Installation of exterior floors
Introduction
A hydraulic mosaic is a decorative pigmented cement tile, for indoor and outdoor use. Invented in Spain in the middle of the century, it was used as a pavement in buildings until the 1960s.
The manufacturing process is characterized by the use of metal molds ("trepas") for the application of the colors, which are subsequently fixed to the cement base through the use of a hydraulic press.
History
The first references are from 1857, although its consolidation as an alternative product to natural stone (mainly marble) was at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1867 "Exposition Universelle de Paris (1867)") where the Barcelona company Garret, Rivet y Cía. He presented it as a type of tile that did not require firing but was consolidated using presses. The measurements of the tiles were basically 10 x 10, 15 x 15, 20 x 20, 25 x 25 and 40 x40 cm, but the most common were 20 x20.
After the fashion of elegant Minton floors, hydraulic flooring became popular as a cheaper way to achieve a similar look.[1]
The coincidence of this technique with the development of modernism "Modernism (art)") made the designs more complex and artistic and the manufacturers counted on fashion designers among their collaborators, such as Alexandre de Riquer, Domènech i Montaner, Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Josep Pascó and Enric Sagnier. Milà and which now paves the sidewalks of Barcelona's Paseo de Gracia. The drawings represented geometric, floral or vegetal shapes. The simplest designs had a pattern that was repeated and combined piece by piece. Generally, decorators composed the designs simulating a carpet that occupied the entire room and required tiles to form a perimeter border. It was also common for the composition of the final image to be obtained by combining 2, 4 or 6 different pieces, which significantly complicated production and installation.
The principles of hydraulic mosaic soon showed the enormous possibilities it had. The first designs were based on a decorative intention where geometric and floral mosaic designs abounded. They were fundamentally designed for the palace houses of the century so present in some cities in Spain such as Vitoria, Seville or Barcelona itself. Additionally, in the case of Seville it was the protagonist element of the emblematic monument of Plaza de España.
Naturally, also present in some cities in France or its rural towns. Thus, the initial intention was to make the hydraulic mosaic a handmade piece whose design gave the sensation of looking like a colorful carpet.