How to Lay Tile on Glass

Start your project by assembling your tools and products and priming the glass surface. Lay out tile, grout, and tools on a drop cloth. Prime the glass by sanding it with a medium grade sandpaper or electric sander. Be careful when using an electric sander not to put too much pressure on the glass. If you're a novice at sanding, it may be best to stick to sandpaper and manual sanding.

Using the trowel, put a generous helping of grout on a small portion of the glass where the tile will go. Smooth out any lumps of grout with the trowel and be sure there are lines in the grout creating a rough surface. If you are tiling with individual tiles, insert spacers between squares as you start creating the first row of tiles. If using small tiles backed with mesh this step won't be necessary.

Ensure that your tiles are straight, creating a uniform appearance buy setting the level on the top of the initial row once completed. If the tiles aren't perfectly level remove them and shim the surface with small piece of wood. Since most glass is cut with expert dimensions, it is likely that your tiles will be level upon the first application. If not the grout is still wet enough to remove the tiles and start over.

Repeat each row of tiles as directed in Step 3. Once you've checked rows two and three with the level, it is quite likely that the remainder of rows will be level as well. This will save one small step in the remainder of the process. Be sure to wipe any excess grout that seeps through the pieces with a damp rag or sponge.

Using either a comlementary colored grout or clear grout, cover the entire tiled surface with this grout using a flat trowel. Wipe the excess off the face of the tiles with a damp rag. The remainder will remain between the tiles, creating a seal that protects the surface as well as the tiles.