How to Build Mosaic Birdhouses
Building a mosaic birdhouse is a wonderful craft project to do on your own or with kids. The real fun comes into play when it's time to decorate the wood bird house with a tile mosaic. Tiles can be found at home centers, but the best place to find mosaic pieces is to hunt down colorful cracked and chipped china at garage sales and household auctions where they are practically given away for pennies on the dollar.
Things You'll Need
- Birdhouse kit
- Chipped and cracked dinnerware pieces
- Tiles
- Tarp
- Cloth work gloves
- Safety goggles
- Hammer
- Tile mastic or thin set
- 1-inch wide putty knife
- Tile nipper
- Sanded grout
- Latex gloves
- Sponge
- Pail
Instructions
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1
Purchase a birdhouse kit either at a crafts store or online. When selecting the kit design, look at the surface of the roof and walls. Be sure there is an adequate surface upon which to create an interesting mosaic design.
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2
Assemble the birdhouse according to the plans. Gather up the broken, chipped, and cracked china pieces and lay them on a tarp on the ground outside. Put on work gloves and safety goggles, and start breaking the china into smaller, free-form pieces anywhere from 1/2 inch to 1 inch in size. Do the same with the tiles.
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3
Open up a can of tile mastic if the birdhouse is going to be used indoors as a decorative piece. Mix up some thin set if the birdhouse is going to be hung or mounted outdoors.
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4
Take the putty knife and spread either tile mastic or thin set over a section of wall of the birdhouse. Carefully start selecting tile or china pieces and press them into the adhesive. Position the ceramic pieces so there is a 1/8-inch gap between each piece. Make up your own design as you go along. Repeat for each additional section.
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5
Take the tile nipper and shape the ceramic pieces so they fit nicely around the hole in the birdhouse where the birds will enter and exit. Let the adhesive set up in a dry, warm place for the recommended amount of time stated on the product label.
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6
Open up a container of premixed sanded grout. Take a putty knife and start spreading the grout over the tile pieces. Work the grout down into the 1/8 inch gaps between the ceramic pieces. Overfill the gaps.
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7
After the grout has set up for 15 minutes, put on latex gloves, dip a sponge in a pail of clean, warm water, and start wiping away the excess grout from the surface of the ceramic pieces. Repeatedly wipe away the grout until it is even with the surface of the ceramic pieces. Set the birdhouse aside to let the grout cure per recommendations on product label.
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Tips & Warnings
Grout is caustic and can irritate your skin. Always wear protective gloves when applying it and washing the excess away from the surface of the china pieces.
