The Stunning Type Of Tile That Makes A Great Wallpaper Alternative

For homeowners who love personalizing their space with patterns and color, wallpaper offers endless opportunities. However, there's an emerging type of mosaic tile that combines the design creativity of wallpaper with the durability and gorgeous depth of materials like natural stone, porcelain, and mother-of-pearl. Known as waterjet mosaic tile, it pieces together parts of these materials, which are precisely cut with water jet technology and assembled using molds and a mesh sheet backing, to make intricate and riveting patterns that rival those found on wallpaper. 

The accuracy of the cut, achieved through a combination of a powerful stream of water and a chemical abrasive, allows for a kind of speed and versatility that traditional tile cutting just can't achieve. Once a high-end technology that only a few had access to, waterjet tile cutting is becoming more widespread, which means the resulting mosaics are also becoming more affordable and no longer seen as purely luxury installations. So, it might be time to ditch the wallpaper and hop on this stunning design trend to elevate your walls.

One of the most glaring differences between wallpaper and waterjet tile is durability. The former has a typical lifespan of 15 years. As far as wallpaper technology has come, applying materials like vinyl and PVC to better resist moisture damage, it's still susceptible to peeling and trapping mold behind it. It can also be a pain to keep clean as anything but very gentle scrubbing and mild cleaning products can lead to tearing and decolorization.

In turn, the materials most commonly used in waterjet mosaics can last lifetimes. Because this technique works especially well on soft stones, you'll find a lot of marble and limestone pieces in the mosaics. Well, these stones can last up to a century if properly sealed and maintained. Then, there's porcelain, which lasts around 60 years, and is exceptionally easy to maintain as an inherently non-porous, and therefore virtually waterproof, material.

Aesthetics also play a big role. There's no denying wallpaper's ability to add personality to your decorating scheme. There are endless designs available to fit every taste, including textured options like grasscloth and embroidered wallpaper. Still, there's a depth that comes with dense, three-dimensional tiles of stone and porcelain that wallpaper, particularly printed wallpaper, just can't match. 

Waterjet mosaic tiles then play up this tactility with radiant details in mother of pearl, moonstone, glass, and metals like brass and aluminum that bring so much movement and diversity to the finished product. Most waterjet mosaics follow the same grid patterns of traditional mosaics, such as arabesque, floral, or basketweave, but they can also produce beautiful imagery inspired by nature, grandiose European palazzos, and abstract paintings. Of course, the more customized, the more expensive they become, too.