Fireplace Designs with Mosaic Tile

Written by Chris Nickson
on Oct 28, 2010

To ensure our content is always up-to-date with current information, best practices, and professional advice, articles are routinely reviewed by industry experts with years of hands-on experience.

Reviewed by
H.R. Helm
on Jun 26, 2023

One of the most eye-catching fireplace designs is a tile mosaic. Whether just blocks of color or in specific designs, mosaic looks good and brings plenty of originality to the fireplace. You can buy mosaic tile in squares that are 1x1 inch, usually on a sheet, or you can make your own by breaking up existing tiles, resulting in random shapes.

Block Color

The simplest way to have mosaic fireplace designs is with block mosaic tile. This will consist of 144 tiles, each one-inch square, glued into a net backing sheet, so the overall size is 12x12 inches. These can be applied as is or cut into smaller shapes and applied as fireplace designs with contrasting colors. Even when you’re working this way, you’ll need to create your design first.

Design

Planning your design ahead of time is vital. Measure the fireplace and mark it out on a piece of graph paper. This will allow you to work out your fireplace designs. If you’re not particularly artistic, you might do best to use blocks of color as this won’t stretch your abilities.

For those who are more ambitious, mosaic can have few limits. You might choose to replicate an old Roman mosaic design, for instance, with faces and more. You should always be aware, however, that if you plan on eventually selling the house, your artwork might not be to the taste of potential buyers.

Abstract

Using complementary colors of tiles in more abstract designs can look lovely and will certainly be unique. Choose your colors carefully, however, and make sure your choices are available if you’re using block tiles. Where you’re breaking up old tiles for your fireplace designs in mosaic, ensure you have enough of each color to serve your needs.

Broken Tiles

Using broken tiles for fireplace mosaics can make for great art and is an excellent form of recycling. If you’re going to use this method, however, you’ll do best if you cover the tile with a heavy cloth or several layers of cloth before using a hammer on the tile. Also wear safety goggles when working to prevent shards of tile springing up and hitting you in the eye. This will also keep the small pieces of tile all together where you’re working. Be aware that you’ll have to discard some small pieces of tile unless you’re willing to work with tiny pieces.

Marking Out Designs

If you have complex fireplace designs, mark them out on the area of the fireplace first, and proceed with one small section at the time rather than try to do it all. The more complicated the mosaic, the longer it will take to complete, so be prepared to put many hours into something especially tricky and detailed. As long as it’s done well, however, the resulting fireplace designs can be quite stunning, and you’ll have something that truly is unique.