Your kitchen backsplash is a terrific place to put in a custom tile mosaic. Use the tips below to make sure you get the most out of your design.
1. Determine the Best Spot for Focused Images
Using tiles to create a picture will be easier to enjoy if you use your field tile to create a border or barrier for your strongest design. Having too many images or too involved in a design can be visually tiring.
2. Don’t Go Too Small
Tiny tiles can be charming in the center of a border of a large field tile, but an entire backsplash of nothing but tiny tiles may not produce the results you want. The grout color will actually take center stage in such situations.
3. Center and Show Off Your Main Image
Determine your chosen main image and center it. Put it over your sink, or put it in a space that you’re sure you won’t need to cover with a large appliance. If your stand mixer or coffeemaker always stays on the counter, don’t put a mosaic there. Make sure you add a light that will allow you to highlight the mosaic image.
4. Consider Countertop Items
Pay careful attention to the items that live on your countertop. What color are they? If your mixer is white, your coffeemaker is black and your toaster oven is chrome, it may be time to move some things around to get the most out of your mosaic design.
5. Keep the Grout Subtle
A picture made of tiles can be made with a variety of tile colors, but you must be cognizant of grout color and grout line width. Highly patterned tiles can be quite striking if your grout color is very close to the background color on the majority of the tiles.
6. Focus on Simple Colors
Grouting the mosaic only with a strong color and using a more subtle grout on the rest of the field tiles is also a terrific option. Again, your field tile choice will help your mosaic stand out.
7. Don’t Use Floor Tile
Floor tile is quite thick. It’s heavy and often requires sanded grout. When cut into a mosaic, floor tile can be challenging to affix to a backsplash. Additionally, if you have outlet covers that need to be removed and reinstalled, floor tile will add a lot of bulk to the wall.
8. Create Flexible Ways to Highlight Bold Colors
If you use tiles that feature pops of color, such as a bold green or a hot orange, highlight those shades by matching them with linens. Pot holders, oven mitts, and dish towels can all be found in these strong shades. Switching them out will keep the design fresh.
A mosaic is a permanent addition to your kitchen. Making sure that your color choices, from tile to grout, will function well with your design scheme for years to come will require you to make careful choices. Knowing what small appliances will need to live in front of your mosaic will also impact your layout.
