How to Make a Tempered Glass Mosaic

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Things You'll Need

  • Towel

  • Tempered glass

  • Hammer

  • Hand sander

  • Sand paper

  • Plywood

  • Paint

  • Glue

  • Grout

  • Garden spade

  • Wet towel

  • Clear lacquer

A mosaic is a piece of artwork composed of small pieces of glass or stone. Tempered glass, also known as crash glass, is a preferred glass medium for mosaics. When the glass is broken into smaller pieces, no sharp or rigid edges form. You can purchase tempered glass from a window supplier, online specialty stores and select craft stores. The glass is available in a select few colors such as gray, green and bronze. You can find the glass more commonly in its clear form.

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Step 1

Lay a towel out on a flat surface. Place the tempered glass on one-half of the towel. Cover the glass with the rest of the towel.

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Step 2

Use a hammer to begin breaking the tempered glass. Strike the glass two to three times. Open the towel to see how well the glass broke. Remove the pieces you need for the mosaic, and continue striking the glass until all your pieces are broken.

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Step 3

Sand down a piece of plywood. The size and thickness of the plywood will depend on your mosaic. You may need to shop around for the right size piece.

Step 4

Use sand paper to make the surface smooth. This will make it easier to paint the plywood, and to glue on the tempered glass pieces.

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Step 5

Paint the plywood with your preferred colors. Most paints will show through the tempered glass, but clear glass is the obvious choice. You can use glitter paints, acrylic paint or even spray paint.

Step 6

Allow the paint to dry completely. Begin adding the broken pieces of tempered glass. Glue one piece of glass on at a time. Leave 1/4 to 1/2 inch of space between all the pieces. You may find that you will need smaller pieces to fit into areas. Consider breaking the tempered glass into smaller sizes.

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Step 7

Begin applying the grout once the glue dries. Follow the instructions on the grout package. Once the grout is prepared, use a small garden spade to apply grout all over the mosaic.

Step 8

Allow the grout to set for 20 minutes. Use a wet towel to remove the grout from the surface of your mosaic. The grout will fill in all the space that you left open on your mosaic.

Step 9

Let the grout set for 24 hours. Cover the mosaic with a clear lacquer. Once the lacquer dries, frame your mosaic or hang it on the wall.

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