Online Mosaic Instructions
Advice for Getting Started
These instructions are updated regularly by our staff mosaic artist. Email
Joe Moorman at inspire@mosaicartsupply.com
if you have questions.
Click here for Legal and Copyright Information.
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Start with a simple project first.
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Learn about glue and grout and how mosaic tile cuts
before spending hours on a more complicated design.
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Simple designs often work best. Even for advanced artists. I always
start with a simple "cartoon-like" sketch on the board. It always
looks as simple as a picture from a coloring book (a good source of patterns if
you can't draw). The details come
later as I add the tile. It doesn't make sense to draw a complicated
picture with tiny details that are smaller than the smallest mosaic tile. I often
doodle on paper and then copy the basic design onto the board with a magic
marker.
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It is easier to glue mosaic tiles that are at least 1/8" thick because the
glue doesn't squeeze up onto the face of the tiles.
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Tweezers and toothpicks can be used to place mosaic tiles and readjust them
in wet glue.
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Experiment on small pieces of scrap if you aren't sure. That way if there are any surprises to figure out,
you haven't messed up your mosaic. On the other hand, you can always
scrape or pry mosaic tiles off with a screw driver. (Wear goggles!)
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Click here for MORE ABOUT MOSAIC GLUES &
ADHESIVES.
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The grouts and sealers you need are the same ones used for ordinary bathroom tiling, and the techniques
for applying these are the same. This means that you can ask questions at
the local hardware or building material store.
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You probably know several people who have tiled a bathroom before. You can
ask these people questions about grouting. Remember that the glues used
are often different.
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Click here for MORE ABOUT GROUTING MOSAIC TILE.
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I always wait for a few days before I grout a piece. That way I have a chance to change things before they are literally set in concrete.
If you are serious about your work, don't be afraid to take a day off and then come back and pry some of the tiles off with a screw driver if you don't like what you see. (Wear
safety glasses.)
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If you want a level surface, and you are gluing mosaic tiles to a flat surface,
make sure your tiles are about the same thickness. Mosaic stone is often much
thicker than glass mosaic tile.
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Tile Nippers are used for mosaic stone, china and ceramic mosaic tiles. Wheeled Glass
Cutters are used for glass mosaic tiles, stained glass and smalti.
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Tile Nippers will cut vitreous glass tile, but a Wheeled Glass Cutter will make
the cut glass much cleaner without as much splintering and waste. Tile
Nippers tend to crush smalti and stained glass, and you wind up wasting too much
expensive material.
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Don't cut your mosaic tiles too uniformly. They shouldn't be perfect
rectangles. They should be slightly irregular rectangles so that there is
a gap even when the pieces are set close together. This ensures that there
will be a small line of grout between each tile, which highlights the design.
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Click here for MORE ABOUT CUTTING MOSAIC TILE.
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I have gotten many emails about what surface to use for mosaic tables and mosaic
patio tables. Most people are using 1/2" concrete backer board.
This material is weather resistant, cheap, easy to cut and available at local building
material stores. If you need to cut a circular top from backer board, you
will need to get access to a saber saw with a masonry blade. (Tip:
get the friend who owns the saw to cut it for you.) Make sure you glue the
concrete board to the metal frame of the table with Liquid Nails brand adhesive
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I regularly us wood and even plywood for INDOOR mosaics because of the weight
savings. I recommend concrete board for OUTDOOR mosaics, but if wood is
used, definitely choose solid wood over plywood and make sure you seal the
backside and edges with several coats of water seal or oil-based paint. In general, you should avoid plywood and particle board
outdoors
because these materials absorb water over time and warp, and
then the mosaic cracks and falls off.
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Click here for MORE ABOUT MOSAIC TABLES AND OUTDOOR MOSAICS.
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It is much easier to glue tiles to a horizontal surface. Tiles can slide
off a vertical surface before the glue cures.
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Unless you are making a grid of square tiles like in a bathroom, you will want
to be able to move tiles around in wet glue until you get the design just
right. This is much easier to do on a loose piece of backer board than on the wall itself.
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I always make my backsplashes on a loose piece of Wonderboard concrete backer
board and then attach the
board to the wall and then grout.
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Click here for MORE ABOUT MOSAIC BACKSPLASHES.
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Mosaic is one of the most accessible art forms. You can learn almost everything about how an artist created his or her
mosaic simply by looking at it.
- Stepping stones are a great project for beginners.
- The easiest way to make a mosaic stepping stone is to pour concrete into a
mold and put mosaic tiles, stones, marbles and china fragments in the surface of
the concrete while it is still wet.
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click here for MORE ABOUT MOSAIC STEPPING STONES.
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Mosaics require some labor to cut and set each
piece. Once you are about halfway done with the project you will be glad
that you made sure that the backing you are using is secure and made to last.
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Spend a little more time on your mosaic, don't rush. It makes a world of difference in your satisfaction with your results. There
is no need to mass produce anything. Make each piece just right.
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Simple and crude can be noble and elegant. It’s ok that your art has its blemishes and mistakes. That’s what makes it interesting, and keeps it from looking like it was made on an assembly line. Don't try to make it a perfect reproduction of anything, and you'll probably be much happier with the time spent and the results.
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Avoid making copies of phony arts-n-crafts stuff. There's way too much of that around. Make your mosaic YOUR way and it will be genuine art in the highest sense of the word.
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