Creating Mosaic Countertops
Fashioning a homemade tile mosaic on almost any surface
top is easy. The first step would be to look in a tile
shop and see what is available. Then decide on a pattern
you want. There are many books, magazines and TV shows
that give step by step instructions as well as design
ideas. After deciding a pattern or design, sketch your
pattern on the surface you are going to tile over. The
first step is to prepare the surface making sure the
tile will adhere. You do this by scoring the surface
with a utility knife then coating the surface with a
mixture of watered down white glue. Next you take tile
cement, commonly known as thin set or mortar, and spread
a thin coating over the surface. Place your tiles in the
cement according to the pattern you drew. After the
cement has set, (don't be in too big of a hurry) fill
the gaps between the tiles with tile grout. Most people
think grout is available only in white but if you look
in a hardware store you'll find many different colors of
grout available. You apply the grout by simply toweling
it over all of the seams between the individual tiles.
Then wipe away the excess with a sponge.
Have you ever been in a cafe, restaurant or a friend's
house for that matter, and admired the mosaic tile on
the tabletops or walls? Well, it's not that difficult to
bring that look into your own home. Where's a good place
to add a mosaic in your home? Kitchens and bathrooms are
the obvious choices but end tables and patios have
become favorites too. Consider embellishing a coffee
table purchased from an unfinished furniture store. This
is a great little week-end project. All you have to do
is add a coat of paint and then make a small mosaic on
the tabletop using some different size tiles or even
broken tile pieces. This same technique works equally
well for a larger area like this as it does for a small
accent table. Before starting this project, there are
some things you should do first to be prepared.
Take some time investigating what you want to do before
you start laying tiles down. There are a number of books
on ceramic tiles at your bookstore or library. A
recommendation is to just thumb through them to get some
inspiration for your design. Once you have a basic idea
of what you want to do, it's always a good idea to draw
a sketch of your design.
Then you will want to place the actual tiles on the
countertop, starting from the center and working
outwards, to make sure your pleased with your design.
Once you have everything in place, take a magic marker
and mark the tiles' location.
Before you cement the tiles in place, you have to
arrange the tiles for the mosaic sections. How do you do
that? This is where you can get some aggression out.
Take a mix of tiles, wrap them in a towel and give them
a whack. This is the simplest way to get the broken
pieces of tile you'll need for the mosaic. For the
border mosaics you are going to need some smaller pieces
of tile. For the smaller pieces you use a tile nibbler
to break off pieces the size you need. To cement the
tiles in place, use mortar that you can buy at any tile
store or home improvement store. You just trowel the
mortar on about 1/8th inch thick. Then use the edge of
the trowel to score the mortar. Then just put your tiles
in place. For the mosaic sections you use the same
process. Take the different pieces of tile and arrange
them however you like. Try and keep the spaces between
the tiles to 1/8th of an inch.
How do you complete the project? You have to grout the
tiles after the mortar has set up or dried. Remember,
tile grout is available in many colors, not just white.
Next smear the grout over the top of the tiles filling
in the seams. To clean the tiles, wipe off any excess
grout with a sponge. Let it dry overnight and you're
done so sit back and admire your work of art!
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