Grout Joints

A grout joint is that space between the tiles where the grout will fill. There are some mosaics that are so well done that you don't even see the grout joints. Then there are mosaics that are so well done that you do see all of the grout joints. Wait...does that make sense???



A typical mosaic art piece is created so that the grout will only smooth over the entire piece but has only a small part in the final look of the piece. For instance, a landscape done is gorgeous greens and blues sweeping across the substrate will have minimal grout joints so that your eyes only focus on the overall picture not the individual tiles.



So why not let your grout joints work for your piece? In the mosaic shown, you can see there are some deliberate grout joints and it adds an essential style to the mosaic. When looking at this rainbow piece, you see all of the circles are emphasized with the black grout.


This was originally drawn out as many circles and lines. I filled in the spaces but made sure to keep with the flow of the circles. I filled the outer small circles with a solid color of vitreous tile to add an added accent but it is still the grout joints that bring the focus of the piece.


You will have to draw out your design ahead of time. That is the only way to make this technique work. Try experimenting with different drawings. I saw a mosaic once that had words done in the grout joints. Close up you couldn't tell but when you backed away you saw the name of the mosaic piece in the grout. It was very cool!