There are a huge variety of mosaic tiles (tesserae) available ranging from those cut from the materials nature has to offer to detailed man-made tiles in a range of shapes, sizes, colours and textures. Whilst mosaic art can be created from tiles resulting from broken china, bottles, mirror etc. they are not practical for use in the construction of a custom mosaic hot tub. More suitable mosaic tile choices for custom hot tubs are outlined below.
Natural Stone
Marble – The result of metamorphism of limestone typically, polished marble has been used in construction for centuries with noted luxury appeal. Mosaics are available in square tiles or many other tessellating layouts with a range of colours including black, grey, white, red and green.
Onyx – Strictly a mineral rather than stone, onyx has a history being used in jewellery and other decorative forms and has a definite luxury appeal. Golden hues along with red and black varieties are interlaced with silica bands of many colours offering a unique natural finish that is even more striking in the reflective environment of a spa.
Granite – A course grained rock made mostly of feldspar and quartz, popular in garden landscaping, can make a complimentary finish to a custom mosaic hot tub in an architectural garden. Shades of grey, red, brown and white are available.
Basalt – Basalt is similar to granite but darker in colour with a finer grain offering a sleek black stone finish to your custom hot tub.
It should be noted that whilst mosaics of natural stone are available, it is also possible to finish your custom hot tub in larger tile formats of natural stone, just ask!
Man-made Mosaic Tiles
Ceramic – Durable and practical for use in custom hot tubs, ceramic mosaics can deliver a desirable mosaic finish at a lower cost than other mosaic tile options such as natural stone or glass. A huge selection of colours and blends are available to complement every design theme. As an opaque tile the visual appeal of light reflection in the water is lost. Owing to the lower cost, ceramic mosaics are a sensible choice for larger custom mosaic hot tubs and hydrotherapy pools.
Glass – The most popular choice for custom hot tubs and the luxury pool and spa industry more generally, glass mosaics offer almost limitless design possibilities. Tiles are available in virtually every shade of every colour with gold, silver and bronze backed glass tiles offering further opulence. Light dances around a glass mosaic hot tub and this effect can be further enhanced with epoxy additives with shimmering effects. Single colours such as black work where particular statement pieces are sought though more popular are blends featuring a dominant colour and accents that may pick up on other areas of the spa environment. Mass produced glass mosaic sheets are available and like all man-made tiles vary in quality but can offer economical blends for custom mosaic hot tubs. Premium suppliers offer custom blends and mosaic artwork or branding built into mosaic layouts. For reasons of quality and customisation, Aegean recommend SICIS for glass mosaics.
There is no best tile for your custom mosaic hot tub, only the one that achieves the desired aesthetic whether that be a complement to a garden that incorporates a lot of natural stone to a highly detailed glass mosaic artwork tied to a pool design or surrounding spa area. Cost is a key factor in making a mosaic tile decision with the least expensive being ceramic followed by natural stone with glass being the more expensive finish, however, this is a broad generalisation and there is a substantial crossover of price brackets for each of these mosaic tile choices.
Glass mosaic imagery source www.sicis.com