---
title: "Construction of mosaic flooring"
subject: "Building Technology"
chapter: 7
key: "semester_6/building_technology:mosaic-flooring"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/building_technology/mosaic-flooring
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Construction of mosaic flooring

Building Technology · Chapter 7: Flooring

- Asked in: 2078 Baisakh, 3 marks; 2076 Baisakh, 6 marks (asked 2 times)
- Video: [How to make mosaic from cement for construction industry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNCZaaeIeZM) — How Made 2022
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/building_technology/mosaic-flooring
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_6/building_technology/chapter-7

## Question

Explain the construction method of mosaic flooring.

## Short answer

Mosaic flooring sets small marble, stone, or tile pieces in cement mortar over a concrete base, then grinds and polishes. In-situ method: lay concrete, mortar bed, dividing strips, press pieces into cement paste, roll, cure 7 days, grind, grout, polish. Precast tiles are bedded on mortar, jointed with slurry, cured, and polished.

## Answer

**Mosaic flooring** is made of small pieces of marble, stone, glazed tiles or broken china set in cement mortar over a concrete base, and polished to give a decorative surface. Factory-made mosaic tiles (cement-marble chips tiles) are also used.

#### Construction (in-situ mosaic)
1. **Base concrete:** a concrete sub-floor (1:2:4, 100 mm) is laid, levelled and left rough. It is cleaned and wetted before the next layer.
2. **Mortar bed:** a 20-30 mm layer of cement-sand mortar (1:3) is spread and levelled.
3. **Dividing strips:** glass, brass or aluminium strips are fixed in the mortar to form panels, usually 1 m x 1 m.
4. **Mosaic pieces:** marble or china pieces of selected size and colour are pressed into a thin layer (about 3 mm) of neat cement grout or paste, in the pattern wanted.
5. **Rolling and levelling:** the surface is beaten and rolled for level and even setting.
6. **Curing:** kept wet for 7 days.
7. **Grinding and polishing:** ground by a machine with stones of increasing fineness, voids are filled with cement paste, and the floor is finally polished with oxalic acid and wax.

#### Mosaic tile laying
Precast tiles (25 x 25 or 30 x 30 cm) are bedded on a 20-25 mm cement mortar (1:4) over the concrete base, joints are kept thin and filled with cement slurry, then the floor is cured and polished.

```text
   mosaic pieces + cement paste ~~~~
   mortar bed 1:3 (20-30 mm)    ....
   PCC 1:2:4 (100 mm)           ====
   brass/glass strip in each 1 m panel
```

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. What makes up mosaic flooring?
   A. Cement mixed with large marble chips
   B. Small pieces of marble, stone, tile or china set in cement
   C. Timber blocks
   D. Polythene sheets
   Answer: B. Pieces are pressed in a pattern. (Key point: Mosaic material)

2. How thick is the layer of mosaic pieces in cement paste?
   A. About 50 mm
   B. About 100 mm
   C. About 3 mm
   D. About 0.5 mm
   Answer: C. A thin layer of about 3 mm is used. (Key point: Topping thickness)

3. What is the mortar bed mix for in-situ mosaic?
   A. 1:2:4, 100 mm
   B. 1:6, 5 mm
   C. 1:10, 100 mm
   D. Cement-sand 1:3, 20-30 mm
   Answer: D. The bed is 1:3, 20-30 mm. (Key point: Mortar ratio)

4. What follows rolling and curing?
   A. Grinding with progressively finer stones, filling voids, polishing with oxalic acid and wax
   B. Immediate use
   C. Painting
   D. Sealing with bitumen
   Answer: A. Curing for 7 days then grinding and polishing. (Key point: Curing and polish)

## Related in Building Technology

- [Terrazzo versus mosaic flooring](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fbuilding_technology%3Aterrazzo-vs-mosaic) — Building Technology, chapter 7
- [Construction of terrazzo flooring](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fbuilding_technology%3Aterrazzo-flooring) — Building Technology, chapter 7, asked 4×
- [Construction of marble flooring](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fbuilding_technology%3Amarble-flooring) — Building Technology, chapter 7, asked 2×
- [Ground floor with mosaic tiling and external wall](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fbuilding_technology%3Amosaic-ground-floor-wall) — Building Technology, chapter 7
- [Granite flooring, pros and cons](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fbuilding_technology%3Agranite-flooring-pros-cons) — Building Technology, chapter 7
- [Suspended ground floor; tile flooring](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fbuilding_technology%3Asuspended-ground-floor-tile) — Building Technology, chapter 7