Description
Plinth colour is decided at ground level, in daylight, with the material in hand — which is what a swatch book exists for. Held inside the render colour charts and catalogues range at Renders World, this bound Ceresit reference puts real quartz-grit finishes where a screen cannot follow.
Where a Mosaic Swatch Book Decides the Plinth Finish
A Ceresit mosaic sample book settles the plinth finish in the hand, where the coloured quartz grits of CT 177 at 1.0–1.6 mm grain read as they will on the built wall rather than on a screen. Aggregate finishes carry their character in the blend as much as the pigment, so two arrangements that look near-identical in print separate clearly once daylight catches the grit.
That difference decides three situations where the book pays for itself before a single bucket is ordered.
- The plinth against the facade: the base finish is chosen after the main elevation colour is settled, and the two swatches held together confirm whether the plinth grounds the scheme or fights it.
- Splash and abrasion zones: the manufacturer positions this material at entrances, corridors, staircases, plinths, balustrades and window and door jambs — surfaces that dirty quickly and are seen close up.
- Client sign-off on developments: a physical page carrying a code turns a conversation about "something stone-coloured" into an order line that survives to the twentieth plot.
Why Specifiers Order the Swatch Book Before Pricing the Plinth
Ordering the reference early is a scheduling decision as much as a design one, because the shade code is what the order, the primer and the applicator all work from. Four returns follow.
- Texture and colour judged together: a mosaic finish is transparent resin over coloured grit, so depth and sparkle are properties of the surface rather than of a printed ink.
- One volume instead of repeated sample requests: the palette sits in a single book, which removes the wait that usually holds up a decorative plinth specification.
- An approved page becomes a specification: the code carried on the chosen swatch transfers to the order and to the primer shade beneath it.
- Coordination across an elevation: plinth, main render and any feature panel can be agreed in one meeting rather than three.
What the Swatches Represent: CT 177 Mosaic Plaster Data
The figures below belong to the CT 177 mosaic plaster the swatches represent, not to the book, and the full range is specified from the mosaic renders for plinths collection that owns it. Reading them here is useful for one reason: they set the conditions under which an approved shade can actually be installed.
| Property (CT 177 plaster) | Declared value |
|---|---|
| Grain size | 1.0–1.6 mm coloured quartz grits |
| Binder | Transparent resins, aqueous dispersion |
| Water absorption | Category W3, w ≤ 0.1 kg/m²h⁰·⁵, EN 15824 |
| Water vapour permeability | Category V2, 0.14 ≤ Sd < 1.4 m, EN 15824 |
| Adhesion | 0.6 MPa, EN 15824 |
| Application conditions | +10°C to +25°C, relative humidity below 80% |
| Pack sizes | 25 kg and 10 kg buckets |
One divergence on that sheet is worth carrying into a specification. Vapour permeability is stated twice — the V2 class above under EN 15824, and separately as Sd ≤ 1.0 m under ETAG 004 in a system context. Where a designer needs a single number for a moisture calculation, specify against the tighter Sd ≤ 1.0 m and name which of the two you have used.
No fire class appears on this page. The classes the sheet carries are declared for named Ceresit Ceretherm systems rather than for the bucket, and a system class is not a property of a plinth finish chosen from a swatch. Coverage is also left out here pending confirmation from Renders World, since a mosaic yield moves with grain and substrate.
How to Use the Swatch Book on Site
Swatches read honestly only under the light and at the height the finish will occupy, so the book belongs at the property rather than across a desk. Working through it in order gives an approval that holds at handover.
- Open the book outdoors in natural daylight and hold the candidate page low, against the paving, gravel or planting the plinth will meet, since ground materials shift how an aggregate blend reads.
- Turn the page to an oblique angle as well as face-on, because individual grits catch light directionally and give a different impression from each.
- Bring the Ceresit mosaic sample book to the facade-colour meeting, so the plinth and the main elevation close in one session rather than two.
- Write the plot or project reference on the approved page, photograph it beside the facade swatch, and carry the code onto the order.
A point worth knowing before anyone panics on site: a swatch in the book is fully cured, while freshly applied mosaic looks milky until it dries, and the manufacturer notes that haze can briefly return after prolonged rain. Judge the finish against the cured swatch, and match the CT 16 quartz primer to a similar colour, which the sheet recommends and the mosaic render plinth method guide works through in sequence.
Which Reference Fits the Decision in Front of You
Three references cover three different questions, and ordering the wrong one costs a week. The table separates them by what the swatch physically shows.
| Reference | What it shows | When to choose it |
|---|---|---|
| Ceresit Mosaic Sample Book | Aggregate-blended mosaic arrangements | Plinths, jambs and feature detailing |
| Ceresit flat-colour sample books | Solid facade render and paint shades | The main elevation colour |
| Concrete and brick effect sample | Applied concrete and stencilled brick textures | Architectural surface imitation |
Ceresit publishes 48 shades for its mosaic range across colour lines including Dolomite, Himalaya, Granada and Sierra, on the manufacturer page for the CT 77 grade. The stocked product here is CT 177, so treat a shade seen in the book as a design decision to be confirmed against the grade actually being ordered, and check with us that the line is current before it reaches a tender document. Both references are ordered from the same colour chart and catalogue range, and how to run a chart through a live project covers the wider workflow.
Ordering the Swatch Book and the Finish It Points To
The Ceresit mosaic sample book is £16.70 per copy and showing as in stock, checked August 2026, and pricing on the page is the current figure at the time you read it. Once a code is approved, the material route is short.
- Order the finish: the CT 177 mosaic plaster range carries the 25 kg trade and 10 kg project packs the approved code applies to.
- Settle the elevation above it: premium silicone render is chosen from a flat-colour chart, and narrowing a render colour down covers coordinating the two.
- Going deep on shade: where a dark plinth tone is under discussion, how dark shades behave under solar exposure explains the reflectance question before it becomes a specification problem.
FAQ — Choosing, Ordering and Using the Mosaic Swatch Book
How does this differ from the flat-colour Ceresit sample books?
Flat books answer pigment; this one answers pigment and aggregate together. A mosaic surface is coloured grit suspended in clear resin, so its appearance depends on the blend and on how light strikes it, which a printed panel of solid colour cannot represent.
Are the darker blends usable, or is there a limit?
Ceresit recommends the plaster at a light reflection coefficient of HBW ≥ 20, and where a chosen colour falls below that it directs the specifier to consult its technical department so the insulation system can be selected accordingly. For intense dark colours used as a facade layer in a Ceretherm system, it advises limiting the area to small elements such as plinths or architectural details — which is where this finish usually sits anyway.
Can it coordinate a plinth with a different manufacturer's facade render?
Yes, and the comparison is made physically rather than from two printed charts. Hold the mosaic swatch against the facade swatch outdoors at the property, since neutral stone, grey and sandy blends sit comfortably beneath a wide range of main elevation colours regardless of who makes them.
Which figures still come from the product sheet rather than the book?
Application temperature and humidity limits, substrate age and priming requirements, drying behaviour and yield all sit on the data sheet for the plaster itself and are quoted from there. The swatch settles appearance; the sheet governs whether the day you have planned is a day the material can go on.
How should the book be kept between projects?
Stored flat, dry and out of prolonged direct sunlight, applied swatches stay representative across repeated specifications. Filing it with a note of previously approved codes makes matching a later phase or an extension a five-minute job rather than a fresh selection exercise, and Renders World can confirm whether a line is still current when you return to it.
Technical Documentation for the Mosaic Range
- Ceresit CT 177 mosaic plaster technical data sheet — grain 1.0–1.6 mm, EN 15824 classifications, substrate preparation and application conditions; the source of every plaster figure above.
- Ceresit mosaic range page — manufacturer statement of the 48-shade palette and the named colour lines, published for the CT 77 grade.