How to Make Tile Mosaics

Create amazing designs with ceramic tile and a little grout. This technique can be done on any solid surface: wood, plaster, concrete, metal, glass, even mirrors.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Acrylic Sheets
• Latex Tile Grout
• Palette Knives
• Grout Brushes
• Soft Rags
• Sponges
• Latex Gloves
• Plastic Bags
• Newspaper
• Newspaper
• Pencils
• Colored Pens
• Notebook Papers
• Pencils
• Hammers
• Safety Glasses
• Tile Adhesive
• Tile Nippers
• Safety Glasses
• Tile Adhesive
• Colored pens
• Pencils
• Sponges
• Plastic bags
• Hammers
• tiles, pottery chips, or other mosaic fodder

1. 
    

   Draw your design on a piece of paper with markers or colored pencils.

2. 
    

   Lay out the pieces of tile on the paper to be sure that you have enough pieces of each color.

3. 
    

   Remove the tiles and lay a sheet of clear acrylic over the design.

4. 
    

   Apply a layer of adhesive to the back of each tile using a palette knife, and place it in the correct position.

5. 
    

   Try to keep less than a 1/8-inch space between the tiles.

6. 
    

   Spread grout over the entire project after you have all the tiles in place. Make sure you get the grout down between all the tiles, and make it level with the tile tops.

7. 
    

   Use a damp sponge to wipe off the excess grout from the tile faces while the grout is still wet.

8. 
    

   Let the grout dry and polish the tiles with a clean, damp cloth.

9. 
    

   Glue protective felt pads on the back of the piece when it's dry if you plan to use it as a trivet or coaster.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't limit yourself to square tiles. Put them in a plastic bag and lay a section of newspaper over it. Smack the bag a few times with a hammer to break the tiles into smaller pieces. You can also cut them with special tools called nippers.
• To keep your hands clean and protect yourself from tiny shards, wear gloves while you work.
• Be sure to choose a latex grout, which spreads well and doesn't shrink when it dries.
• If you're putting a mosaic on a mirror, be sure to clean the grout off of the exposed areas before it dries.
• Always wear eye protection when cutting tile.

[chelleno5]

on 6/19/2009 DO YOU USE THE LATEX GROUT AS THE GLUE ASWELL

on 3/15/2006 Once you have your design laid out, place a piece of clear, contact paper over it and press down, flip the whole project over and the pieces stay in place. Put glue on the bottom, then place the bottom over and flip it back. Saves a lot of time. Great for smaller projects or even sections of larger ones!

on 11/22/2005 Talk to your local pool builders/refurbisher about the pool tile that is scrap or left over. These tiles put up with all kinds of weather, and all the different textures make a unique application!

on 11/22/2005 When breaking dishes for your project, cover the dishes on the patterned side with packing tape. This keeps shards from flying around and keeps the pattern together.

on 2/12/2007 Be careful when breaking and/or using glass tiles (such as vitreous glass). Even intact tiles have shards and slivers of glass that can be irritating to the eyes, nose, throat, and fingers. It is best to work in a well-ventilated area where the air is not blowing on your work directly. If you start to have pain in any of the areas mentioned previously, continue only after you have goggles, a mask, and rubber gloves on.