Have you ever tried creating mosaic designs over mirrors or small tabletops? With several ceramic tiles and grout, you can already create beautiful designs. You can also use tile mosaics in concrete, glass, and metal.
Before you start any mosaic project, you should get all the things you need so that they are within easy reach. Here are the things youll need acrylic sheets, palette knives, tile grout, grout brushes, soft rugs, gloves, sponges, newspaper, plastic bags, pencils, notebook papers, hammer, safety glasses, and pottery chips or tiles.
Using colored markers or pencils, draw the design on a paper. Get the appropriate tile for your drawing. Make sure that you have all the colors you need for a particular project. Carefully lay out the tiles over your drawing. This is one way to ensure that the tile pieces are complete. Remove the tiles when youre satisfied with the results. Put acrylic over the drawing.
Using your palette knife, put a small amount of adhesive on the tiles backside and place it correctly on the drawing. Keep the spaces in between tiles at about 1/8 inch. Leave the mosaic to try.
Mix the grout. Make sure that the grouts color is much darker than the tiles. Avoid purchasing grout of the same color as the tiles. When the tiles have dried, you can now apply the grout on the spaces. The grout should be leveled with the tiles height.
After applying the grout, get a damp sponge. Wipe the surface of the mosaic using the damp sponge. Make sure that all the excess grout is removed. Do this immediately after applying the grout; dont wait until it cures. If youre working with mirrors, clean the mirror at once to prevent the grout from sticking to other parts of the mirror.
The grout will cure as days pass by. You can polish the tiles using a damp cloth. If youve made small designs, you can use it in coaster and trivet but stick felt pads first.
In most mosaic works, the tiles are square-shaped. You can also try using other shapes of tiles. If you have big ceramic tiles, you can put it inside a plastic bag and smack it using a hammer. However, if you have nippers at home, you can also cut the tiles to your desired shape. When cutting tiles, wear your goggle or any eye protector to ensure eye safety.
Whenever youre doing a mosaic project, dont forget to wear protective gloves. Some tiles have shard edges which can slice your fingers. The gloves will also protect your skin when youre applying the grout.
When youre purchasing the mosaic materials, make a list of everything so that you will not forget anything. This will save you time and money. Get latex grout because it does not shrink and spreads well.
Tile mosaics are not as expensive as you think. You can use excess tiles available at home if you want to create an inexpensive mosaic. Start with small mosaics in mirrors or in your tabletops. Once youve mastered the procedure, you can now try more complicated projects. Later on, you might even want to try wall or floor mosaic. With this art, there are endless opportunities to show your creativity and imagination.
Follow the procedure above and in no time, you will see the end product.