Making a Mosaic
A home made mosaic showing pond life – and Catherine…
I made a “pond wildlife” themed mosaic to cover a boring cement slab septic tank lid in Nana’s garden in Australia. She’s known locally now as ‘the lady with the posh septic’. Mosaics are very easy to make: here’s how to make your own.
What you’ll need:
- Paper and several thick black markers
- Tile glue and an old knife for application
- Grout and old kitchen sponges
- Tiles
- Newspapers
- A hammer
- Tile cutters are an optional extra
Step 1) Decide where your mosaic will go and how big it’ll be
Step 2) Do a design on paper and think about the colours you’ll need – don’t miss this step as it helps clarify the design and your sourcing strategy!
Step 3) Source your tiles – I use recycling centres and rejects from tile shops. You may be able to get these for free but meaner shops will want you to pay for broken tiles and rejects!
Step 4) Use a black marker pen to sketch the paper design onto the final surface
Method
break tiles to make irregular shapes
I break my tiles by placing them between thick sheets of newspaper then gently hitting the tile with a hammer. In my opinion irregular tiles shapes are far more beautiful than shop-bought regimented squares. Be careful, as broken glazed tiles are sharp and they could hurt small soft hands.
Glue as you go, infill your design with blocks of different coloured tiles. You can be a bit tight with the tile glue as the grouting process should affix them permanently.
Always allow the glue to set before you start grouting.
Finally, apply generous amounts of pre-mixed grout across the entire surface. Be sure to sponge the mixture off the tiles surfaces and make sure all gaps are filled before making sure your edges are nice and neat.
Have fun!
