Plate Mosaic

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Good morning!  How is everyone's weekend going?  I was in clean-up mode all day yesterday.  It was a lot of work, but the results are worth it.

As I was dusting, I snapped a pic of this mosaic I had made probably about 8 years ago.  I don't usually keep my own crafts displayed for so long, but this one is special to me.  Plus, the design and colours are timeless.  It pretty much goes well with everything I place around it and I haven't gotten tired of it yet.



If you want to make your own, this is what you will need:  plates (I got all mine from thrift stores - make sure you get ones that are not too thick or you will have a hard time breaking them up), tile snippers, a hammer, plastic bags, strong mosaic glue (also called mosaic cement), grout, rags, and a piece of wooden board (mine is about 18" x 18").

Step 1: Place each plate into a plastic bags and twist the end so your plate pieces don't go flying. Use the hammer to break the plates into manageable pieces.  Do this outside or a concrete floor so you don't destroy anything.

Step 2: Use the tile snippers to snip the plates into smaller pieces.  This step can be pretty hard.  You might want to wear work gloves to protect your hands.

Step 3: Start spreading your glue on the board.  Work with just one small area at a time so that you can be thoughtful in your placement of the pieces.  Generally speaking, the pieces should kind of fit against each other  - like a puzzle - but with small gaps that you can fill with the grout.  Let dry.

Step 4:  Once the pieces are dry, start spreading your grout around and on top of the pieces.  This is where you will need to multi-task.  Have a wet rag nearby so that you can wipe grout off the pieces while you fill in the gaps.  Grout can also be scraped and wiped off once it's dry - but it's a bit more difficult.

Let everything dry and then enjoy your new mosaic.  I hope you enjoy yours as long as I've been enjoying mine.

No comments:

Post a Comment

 

Blog Design by Nudge Media Design | Powered by Blogger