Glass mosaic tiles are one of the many mosaic tiles available for use in making mosaic arts, mosaic pools, mosaic tables, etc. Glass mosaic tiles come in a variety of designs: metallic, iridescent, mini, vitreous glass mosaic tile and swirled.
Usually, a glass mosaic tile is measures ¾ "x ¾" x 1/8 ", which is the industry standard. Because there is an industry standard, glass tiles from different manufacturers can be used for the same design. However, it should be kept in mind that stone and ceramic tiles are usually thicker than glass mosaic tiles.
Glass mosaic tiles have a flat face, with the back embossed with small ridges to facilitate the faster bonding of glue. When cutting glass mosaic tiles, it is important to use a mosaic glass cutter that has wheel-shaped blades; these blades help cut the tiles more cleanly and precisely than a tile nipper.
Iridescent glass mosaic tiles are usually found mounted on a removable mesh sheet, with about 36 tiles per sheet. Larger sheet sizes are available, but the tiles themselves are available in one size. The mesh is placed to ensure consistent grout spacing between the glass mosaic tiles and can be removed by soaking it in hot water.
The finest Italian mosaic glass tile is fired at high temperatures in the presence of mineral salts to give it an iridescent finish that shimmers like mother of pearl. In the case of metallic glass mosaic tiles, there are tiny metallic flakes that are swirled throughout the glass to give a stunning overall effect to the tile. In the case of swirled glass mosaic tiles, the tiles are marbleized with swirls of different colored glass. These tiles are molded into individual tiles that are ready to use "as-is" when required, with no cutting.