A mosaic mesh is typically made of fiberglass and allows artists and hobbyists to easily create mosaic art. Made of lightweight and thin fiberglass, the mesh acts as a base on which a design is transferred. The artist places mosaic tiles onto the design and, when it is done, fixes the mesh onto the intended surface. A mosaic mesh allows artists to work in detail on small sections of a mosaic comfortably and also allows them to make changes easily. They can work on very large mosaic projects with the aid of a mesh.
To start with, the artists place the flexible mosaic mesh on top of the design on a flat surface or table. They are able to view the design or pattern through the mesh and trace it clearly with a felt pen. This is a far cry from trying to directly create a work of mosaic art on a surface like a wall. It would be extremely difficult for the artist to glue each individual tile in place because the tiles may slide down due to gravity. Making changes would also be quite difficult because it involves removing tiles directly from the wall's surface, risking damage to the surrounding tiles.
In contrast, a sheet of mosaic mesh allows the artist to freely work on the design in a hassle-free manner. Once they transfer the design, they glue tile pieces to the mesh. They take care to ensure that mesh rests on a nonsticky surface to avoid the risk of the tile pieces being glued to the flat surface. Artists can easily work on extremely detailed designs that would be very difficult to create otherwise.
Some mosaic meshes come with adhesive coatings. After placing the tiles on the pattern, the artist heats the tiles with a heat gun and allows it to cool down. This type of mesh comes with a liner that the artist places underneath the pattern when heating it. The artist removes the liner paper once it cures. The final product is a mesh substrate that has the mosaic tiles bonded to it.
The finished mosaic mesh can be mounted on any smooth surface either outdoors or indoors or vertically or horizontally. The mesh is mounted with the aid of cement, mastic, or premixed mortar. There are many different types of meshes such as medium, heavy duty, and light.
Artists prefer to use this type of fiberglass mesh because it allows them to be extremely flexible. They can cut the mesh with scissors to the desired size or shape. If the artist needs to create a border, they can do it in two ways.
The first method is to create a single piece of mosaic art and cut it up between the tiles. The second method involves cutting the mesh into many small sections and working on each individually. The pieces can be assembled on the wall or surface at the desired location easily.
A mosaic mesh also allows mosaic art to be easily transported without any worries about the tiles slipping. It is also easy to rework any section of the mesh. Meshes help artists to comfortably work on designs on a horizontal plane and mount them vertically. It is also possible to cure the whole mosaic or very large areas of it quickly.