It is wise to recall that the problem
Peter Hartog identified first occurred
in the 1950s in the United States. A solution was found, but time passes and
industry protagonists are prone to forgetting past failings, which sometimes
allows them to re-appear.
Let’s take a look at some of the sheeting systems that have been utilised to
resolve past problems and provide pool
builders, pool tilers, and consumers
with peace of mind.
Bisazza Australia
Like many manufacturers of mosaic,
tile and stone, Bisazza issued its own
installation guide, which was specifically designed for its product. In situations
where a manufacturer issues specific
instructions they are deemed to supersede advice given in the Standard. This
is not unusual, although problems can
occur when installers stray from the
manufacturer’s instruction and adopt
alternative techniques.
In 2014, Bisazza Australia launched
a new cartella of pool mosaics which has
a variety of price points. The company
combined the release of new products
and prices with the introduction of a
new sheeting system, specifically designed for our market.
Bisazza Australia states that the
new Hotmelt system relies on a very
small contact point, located between
individual tessera, which provides
more space than the requirement of the
Standard for direct contact between the
back of the mosaic sheet and the spread
adhesive.
We asked Antonietta Trungadi, the
company’s New South Wales Business
Development Manager, about related
benefits and the response of clients
to the new cartella and the Hotmelt
system.
Antonietta replied, ‘Our customers have responded enthusiastically to
the products and the Hotmelt system.
They like the fact that the joints are
very straight and even, and they particularly like the fact that the Hotmelt
joint does not protrude into the space
between the tesserae, which removes
any possibility of it showing through
the grout joint. We lost some business
because of the old mesh backing, but
2: Bisazza’s new PVA Hotmelt system exceeds
the requirements of the current Australian
Standard.
3: Bisazza’s Paola glass mosaic blend
installed in a private residence in Victoria
using the popular Hotmelt sheeting system.
www.infotile.com/publications | Tile Today #87 | 65
trends
old clients are returning and we are
gaining new ones.’
Mesh-backed mosaics have been installed successfully around the world
but failures can occur when installers do not follow the manufacturer’s
instructions. Mesh was introduced as
an alternative to paper-faced fixing
techniques which typically involve fixing the smooth, flat surface of the glass
tesserae to brown paper, leaving the
uneven surface totally free to make direct contact with the adhesive. Despite
the fact that one side was smooth, and
the other was uneven, the colour was
the same, so it was relatively easy to
place the right colour tesserae in the
correct place.
Once the adhesive set, the paper was
wetted sufficiently, so that it could be
peeled away, revealing the bright side
of the mosaic ready for grouting.
While this was a sound technique,
problems arose when too much adhesive
protruded through the narrow joints.
Excess glue had to be removed with a
Stanley knife before grouting could commence. Occasionally, misaligned tesserA9R657082.pdf
1
12:24 PM
ae, or tesserae
of19/02/15
the wrong
colour, had
to be cut out and replaced. Mesh mosaic
fixing removed these problems.
Clear film face-mounted mosaic provided another distinct advance. The
face of each tessera was fixed to the
plastic, providing the installer with a
clear view of the alignment and development of the installed pattern. Like
paper-faced product, the back of the
sheeted mosaic is free to make contact
with the adhesive. However, care is required to avoid pressing the sheets into
position with too much force, causing
adhesive to squeeze through the joints.
After 24 hours the clear film can be
carefully removed, after wetting with
warm water. The surface will require
scrubbing with a nylon pad or brush to
remove residual glue or adhesive traces
before grouting can commence.
Ezarri provides a lifetime guarantee
with every order.’
The Joint Point® system provides
precision and accuracy courtesy of the
placement of the Joint Point.
A growing number of domestic mosaic importers are focused on pool mosaics. This is hardly surprising, given that
we are the largest per capita owners of
private pools in the world, and the average tiled pool utilises approximately
80 square metres of product. This figure
can be eclipsed by the volume of ceramic or natural stone tiles which are laid
around the pool. External tiling products
Europe Imports (Ezarri)
Ezarri glass mosaic – marketed
in Australia by Europe Imports
– pioneered a major advance
when it launched the acclaimed
Joint Point® system, which leaves
92 per cent of the back of the mosaic free to make direct contact with
the adhesive.
Europe Imports principal Paula
Cowell-Yench said, ‘Countless projects have been successfully completed using our 25mm, 36mm and
50mm glass mosaics which are
manufactured from recycled glass.
The Joint Point® system allows
easy alignment and quick accurate
installation. If the mosaic is correctly installed by a qualified tiler,
4: Ezarri’s Joint Point® system set new standards in
mosaic sheet assembly which encourage accurate joint
alignment, and swift fixing.
LEVTEC a perfect finish
everytime. Plus saves
time and money.
• Allows for total expansion due to unique design
• Eliminates lippage
• Speeds up the installation process
• Locks in tiles preventing slumping while drying
• Easy to remove
• Suitable for both professional tilers & home renovators
for the perfect finish every time...
• PROUDLY AUSTRALIAN OWNED •
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Enquiries: info@lev-tec.com.au • www.lev-tec.com.au
trends
frequently exceed internal tiling concepts in terms of volume and value.
The growing availability of high
quality, environmentally friendly glass
mosaics which can be effectively installed in accordance with prevailing
standards should ensure that specifiers
and consumers can use these advanced
products with absolute confidence.
Companies like Everstone, Living
Tiles and the Trend-Group, which designed and released the Trend-Plus
system for environments such as pools
and steam baths, where direct contact
with water can be expected, all market
glass mosaics designed to perform in
our environment.
However, the onus is on the pool
builder and pool tiler when it comes to
adhering the products correctly. High
quality adhesives and grouts are available to complete the task.
For a complete guide to ‘Glass Mosaic Tiling
in Pools’ access Pool Tiling in the Tile Archive,
located under the Advice / News button at www.
infotile.com
5: The Harbour design from Ezarri’s Iris Mix
collection perfectly illustrates why glass
mosaic is the prime choice in pools. (Image
courtesy of Europe Imports Pty Ltd)
Millenium by Vitra
Colorbody Porcelain Size – 300x600mm
Use – Wall Feature/Decorator
Colours – Bronze, Platinum, Gold, Dk Brown,
Anthracite, Mink, White & Lt Mink
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