Tile & Stone Specialty

Custom Mosaics
in Tile & Stone

Mesh-mounted waterjet-cut mosaics. Complex patterns, repeatable precision.

The Craft Behind the Mesh

JP Dynasty assembles the pattern. AWL cuts the tesserae.

Mosaic work runs through JP Dynasty, a sister tile and stone brand under the same ownership, using AWL’s waterjet equipment at the same Orange, CA facility. Mosaic fabrication is a different kind of work than single-piece inlay or medallion cutting. The piece count is higher (hundreds to thousands of tesserae), the materials often mix more aggressively (glass with stone with metal), and the final product gets mesh-mounted before leaving the shop so the installer handles the pattern as coordinated sheets rather than individual pieces. We do not sell, stock, or source tile, glass, or stone — customer supplies all material, we fabricate it.

Tight waterjet tolerance on every piece. Dry-fit, mesh-mount, and pack-for-ship by the JP Dynasty team. The installer opens sheets numbered and ready to set.

At a glance

Mesh-mounted waterjet-cut mosaics in natural stone, glass tile, porcelain, ceramic, and mixed-material combinations. Tesserae from 3/8 inch to 2 inch, patterns from repeating geometric tessellations to figurative imagery. Full dry-fit and mesh-mounting before ship; installers set sheets rather than placing individual pieces.

Capabilities

Thousands of Pieces.
One Pattern.

Mosaic work is piece-count-intensive in a way that medallion and inlay work is not. A 6-foot mosaic floor panel can contain 3,000+ tesserae, each cut to geometry and each mesh-mounted into precise position. The waterjet handles the volume because cutting is continuous rather than piece-by-piece setup. Consistency across thousands of pieces matters more than any single piece; drift anywhere in the pattern shows immediately once grouted. We hold tight tolerances across the full pattern, depending on material, thickness, and geometry, first piece to last.

3/8″ – 2″
Tessera Size Range
Tight
Piece-to-Piece · Material-Dependent
Mesh-Mount
Fiberglass Backing Standard
12″×12″
Standard Sheet Size
Unlimited
Piece Count per Pattern
Multi-Material
Stone, Glass, Porcelain, Metal
Materials

Classic Stone, Modern
Glass, Or Both.

Material selection for mosaics depends on where the installation lives. Submerged (pool, spa) biases toward vitreous glass and porcelain because those don’t absorb water. High-traffic floor installations bias toward harder natural stone and porcelain because the abrasion environment is aggressive. Wall installations open up the full material range including fragile options (polished marble, onyx, art glass) that wouldn’t survive underfoot. Mixed-material mosaics combine classes of material within one pattern for visual layering.

Marble TesseraeTravertineGraniteSlateOnyxVitreous GlassArt GlassPorcelainCeramicTerrazzoMother-of-PearlBrass AccentBronze AccentStainless Accent
Fabrication Comparison

Waterjet Mosaics
vs Hand-Cut Mosaics.

Traditional mosaic fabrication is handwork: tesserae cut with hammer-and-hardie or nippers, placed by eye, set into a substrate by hand. The craft is centuries old and produces beautiful, characterful results. Waterjet-cut mosaics are a modern approach that excels at geometric precision, repeating tessellations, and logo/figurative imagery that needs consistent geometry across hundreds of instances. Both approaches have valid fits; they’re not interchangeable.

Waterjet-Cut Mosaic

  • Repeating geometric tessellations with consistent geometry
  • Logos and figurative imagery at scale
  • Mixed-material patterns (glass + stone + metal)
  • Repeatable production for multiple installations
  • Mesh-mounted for installer-friendly handling
  • Tight tolerance across thousands of tesserae

Hand-Cut (Traditional)

  • Organic, irregular tesserae with natural variation
  • Historic restoration matching period technique
  • Heritage-craft aesthetic where machine precision would look wrong
  • One-off artistic work by a mosaic artisan
  • Small-scope projects where setup time outweighs handwork time

Many high-end projects combine both techniques deliberately: waterjet-cut geometric field with hand-placed figurative centerpiece, or vice versa. Send us the concept; we’ll recommend the fabrication mix honestly.

The Process

From Pattern to Mesh-Mounted Sheets.

01.

Pattern Design & Tessellation Planning

Concept, repeat unit, or figurative image comes in. JP Dynasty plans the tessellation to the actual installation footprint so the pattern breaks cleanly at edges. Sheet boundaries planned to hide within the visual pattern. You approve layout before cutting.

02.

Material Intake & Verification

You source the tile, glass, stone, or metal sheet and ship it to our Orange, CA facility — we do not stock or sell material. On arrival we verify condition, count, and color against the approved layout. For mixed-media mosaics we confirm each batch against its tessera role before cutting; glass colors and stone veining reviewed against the pattern intent.

03.

Waterjet Cutting

All tesserae cut in nested production runs. The waterjet handles the volume continuously. Piece-to-piece tolerance verified across the full pattern, first piece to last. Sorting and quality check before mesh-mounting.

04.

Dry-Fit, Mesh-Mount, Pack

Pattern dry-fit in full or in sheet sections before backing. Mesh (fiberglass or polyester) applied with appropriate adhesive. Sheets labeled and packed in installation order with a layout drawing. Installer opens sheets ready to set.

Applications

Where Mosaics Live.

Pool & Spa Surrounds

Submerged vitreous glass and porcelain mosaic patterns for pool floors, spa shells, and perimeter tile. Water-resistant material selection critical.

Shower & Bath

Shower floor patterns, feature wall mosaics, and niche accents. High-moisture environment with material palette tuned for durability.

Kitchen Backsplash

Custom mosaic backsplashes combining stone, glass, and metal accents. The focal piece of a high-end kitchen.

Hotel & Spa Floors

Large-scale commercial mosaic installations for hospitality properties. Pattern work that reads across full lobby and corridor footprints.

Feature Walls

Accent wall mosaics in residential and commercial. Materials can include fragile options (polished marble, art glass) that wouldn’t survive floor use.

Historic & Civic

Mosaic restoration for historic buildings, civic architecture, and institutional spaces. Pattern matching to existing mosaic work on-site.

What to Send

Start Your Mosaic Pattern.

Mosaic projects typically start from a pattern concept or a reference image rather than a finished CAD file. Repeating tessellations develop into full production files during design review; figurative mosaics require vector interpretation of the source image.

AIPDFVectorPhotoSketchReferenceSample
Turnaround

Piece Count Drives the Timeline.

Lead times depend on scope, complexity, and material. Piece count drives mosaic timelines more than any other variable: a 50-square-foot mosaic involves thousands of individual tesserae that each need to be cut, dry-fit, and precisely placed on the mesh backing. Simple repeating tessellations in one or two materials move faster than figurative or multi-material patterns. We will give you an honest timeline after reviewing the project. Rush availability depends on the scope and nature of the project. Call 714-278-9874 with your timeline and we will tell you honestly what is realistic.

Same-Day
Quote Turnaround
Scope-Dependent
Fabrication Lead Time
Call to Discuss
Rush Availability
Example Work

Recent Mosaic Projects.

Multi-material mosaic with stone, glass tile, and metal accents. Mesh-mounted on 24×24 sheets for installer-friendly handling.
Vitreous glass mosaic for a spa pool surround. Water-resistant material palette with a repeating geometric tessellation.
Large-scale architectural mosaic for a commercial lobby floor. Pattern continuous across dozens of mesh-mounted sheets.
Mixed-media mosaic with brass tesserae set into a stone field. Metal and stone cut on the same waterjet run for unified fit.
View Full Gallery →
Common Questions

Mosaic FAQs.

What is the difference between a mosaic and an inlay?
A mosaic is composed of many small pieces (tesserae) arranged in a repeating or figurative pattern, typically mesh-mounted on a backing for installation. An inlay is a small number of larger pieces cut to fit together as a single focal pattern, typically set piece-by-piece into thinset at install. Mosaics excel at texture, continuous pattern fields, and figurative imagery rendered at scale. Inlays excel at bold geometric statements with clean-edged shapes. Many projects combine both: a central inlay or medallion surrounded by a mosaic field.
How are the mosaics mounted for shipping and installation?
Pieces are mesh-mounted onto a fiberglass or polyester backing after cutting and dry-fit. The mesh holds the tesserae in their exact intended positions so the installer sets the entire sheet as a single unit into thinset rather than placing each piece individually. Standard mesh sheets run 12×12 or 24×24 inches for easy handling. Larger custom patterns split into coordinated sheets with alignment marks so adjacent sheets merge seamlessly during install. Mesh stays in place under the thinset and doesn’t interfere with bond.
What materials work best in mosaic patterns?
Natural stone tesserae (marble, travertine, granite, slate, onyx) provide classic mosaic aesthetics with material depth and veining variation. Glass tile tesserae provide vivid color saturation, translucency, and contemporary look. Porcelain and ceramic tesserae offer high durability and exact color consistency. Metal accent tesserae (bronze, brass, stainless) add punctuation and highlight within larger mosaic fields. Most custom mosaics combine two or three material types to balance visual interest against durability in the intended installation environment.
Can mosaics be used in pools, spas, or wet areas?
Yes, with material selection tuned to the environment. For pool and spa submerged installations, vitreous glass tesserae and porcelain are the standard choices because they don’t absorb water, don’t stain, and don’t support biological growth. Natural stone in submerged applications is possible but requires sealing and ongoing maintenance; most professionals avoid it for submerged pool installations. For spa surround, shower floors, and steam rooms, a broader material range works including certain natural stones. We advise on material fit based on the specific environmental exposure of your project.
How small can the individual pieces (tesserae) be?
Typical tesserae in custom waterjet-cut mosaics run from 3/8-inch to 2-inch in the smallest dimension. Smaller than 3/8-inch becomes impractical because the kerf width of the waterjet consumes a meaningful fraction of the piece size and the mesh-mounting step becomes delicate. Larger than 2-inch starts to feel less like mosaic and more like small-tile patchwork; the visual read shifts. For very small detail (under 3/8-inch) we sometimes combine waterjet-cut larger pieces with hand-placed smaller tesserae sourced from standard mosaic supply.
Can you match existing mosaic patterns or create repeating tessellations?
Yes. Repeating mosaic tessellations are one of the strengths of waterjet fabrication because the process holds identical geometry across hundreds or thousands of piece instances. Islamic geometric patterns, Byzantine tessellations, Art Deco repeating motifs, and contemporary geometric fields all fabricate cleanly. For matching an existing historic mosaic, send photos and dimensions; if possible send a few intact tesserae as color and material reference. JP Dynasty’s design side handles the pattern interpretation and produces production files for the full installation footprint.
Are mosaics for floors or walls?
Both, and the material and design considerations shift between them. Floor mosaics need to account for traffic patterns, slip resistance, and point-load durability (dropped furniture, wheeled traffic); material selection biases toward harder stones and porcelain. Wall mosaics can use more fragile materials (glass tile, polished marble, onyx) because they don’t carry load or see abrasion. Wall mosaics also support finer detail because viewing distance is typically shorter than floor installations. Many high-end projects include coordinated floor and wall mosaics with shared pattern language but different material palettes per application.
What is the lead time on a custom mosaic?
Lead times depend on scope, complexity, and material. Simple repeating-pattern mosaics in one or two materials move faster than figurative mosaics and multi-material custom patterns that require design iteration. Large commercial installations with phased delivery and mesh-mount of thousands of tesserae take longer still, because piece count and dry-fit time compound. We will give you an honest timeline after reviewing the project. Rush availability depends on the scope and nature of the project. Call 714-278-9874 with your timeline and we will tell you honestly what is realistic.

Ready to Design Your Mosaic?

Send a pattern concept, a reference image, or a room photo. We’ll plan the tessellation and quote the work.

Start the PatternCall 714-278-9874