Custom mosaics for pools, floors and walls, made in glass and marble and shipped ready for your tile setter. If your question isn’t here, call (323) 389-5347.
Getting started
How do I begin a commission?
Send a note with photos or plans of your space, dimensions, and what you have in mind. Most of our work happens over email; for projects in Southern California, we can come out to review the site in person.
Is the design consultation free?
Yes. Every project starts with a complimentary design consultation. We review your plans, talk through the design, and send a detailed quote covering design and fabrication.
Can you make a mosaic from my own image?
Yes. We work from your sketch, a photo, a painting, a family crest or a description, and draw it to the real size of your space. You approve a scaled drawing before any cutting begins. Our artwork.
What if I don’t have final measurements yet?
Send what you have. We design from plans or a survey, and the drawing is finalized once the dimensions are locked. A final measure on site governs.
Do you work with pool builders and architects?
Yes. We collaborate with luxury pool builders, contractors, interior designers and architects nationwide, from your design brief or our own concepts. For designers and architects.
Where do you work?
Nationwide and in the Caribbean, shipping finished mosaics ready for your tile setter. In Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and Palm Springs, we can also visit the site in person.
Cost and timing
How much does a custom pool mosaic cost?
A hand-cut waterline border starts at about $150 per linear foot; wide or highly detailed borders run past $400. Grid-set mosaics, made from uncut tile set to a pattern, start at $20 per square foot. Pool floor medallions run $3,000–$6,000 for 30 inches to 5 feet; larger medallions are quoted individually. A full all-tile pool floor runs $35,000–$120,000+. Pool mosaic cost guide.
Why does fine detail cost more?
Smaller pieces mean more cuts per square foot, and every piece is cut and placed by hand. Size and detail together set the price.
How long does a custom mosaic take?
Smaller pieces, such as a waterline border, a single medallion or a backsplash, take 3–6 weeks from design approval. Larger pieces, such as a full pool floor, an all-tile pool or a large mural, take 6–16 weeks. Shipping adds 7–10 days. How long a pool mosaic takes.
When does the lead time start?
At design approval, once the finished dimensions are locked.
Can you meet a fixed deadline?
Tell us the date before design work begins. We check the design, materials and studio schedule, and tell you early if a date can’t be met.
Design and materials
What is the difference between smalti and smalto?
Smalti is poured thick into flat cakes and cut by hand into pieces around 3/8 inch. Smalto is our vitreous glass tile, set whole for fields, blends and geometric work. Glass and marble materials.
What is the best glass for mosaic art?
It depends on the piece. Smalti is best for figurative work and fine detail. Smalto is best for fields, blends and pools. Most of our pools use both.
Do you work in marble?
Yes, in marble, limestone, basalt and granite, hand-cut for medallions, floors and wall panels. Marble mosaics.
How many colors are there?
Eight glass series, over 1,000 colors, every one named on the charts and photographed at actual size.
Can I see the colors before production?
Yes. Once a project is confirmed we make a sample board for it, so the color is approved in your own light and your own water.
Is the glass a high-gloss finish?
No. The glass has a natural sheen. For a reflective surface, the Iridescent series shifts with the viewing angle.
What is the difference between a blend and a gradient?
A blend mixes several colors throughout a surface. A gradient changes their proportions across a planned distance. Our free blend builder shows either at real scale. Gradients and blends.
Pools, floors and outdoors
Can glass mosaic go on a floor people walk on?
For entries and other floors with foot traffic, we use marble or smalti. Smalto is for pools, spas and walls.
Is a mosaic floor slippery?
Mosaic steps are very popular in pools. The small pieces and the grout lines between them give a surface your foot can grip. Polished marble is slick when wet, so for shower floors and entries we suggest honed or tumbled marble; polished suits walls and dry floors.
Does glass mosaic hold up in freezing weather?
Yes. Glass mosaic does not absorb water, so there is nothing inside it to freeze. Our smalto absorbs 0.02 percent water under ASTM C373, well under the 0.5 percent limit for impervious tile. In cold climates, what fails is the installation around it. Glass mosaic in freezing climates.
Can smalti be used outdoors?
Yes. Smalti is solid cast glass, used outdoors and in pools. Smalti outdoors.
Does the color fade in sun or pool water?
No. The color is in the glass rather than on it, so it holds under water and in sun.
Installation and care
Do you install your mosaics?
We fabricate rather than install. Your tile setter installs the work, and we can refer an experienced installer in your region.
How is a mosaic delivered?
Glass is mounted paper-faced; stone is mesh-backed. Both arrive in numbered sections to a keyed layout, ready for your tile setter.
Can any tile setter install it?
Yes. We guide any setter through paper-faced work if it is new to them.
What grout should be used?
The installer chooses the setting materials. For pools, spas and exterior work, use an adhesive and grout rated for submerged and exterior use; epoxy grout suits small glass mosaics, and a white adhesive keeps glass colors true. Install between 50°F and about 86°F. Grout color is chosen to suit the field tile.
How do I care for a mosaic pool?
Brush the waterline, where hard water leaves calcium. Scrub the grout with a stiff brush if algae or scale builds up. Keep pH between 7.2 and 7.8 and total alkalinity around 80–120 ppm. Pool tile care.
Shipping and extras
How are mosaics shipped?
In numbered sections with a setting drawing. Smaller jobs ship boxed; larger jobs ship on pallets. Shipping adds 7–10 days after fabrication and is quoted separately.
Do you include extra material?
Yes. Every job ships with extra material for cuts and adjustments on site.
Begin your commission
Send the details of your project, or call (323) 389-5347. Studio hours are Monday to Saturday, 8am to 3pm Pacific.