Custom Mosaic Floor Signage
Turning Damage into Design
The problem
At BEKEM’S Food Store, the checkout floor had taken years of punishment. Tiles were cracked, the wood-print pattern was worn beyond recognition, and customers couldn’t tell where to queue or which till was which. The original tile specification had been discontinued – no match existed for pattern, colour, or thickness.
The solution
Instead of patching the damage, I redesigned it. I created custom mosaic inserts with till numbers and the store logo, transforming a repair problem into clear, functional wayfinding.
Why DIY
Tile cutters quoted a simplified, pixelated version of my designs at ten times the eventual budget. Many of the V&A’s finest floor mosaics were produced by Victorian-era female convicts through 1860s–70s prison workshop programmes. COVID isolation put me under house confinement of my own; if they could create museum pieces in custody, I could tackle a checkout floor during lockdown.
Over 10 days of quarantine, I researched techniques, ordered supplies, designed layouts in Photoshop, plotted vinyl cutting guides, and hand-cut tiles with a Dremel and snippers – a surprisingly difficult process to get right.
The outcome
Installed with a professional builder post-isolation, the result is durable, branded floor signage with a subtle New York subway feel – a huge improvement on the carpets that previously hid the damage. Customer response has been consistently positive.
Bathroom tile-cutting note: messy, chaotic, not for the faint-hearted.
Like What Your See?
The outcome
Installed with a professional builder post-isolation, the result is durable, branded floor signage with a subtle New York subway feel – a huge improvement on the carpets that previously hid the damage. Customer response has been consistently positive.
Bathroom tile-cutting note: messy, chaotic, not for the faint-hearted.
