Creating Mosaics Can Be Very Rewarding!…
Mosaics take us back to Roman times, but today these seem to have made a comeback and are pretty fashionable. This is quite an interesting form of art and many people use it in their homes for a variety of things.
So, first of all, what will you really need to do your mosaic? PVA glue or a water soluble glue, depending on which method you opt for. Grout, mosaic tiles, whatever you want to decorate, sponge, chalk or maybe a pencil, brown paper, face mask and goggles, nippers and a squeegee.
What are your choices? You can use like nuggets of glass, mosaic tiles, shells, glass beading, even marbles and now you can get tiles which are like mirrors. Smash some crockery or simply use pebbles. So, we cannot say we are stuck for ideas and materials. Some people go as far as to paint their own plain tiles with a porcelain paint. So you can do your own thing!
With tiles, when you buy them, they have a backing of brown paper. This being the case, you need to release the paper by letting them soak in warm water first. Rinse your tiles and leave them to dry. If you use the tiles straight from the paper you can use what is called an indirect method.
Get your brown paper and use a water soluble adhesive to glue your pieces into place, upside down. This way you will end up with a really smooth surface.
Use a tile cement on your item, it needs to be a quick drying one though, then you can position your tiling on to the cement, which is wet. Just leave the brown paper where it is for now. Later on, douse the paper with your wet sponge, to remove this once it has dried out.
This is basically the same principal you employ when tiling a bathroom or kitchen. But you will need all your little cracks filled in. It is easy to use your squeegee for this. Use a wet sponge to clean up all grouting. Once it is dry, continue and finish the surface and polish it up.
Now for your designs. When you first start, it is often easier to do something like geometric patterning. With more experience you can move on to designs with circles and curving’s etc. The tiles may need shaping to fit your design, so for this you need the direct method. This can be achieved in two ways.
The first method is not so easy and needs some practice with a few spare tiles. This is the old hammer and hardie method, whereby the hardie is held over your tile. Then you tap the hammer so that it cuts into your tile, therefore it moves the tile to get the required shape.
Nippers, the second method, certainly are easier to handle. Handy as these will allow you to cut the tiles into halves and quarters, they sort of break bits off to leave you with curves or whatever is needed. Any remaining odd shapes you are sure to be able to use somewhere in the mosaic. I recommend having a trial run before you go to work on your item.
You could prepare your tiles in a clear plastic bag to keep any glass shards or dust safely in the bag. Always make sure that you do wear a face mask and goggles while you work for safety reasons and do be sure to hoover round afterwards or get the dustpan and brush out. Have fun!
