Ceramic Mosaic-Tiled Furniture

With colourful titles, mortar, grout, and a will to break things you can refinish any surface.

Jul 26, 2006

We all have some piece of furniture or area of our home that is just plain boring. For me it was the concrete pad outside of the backdoor. Try this great fix up.

Mosaic is not a difficult process. A few years back people were trying their hand at mosaic by breaking up old dinner plates. In theory this is great. The reality though is that plates are not flat. They tend to have ridges on the bottom and a curve to the outer sides on top. For this reason, if you are not an experienced mosaic artist, I recommend you use ceramic tiles.

Even ceramic tiles come in different depths so you will need to get them all the same thickness. This does not mean that you will need to stick to the square shape. On the contrary, get out your hammer and safety glasses. We are breaking tiles.

I can't tell you how much material you will need for your project as it will depend on the size and at times it is very much trial and error. Figure it this way. I do a surface that is 24" X 42". I am buying 6" tiles. 24 divided by 6 equals 4. 42 divided by 6 is 7. 4 X 7=28. I will need a minimum 28 - 6" tiles. I can buy any size tiles or combination, it just makes the math trickier.

There are some great tiles out nowadays. Have fun with the colors, designs and textures.

Fold the bath towel in half. Slide in approx. 6 tiles. Using gloves and safety glasses, hammer the tiles through the towel. Check them every now and again. Remember the smaller you go in the piece, the more work it will be. When you are first starting, aim for maybe 3-5 pieces out of a 6" square. It keeps the pieces larger and easier to handle.

Keep breaking pieces until all are broken. Now begin designing your mosaic. Chose an area, even the table or floor right next to your work space. Lay out tiles and rearrange them until you are happy with the design. You will need to decide how much space you are going to have in between tiles. The more space you have, the more the grout becomes a part of the mosaic.

Following the directions on the package, mix mortar for no more than a 4' X 2' section at a time. Spread mortar out evenly. It is like frosting a cake.

Caution: Please keep the gloves on. I don't like the feeling of gloves but found out the hard way that the mortar contains lye and burns.

Once the mortar is down, the fun part begins. Begin laying out your tiles. The design can change while it is developing. That is all right. It is part of the evolution of your mosaic. Once that section is down, if you have a larger area, do the next 4' X 2" section.

Once the tiles are all down, allow the mortar to dry. I try to allow 24-48 hours. Make sure you clean up your tools and bucket.

Once the mortar is dry, mix up the grout as per instructions. Pour the grout over the tiles. Focus on one area at a time. You can always mix more grout. Using sponges, push grout into spaces between tiles while wiping off tiles. They are not going to come clean right now. You just want most of the grout to end up in the grout spaces. Repeat for each area until covered.

Beginning where you started, wipe off tiles, gently avoiding the spaces between them. Keep the sponge damp without it being wet. Repeat.

Allow grout to cure over night. Go back and scrub off tiles. At this point you can buy a sealer for the grout if you choose. Now all you have left is to sit back and enjoy your masterpiece.

Once you get comfortable with it you can add glass beads, glass marbles, or anything else that beckons to your muse.

The copyright of the article Ceramic Mosaic-Tiled Furniture in Home Furnishing is owned by Mary Welling-Bonney. Permission to republish Ceramic Mosaic-Tiled Furniture in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.