The Studio Journal · Process
Yes. Most wall mosaics — including nearly every Lion & Crown shower feature and mural — are built face-up on fibreglass mesh at the bench, then installed on the wall in sections with thinset, exactly like tile. Mesh mounting lets the artist build at bench height in good light, keeps the andamento (the flow lines of the pieces) true from studio to wall, and means the messy, detailed work happens in the studio rather than up a ladder in your bathroom.
If you are planning around a date — a birthday, an anniversary, Christmas — work backwards from it. The Christmas order book closes on November 15 precisely because of the 30-day minimum: an order placed on the last day still needs its month at the bench, plus crating and shipping time, to be under a tree on December 25.
The design is drawn at full size, fibreglass mesh is laid over it, and every hand-cut piece is placed face-up and bonded to the mesh as the picture builds. When a section is complete it can be lifted, rolled gently or cut into numbered sections, transported, and pressed into a bed of thinset on the prepared wall. Once the bed cures, the whole surface is grouted in place — the mesh stays embedded behind the mosaic permanently, part of the structure.
Bench height, good light. Fine cutting and colour judgement happen sitting at the bench, not overhead on a wall. True andamento. Because the piece is built exactly as it will be seen, the flow of the lines survives the move to the wall unchanged. Section by section. A mural too big for one sheet is built and installed in numbered sections with the joins hidden in the design. Faster, cleaner installs. Site time drops to setting and grouting, which is kinder to a lived-in house.
Floors and surfaces that must finish dead-flat are usually better built with the indirect (face-down on paper) method, and small framed pieces are built on board instead — they need rigidity, not flexibility. Mesh also is not a shortcut: the wall still needs proper preparation and waterproofing behind a shower installation, exactly as with tile.
When you commission a wall or shower mosaic, mesh mounting is agreed at the drawing stage. Every piece is made to order with a minimum of 30 days in the studio: small framed pieces from $650, medium panels from $1,200, murals and shower features $180–$250 per square foot. The Christmas order book closes November 15.
Mesh-built at the bench, installed on the wall in sections, grouted in place — that is how most serious wall mosaics are made. To talk through a piece for your space, call or text Lion & Crown Mosaics at 719-521-8312 or use the contact form. Shipping is available anywhere in the US at the buyer’s cost.
