Avora Recycled Glass Mosaic: A Guide to Every Collection

Avora is a matte recycled glass mosaic line built around three graphic patterns, a large-sheet plaid and two solids. This guide covers what each collection looks like, how the sheets and boxes compare, where Avora can be installed, and which setting materials the manufacturer approves. Custom colors are also available on request; contact us to ask about them.

What Avora Is Made Of

Every Avora mosaic starts as recycled glass. The manufacturer's specifications describe it this way:

• Glass: 98% pre-consumer recycled glass, ground to a fine powder and formed under high pressure and heat
• Backing: mesh and adhesive made from 96% pre-consumer recycled material
• Health and safety: lead-free, non-toxic, with no VOC off-gassing
• Thickness: 1/4" (6.35 mm) across the collection
• Finish: matte, in two edge styles

The edge style is worth understanding before you choose. Avora is made in matte cast recycled glass, which has smooth, softly rounded edges, and matte rectified recycled glass, which has a near-perfect straight edge and a flat surface. Rectified chips sit tighter and read crisper in a grid or a graphic pattern. Cast chips have a gentler, more handmade look. Calvin, Cardin, Coco, Highland and Solid Squares are rectified. Solid Hexagons are cast.

The Avora Collections

Calvin, Cardin and Coco: Three Patterns, Three Blends

These three patterns share the same three color blends, so they are easiest to compare side by side.

Blend	Colors
Bond	Chalk, Ash and Raven (white, light gray and black)
Cashmere	Chalk, Ash and Coin (white, light gray and a mid gray)
Haven	Chalk, Frost and Shadow (white with two grays)

All three blends sit on a Chalk white ground, so the pattern reads as a line drawing on a light wall or floor. Bond gives the strongest contrast. Cashmere and Haven trade the black for grays, for a softer look.

Calvin is a 1/2" square mosaic on 13-3/4" x 13-3/4" sheets. The pattern draws a framed square crossed by two diagonals, so a run of sheets builds a large-scale lattice of X's. Each sheet covers 1.31 sq ft, and a 10-sheet box covers 13.13 sq ft.

Cardin uses the same 1/2" square chip on a long 9-1/8" x 18-3/8" sheet. Its pattern is a chain of outlined rectangles linked by short bars, similar to a classic fretwork or lattice. Each sheet covers 1.16 sq ft, and a box covers 11.64 sq ft. The long sheet suits horizontal runs such as backsplashes and waterline bands.

Coco switches to a 5/8" hexagon (HEX-2) on 13-1/4" x 15-1/4" sheets. Small hexagon flowers, each a center chip ringed by six petals, are scattered across a white field. Each sheet covers 1.40 sq ft, and a box covers 14.03 sq ft. Coco has a softer, more traditional feel than Calvin or Cardin and works well on bath floors and shower walls.

Browse examples: Calvin Bond, Cardin Haven and Coco Cashmere.

Highland: Plaid on a Large Sheet

Highland turns a woven plaid into a 3/8" square mosaic (SQU-2) on 15" x 15" sheets. There are two colorways:

• Preston: Chalk, Ash and Raven
• Bristol: Chalk, Frost and Shadow

Each sheet covers 1.56 sq ft, and a 10-sheet box covers 15.63 sq ft, the most coverage per box in the line. Larger sheets mean fewer seams to align across a big wall or pool. The manufacturer describes Highland as a fit for hospitality projects and contemporary pools. See Highland Bristol and Highland Preston.

Solid Squares: A Calm 3/8" Grid

Solid Squares are single-color 3/8" rectified squares on 12" x 12" sheets, 1.00 sq ft each and 10 sheets (10.00 sq ft) per box. We carry Chalk and Raven. Because Highland Preston is built from Chalk, Ash and Raven in the same 3/8" square, Solid Squares in Chalk or Raven make a natural border or field around it.

Solid Hexagons: Cast Glass in Quiet Colors

Solid Hexagons are 3/8" hexagons (HEX-1) in matte cast glass on 11-7/8" x 12-3/16" sheets. Each sheet covers 1.01 sq ft, and a 10-sheet box covers 10.05 sq ft. We carry Cloud, Flaxen and Flint. Cloud is a soft white, Flaxen a pale beige and Flint a near-black.

A note on names: the manufacturer's color chart lists Cloud and Chalk as one color, and Flint and Raven as one color. Cloud and Flint are the cast-glass names and Chalk and Raven the rectified names, so a Cloud hexagon pairs with a Chalk square.

Quick Comparison

Collection	Chip	Edge	Sheet	Sq ft per sheet	Sheets per box	Sq ft per box
Calvin	1/2" square	Rectified	13-3/4" x 13-3/4"	1.31	10	13.13
Cardin	1/2" square	Rectified	9-1/8" x 18-3/8"	1.16	10	11.64
Coco	5/8" hexagon	Rectified	13-1/4" x 15-1/4"	1.40	10	14.03
Highland	3/8" square	Rectified	15" x 15"	1.56	10	15.63
Solid Squares	3/8" square	Rectified	12" x 12"	1.00	10	10.00
Solid Hexagons	3/8" hexagon	Cast	11-7/8" x 12-3/16"	1.01	10	10.05

You can see every color on our Avora recycled glass mosaic page. Avora is sold by the full box. Our Coverage Calculator converts your square footage into boxes, and it is worth adding waste for cuts before you order.

Where You Can Use Avora

The manufacturer rates every Avora collection for:

• Interior and exterior walls and floors
• Shower walls and floors, bath walls and floors, and steam rooms
• Full submersion in pools and spas

The manufacturer also lists wet and dry areas, residential and commercial spaces, and heavy-traffic flooring. Its published test results for its recycled glass mosaics report a DCOF above 0.42 (ANSI A326.3), average water absorption of 0.0%, an average breaking strength of 519 lbf, Class A chemical and stain resistance, no visible damage after 300 freeze-thaw cycles (ASTM C1026) and no visible defects after thermal shock testing. It also cites an R9 slip rating and good resistance to UV and household chemicals.

Pools and spas. Every collection carries the manufacturer's full-submersion rating. For large pool areas, Highland, Coco and Calvin cover the most square footage per box. Cardin's long sheet is a practical choice for a waterline band. Pick colors outdoors in daylight if you can, since a pool changes how a gray or a white reads.

Showers and bath floors. Small chips create plenty of grout joints, which helps underfoot, and the matte finish suits wet floors. Coco and the Solid Hexagons are classic choices for a bath floor. Calvin and Cardin read best on a full shower wall, where the pattern has room to repeat.

Backsplashes and feature walls. Cardin's long sheets run cleanly along a counter. Calvin and Highland create a strong graphic wall in a powder room, bar or lobby.

You can compare Avora with our other pool tile options.

Installation: Follow the Manufacturer's Setting System

With glass, the setting materials affect both the bond and the final color, so follow the manufacturer's approved list.

Thin-set. Use a white glass-tile thin-set. The approved list is Custom Building Products MegaFlex or MegaLite Crack Prevention Mortar, Flextile 52, Hydroment ReFlex, Kerakoll H40 Tenax, Laticrete 254 Platinum, Mapei Adhesilex P10 mixed with Keraply, and TEC Super Flex. Mastic is not acceptable because it yellows and bonds poorly.

Grout. Acceptable grouts are Custom Prism SureColor (noted as suitable for pools), Custom Fusion, Custom Polyblend Sanded, Flextile 600, Hydroment Sanded, Kerakoll Fugabella 2-12, Laticrete 1500 Series or equivalent, Mapei Ker200 or Ker700 Series (Ultra/Color), and TEC AccuColor Premium Sanded. Non-sanded grout is not acceptable because it shrinks. Consult the grout manufacturer before using blue, green or red grout in a submerged installation. The manufacturer notes that an acrylic grout admix can improve freeze-thaw resistance.

Epoxy products. Epoxy grout and epoxy adhesive are not on the manufacturer's standard list for these collections. If you are considering Starlike Pro epoxy grout or PowerGel Pro Max adhesive for a pool or a commercial wet area, ask us first and we'll confirm with the manufacturer before you order.

Membranes. The manufacturer calls for a crack isolation membrane over the substrate and approves Aquafin 1K and 2K/M, Custom RedGard, Hydroment Gold, Laticrete 9235, TEC Triple-Flex and Xypex Concentrate.

Movement joints. Follow the TCNA Handbook's EJ171 guidance, and fill joints with an approved flexible sealant: Hydroment Chem-Calk 900, Kerakoll Sigibuild PU, Laticrete Latasil 100% Silicone, or Silaflex 1A or 2C polyurethane.

The steps.

1. Dry-fit patterned sheets and check the layout before you spread thin-set.
2. Mix by machine at no more than 300 rpm, let the material slake for 10 to 15 minutes, then remix.
3. Apply white thin-set with a V-notch trowel and comb the notches in one direction.
4. Set the sheets and tap them in lightly with a rubber grout float.
5. Wait at least 24 hours, then remove any face film and clear excess thin-set from the joints with a razor knife.
6. Grout per the grout manufacturer's instructions. Glass absorbs no water, so grout takes longer to start setting. Make the first pass with clean, dry cheesecloth, smooth the joints with a damp sponge, and polish off the haze with a soft cloth.
7. For pools, spas and any submerged installation, allow at least 21 days of cure after grouting before filling.

Wear a respirator and wet-cut when you cut the glass. Cutting dust contains crystalline silica.

Samples and Ordering

Glass color can shift from lot to lot, so see the tile in person before you commit to a full order. 6" x 6" sample swatches are available, so ask us for samples of the collections on your shortlist. When the boxes arrive, mix sheets from several boxes as you install, and order enough for the whole project, including waste, in one order.

Have a pool, shower or backsplash in mind? Contact us for a quote. We will help you choose a collection, calculate boxes and line up the right setting materials.