Glass Mosaic Tiles on a Budget

Installing glass mosaic tiles in your space will allow you to accomplish several things such as creating a modern, clean look; adding value to your home; and giving your space a much needed wow factor. Many people think that they cannot afford to use glass tiles. Keep reading and you will see how to add mosaic tile to your living area while keeping to a budget.

The first thing to look at is the type of glass tile. The tiles can be as cheap as $3 a square foot and go up to $150 a square foot. Get an idea of what you want to spend before stepping into a tile showroom or browsing online. Also understand that just because it is $3 a sheet does not mean that it is bad tile and $150/sq ft tile does not mean that it is fabulous either. You would want to get a sample first to make sure it is what you think.

If you want to add some color with little cost then look at vitreous/Venetian glass tile. These are usually ¾” squares and come in hundreds of colors. This type is available in solid colors but many people want to blend the colors together to achieve an amazing color combination.

The main characteristic of vitreous glass is that the surface is speckled and slightly textured. This gives a great natural look. However, many people don’t want that look. They want a more modern, sleek appearance. This leads us to crystal glass. This glass is clear glass with the color fired onto the back of the tile and measures 1″ to 2″ square. The color is pristine that it gives off a modern feel to any room.

The drawback is that it is also expensive, averaging $12/sq ft. You can use this glass sparingly and still achieve a modern look. Try adding it as a border to your space. Use the brick style ceramic tiles with a 4″ ribbon of the crystal glass in a kitchen or use 12″ wall tiles in your bathroom but run a 3″ waist high border of glass all around the walls and shower. The sheets come with approximately 144 tiles and 12 rows so that they can be cut easily to install right along with the surrounding wall tiles. The price then becomes about $3 to $4 a linear foot. This is affordable for glass tile.

Metallic glass tile is very popular and also very expensive. This tile is glass with a metallic ribbon swirling throughout. Each piece is unique and gorgeous. You can get a sense of elegance with this tile. The cost is around $15/sq ft. You don’t have to use this as a full sheet. To keep the cost down, you can take the vitreous glass that was mentioned earlier and blend in 10 percent of the metallic glass. By adding one color of metallic to 4 colors of vitreous glass, you will get the glass tile look and add a little pizzazz with the metallics. It will create a subtle but elegant feel. This will run approximately $8/sq ft.

The metallic glass tiles are ¾” square and come with 225 tiles on one sheet. Another way to use the metallics while keeping the price down is to cut the sheets into 4″ squares. These squares can then be installed as inserts with your other tiles especially if you are using other 4″ tiles in your space. This is a great technique for iridescent glass too.

All of these ideas will give you the look of glass tiles without the high expense that is often related to it. Try mixing different types and textures to keep it high class at the lower price.