Mosaic Projects from www.gardensandcrafts.com

Last Updated on March 27, 2008

August 8, 2006 - This is my first attempt at mosaic. I decided to go with a geometric roman inspired pattern thinking it would be easier, but boy was I wrong. The tiles I used were 3/4" glass tiles and were difficult to get a clean straight cut. My original pattern was full of triangles that were put together to make pinwheels. After I figured out that cutting them would be an issue, I changed my pattern to reduce the amount of cuts. Also, forming a perfectly straight line with these tiles is next to impossible because even the best tiles are not all the same size. I suppose if I had used a straight edge to help even up the rows and had more space between each tile, that would have been easier. I learned so much from this project and can't wait to do more mosaics. I already have an idea to mosaic the rims of some clay pots, to dress them up a bit.

This table top was designed to just lay on top of a wooden spool we have been using in the screenhouse as an end table. It can be easily removed and added to another base if we ever get tired of the spool.

To start, Gary cut a 2' x 2' piece of 3/4" plywood. You could also use MDF or luan depending on what you have available or what you want the end result to look like (you may need a thicker or thinner finished product). I glued on the tiles using weldbond glue and applied a white sanded grout to the spaces, after the glue was fully cured. In my case, it was a week between the gluing and the grouting, but I don't think that is necessary, 24 hours is probably sufficient. There are interior/exterior grouts as well as colored grouts available. Grout can really change the look of a project. If I had used a dark grout, it would have really accentuated the grout lines and made the tile colors stand out more. I plan on sealing the grout to help prevent stains and to make the project even more weather resistant, just in case the table ever gets left outside.
As for the edge, Gary used some very simple straight molding and made it even with the tile on the top, which created a lip on the bottom. This ensures that the top does not slide around on top of the spool (the spool is about 23" in diameter). I plan on painting the trim using a dry brush technique and sanding it to look even more aged. I haven't decided if I will go with white to match the grout or a green color to help highlight the green tiles. That might be a nice touch. In any event, I will post pictures when I am done. Update: As you can see by the picture above, I went with the green.

My next projects will probably be more random. I'll be on the look out for pretty dishes and larger tiles that I can smash up.

Mosaics

January 18, 2007 - I went a little crazy with the picture frames this past week. I had purchased some plain white wooden frames for another project, which I never completed, so I decided to mosaic the edges. I will not be grouting these. I thought they looked pretty good without it. This is so simple to do too. Just glue on the tiles with Weldbond or some other type of adhesive and you are done. I did place a heavy book on top of the frame to make sure they adhered well, but it is not necessary. The first frame on the left, I used stained glass pieces cut to approximately 3/4" x 3/4". The second frame is a mixture of mirror and stained glass cut to 1/2" x 1" and the last two are 3/4" x 3/4" venetian tiles.

See how I made this gazing ball here.

February 8, 2007 - My latest project is a birdhouse. Basically I had this birdhouse that I was trying to paint using the One Stroke Painting technique. I was not happy with the way it turned out so I painted over it and I have not been inspired to continue painting it, so I decided it would be a good piece to mosaic instead. It was also a good way to use up some tiles that I purchased before I really knew what kind of tesserae I wanted to work with. This was definately a challenge to grout, and I am thinking now that maybe I shouldn't have grouted it. I still have some touch-ups to do on the grout, but here it is.

Ungrouted birdhouse is
on the left with the
finished product above.

March 20, 2007 - This hexagon table is my latest mosaic project. I am hoping to grout it some time this week and will post pictures of that when I am done. I found this table at the thrift store for $5 and it just screamed "mosaic my top" when I saw it. It's about 18" at it's widest point, so it's small enough to fit just about anywhere.

I stressed over the design for a couple of weeks, but I really shouldn't have because the end result was not even remotely like what I had originally planned.

Someone from a mosaic and stained glass forum gave me an idea to use a mandala for the design. I immediately loved that idea and went online and found a mandala design called the seed of life. It seemed to fit my personality to a tee, being a gardener and all. So I blew up the template, colored it in with the tile colors I wanted to use, and centered it on the table and taped it down. Then I put a piece of clear contact paper over the pattern (cut to the same shape and size as the table) and proceeded to place the tiles, face down, onto the contact paper. This is also known as the indirect method of doing a mosaic. The contact paper holds the tiles in place, so it is easier to adhere them later.

First I outlined the table with whole black 3/4" x 3/4" venetian (vitreous) tiles. I filled in the corners with tiles cut to size. I have gotten the hang of cutting these tiles since my first project in 2006 and really like working with them now. I filled in the open areas with the caramel colored tile and outlined the larger circle that was supposed to be the start of the mandala pattern. After cutting the tiles for the center part of the pattern, I decided that it was going to be too much work to do the entire pattern and I was worried that I would get impatient and my pieces would not fit in perfectly, so I scrapped my original plan and I am so pleased with the end result.

Once the complete design was layed out on the contact paper, I slide the entire piece onto another table top and then spread weldbond glue all over the table using a spatula that had little ridges cut out on the end. Then I just flipped the whole thing over back onto the table top and let it dry for several days before removing the contact paper. Weldbond needs air to cure, so you may have to cut slits in the contact paper and put a fan in front of the project, otherwise the glue will stay white and it will not cure. That is the only issue I have found for using Weldbond. Weldbond is also not recommended by some people for use outdoors. I have not had enough experience with it yet to say either way, but I will report back when I have made my decision on the subject.

Update March 25, 2007 - I finally got the table grouted (See picture to the right).

April 19, 2007 - My latest mosaic project is a birdbath. Please note that although I will be explaining how I made it here, I do not know if it will hold up to water and the outside elements. Please do more research on making your own before proceeding. Though I believe that the products I used will hold up, there are so many variables involved that it may not work. I will keep this page updated to let you know if this was successful.

I started with a 14" terra cotta saucer like the ones that go underneath clay pots. I rinsed it out and made sure it was free of debris. After it dried, I applied three coats of a penetrating sealer for tile and grout. The one I am using has a 5-year warranty and is a matte finish. There are many products on the market that have a 20-year warranty but they are much more expensive and since I am new to this, I didn't want to go to the extra expense right now.

A couple of days after I applied the sealer I adhered the tiles with a pre-mixed concrete patch. Since I was working in the house I didn't want to try and mix my own mortar or thinset. I used the indirect method by designing it on contact paper first then laying it in the bottom of the saucer after I put a thin layer of the concrete patch on the bottom. I used vitreous glass tiles with some light blue glass nuggets in the center. I kept the design very simple as I was not in the mood to cut a bunch of tiles.

After three days of letting the adhesive dry, I grouted it with a gray sanded grout using Admix as the liquid. I will seal it with the same matte finish penetrating sealer after the grout has cured for several days. I will put it outside in a couple weeks and will let you know how it does.

Update 4/27/07 - Well I couldn't wait any longer and I put water in the birdbath yesterday and so far so good. No signs of any water leaking into the grout or adhesive.

My latest project is for my Mom for Mother's Day. It's a mosaic bowling ball using stained glass and mirror. I used the same concrete patch that I used for the birdbath. It was finished with black grout and sealed with a penetrating grout sealer. The stand is a metal lamp shade painted silver and then black to give it a pewter type finish.

This is a birdhouse that I made for my mom's birthday in 2008. I started with a wooden birdhouse that can be purchased at any craft store. I primed the birdhouse with a 50/50 mixture of water and Weldbond PVA glue and then used Weldbond to adhere the vitreous tiles that were nipped into smaller pieces. I used a black sanded grout and a mosaic gloss sealer over the whole thing.

This mirror was a thrift store find (See a before picture here). I used stained glass and mirrors that were glued on with Weldbond. Again, black grout was used with a gloss mosaic sealer.

This is a neat little spice rack I picked up at a thrift store for $2.99. When you open it up, there is a list of spices and what they are used for on the inside door. It hangs on the wall and has two shelves for holding spices. I haven't grouted it yet and will post an updated picture when the time comes. For now I am not doing any more grouting indoors if I can help it.

See what this spice rack looked like before I did a mosaic on it.

This clay flowerpot was part of a gift I received quite a few years ago. There is no hole in the bottom so it is good for holding markers, paint brushes, etc. If I put a plant in it, I will keep it in it's original pot so I can remove it to drain any excess water. Again, this has not been grouted yet. Since I made this in the house, I used a premixed concrete patch for the adhesive, as it is very easy to work with. Not sure what color I will grout it, but I might experiment with making my own color.

This is a pedestal I've been working on. It's going a little slower than I'd like, but then again I haven't been working on it every minute. This is probably the largest project I've worked on and I'm excited to see how it will come out. The top and bottom are a wooden base that Gary made so that it would stand up by itself. The pedestal appears to be some sort of resin.

Update: 3-27-08
It's finally ready for grout. I'll probably go with a grey color.

I am working on a series of miniature birdbaths. I've mainly been using up scrap glass. I used the same technique as the blue birdbath above and tumbled the scraps for about 30 minutes before using them. These are not grouted yet. I will update pictures when they do get grouted.