How To Make Embedded Sea Glass Projects
You can freshen up your home decor by personalizing each room with simple, do-it-yourself embedded sea-glass projects. Dress up a bathroom with a sea-glass-tiled mirror or box, create a focal point in your entryway with a mosaic sea-glass table, or add beach-themed details to your kitchen or bedroom with a sea-glass-mosaic tray. Sea-glass-embedded tables, mirror frames, trays, and boxes also make great gifts.
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Things You'll Need
- Sea glass tiles and shards
- Mosaic adhesive or mortar adhesive
- White grout
- Grout sealer
- Sandpaper
- Spackling knife
- Damp sponge
- Dry towel
- Graphite transfer paper (optional)
- Masking tape (optional)
- Paper towels
- Wood tray, box, frame or table
Instructions
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1
Prep your wood surface. Adhesive sticks better to a surface with grit, so sand your wood surface until it is no longer smooth.
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2
Create your design. For complicated designs, draw the design on paper and transfer it to the project by tracing over your design with a piece of graphite transfer paper between the drawing and the wood surface. To design freehand, simply arrange the sea glass until you are satisfied.
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3
Set your design. Glue your glass pieces in place with the adhesive leaving at least 1/8 inch between each piece of glass. Let it dry completely.
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4
Grout your project. Use the spackle knife to spread the white grout over the surface of your project, keeping the depth of the grout as even as possible. Carefully clean grout off each individual piece of sea glass with a damp sponge and paper towels.
For boxes with lids, decorate the lid and base separately, taking care to smooth the edges where the box and lid meet.
For wood trays, use masking tape to protect the sides of the tray before applying grout.
Once the project dries, apply more grout to shallow areas if necessary and let dry.
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Seal the project. Carefully inspect your sea-glass-embedded project for sloppy grout and rough areas. If necessary, clean it with a damp sponge and cloth and let dry. Once dry, buff the sea glass with a dry towel. Use a sponge brush to apply a thin coat of grout sealer to your your project. Let dry, then add more sealer if needed.
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Tips & Warnings
For tabletops and other objects that will see a lot of use, apply several layers of grout sealer.
Make sure your sea glass is firmly glued down before applying the grout. If the pieces aren't secure, the glass will move as you apply the grout and you will have to stop, clean the grout off the project and start over.
