How to Make a Mosaic Planter

To spruce up your garden or windowsill, turn a plain planter into a mosaic masterpiece. It's a cheap and easy way to add interest to your home. A mosaic planter is an easy afternoon project and is also a great way to recycle broken or unused ceramic dishes and glass.

Things You'll Need

• Terra cotta pot
• Broken dishes, tiles, or glass
• Hammer
• Two old towels
• Household glue
• Rubber gloves
• Tile grout

Instructions

1. Wrap the broken dishes, tiles, or glass in one of the old towels. Make sure the edges are folded under to avoid having sharp pieces of ceramic or glass come out the sides.

2. Use your hammer to break the ceramic or glass in the towel. Don't pound it too much or you'll end up with dust as opposed to large pieces to make your mosaic. Lift up the edges of the towel to see what the broken pieces look like. For a large planter, keep the pieces fairly large, and for a smaller planter, smash them up to about the size of a penny.

3. Create a mosaic pattern or design with a pencil and paper and the broken mosaic pieces before you begin, or simply arrange the broken pieces of glass or ceramic on the planter to create your design. Use household glue to affix pieces onto the planter for your mosaic, making sure to leave at least an eighth of an inch between tiles.

4. Allow the glue to dry. Once your pieces are in place leave the planter alone for up to 48 hours to allow the pieces to set on the terra cotta.

5. Apply grout once your mosaic pieces are fully adhered to the planter. Wearing rubber gloves, press grout into the space between tiles. Compact the grout by applying more than once, smoothing it with your fingers, creating a solid surface.

6. Wipe off excess grout after about 30 minutes from the tiles by using a dampened towel (not the one you used to break your mosaic pieces) to wipe off the excess grout. If you don't get the excess, the tiles will appear milky and cloudy or be obscured completely.

7. Wait a day or two before using your new mosaic planter so that the tile and grout will be completely dry before you add any moisture to the planter, or the grout may start crumbling.