Mosaic Tiles, Art, Pool   

     Mosaic tiles are considered to be in vogue nowadays for use in showers and floors to add color and style to a room. These mosaic tiles are also used in producing many forms of mosaic art by mosaic artists. There are several types of mosaic tiles of different textures, colors, layouts and shapes to suit the needs of the artist and the piece of art. Ceramic mosaic tiles, glass mosaic tiles and stained-glass tiles are usually used for producing wonderful pieces of mosaic art.

     The history of mosaic art is said to go back some 4,000 years. People during that time used to point-push terracotta cones into a background in order to give decoration to their surroundings. Then slowly by the eighth century, patterned pebble pavements using different colored stones came into vogue. However, this form of decoration was unstructured. The pebble technique was turned to an art form by the Greeks in the fourth century B.C., with the use of precise geometric patterns and detailed pictures of people and animals. From the 5th century onwards, the rise of the Byzantine Empire turned mosaic art into a new form. Their pieces of art included Eastern influences with the use of special glass tesserae called smalti. Smalti was made from thick sheets of colored glass and had a rough surface with tiny air bubbles.

     Mosaic arts are used in many spheres of life, but mostly for swimming pools, murals, gardens, tables, etc. In swimming pools, the mosaic art is found at the bottom of the pool as well as along the border of the pool in various designs. It is up to the swimming pool owner to enlist a mosaic artist to create the right piece of mosaic art to suit his needs. Murals and garden pieces can also be created by mosaic artists to get beautiful, decorative pieces of mosaic art. Then, of course, anyone can create small pieces of mosaic art using mosaic tiles, glue and some imagination.

Pools can be beautifully decorated using mosaic art in different patterned pool murals. Most of the time, the mosaic pattern for a swimming pool is in the shape of marine creatures like a whale, starfish, crab or fish. Sometimes, the pattern may also take the shape of the sun or some geometrical shape. A pool mural is placed at the center of the swimming pool, while there usually are some mosaic patterns running along the border of the pool.

     The installation of the mosaics to the pool is relatively easy and just requires a call to the pool contractor. You will then have to pay the pool contractor a nominal charge for installation. If you are worried about the maintenance of the pool mosaic, don't; there is no maintenance required here at all. Most of the pool mosaic companies guarantee the mosaics for the life of the pool. There will be no peeling or fading of the mosaic, and it is also impervious to normal pool chemicals.

There is also paint available to paint on the pool mosaic to give the mosaic design a different color altogether; the color of the mural can be changed by contacting the pool mosaic company, where they take custom orders through fax or email. And if there is a need for an altogether different custom design, all that has to be done is to send a color image of your design to the pool mosaic company through fax or email, and the rest is their responsibility.

Some pool mosaic companies also have reflective types of pool mosaics that reflect the sunlight along the border of the swimming pool, enhancing the effect of the pool mosaic. So, if you do have a swimming pool, be sure to rush down to the nearest pool mosaic company to have a pool mural and pool mosaic designs made to your order