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Materials:
- Tiles
- Plates
- Thinset mortar
- Acrylic admixture (optional)
- Grout
- Grout sealer
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Tools
- Tile nippers
- Hammer
- Eye protection
- Gloves
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Steps:
Make or buy a shelf and seal it with urethane |
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Shelf Absorption
Start by making a custom shelf from cedar, pine or plywood
- a horizontal piece attached with zinc screws to a vertical
support. Or you can just buy an unfinished pine shelf. In
either case though, coat the shelf with water-based urethane
to seal it.
Tile Me No Lies
Next, get a selection of tiles from a tile shop or home center.
For a cheaper alternative, sort through boxes of leftover
tiles at a recycled building-materials store.
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The easiest way to break tile is to hit it with a hammer |
Alternatively, use a glass cutter |
Score the tile with the cutter |
| To break the tiles into mosaic pieces, wear protective
gloves and eye gear. The fastest method is to whack the tiles
with the flat edge of a hammer. If you want more control over
the shapes of your pieces, use 'tile nipper' pliers, made especially
for shaping tile. |
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Use pliers to break the tile down and away from the cut line
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Use tile nippers to shape the pieces |
Grozers (found at stained glass shops) can be used to dull sharp
edges |
| Broken china also makes good mosaic pieces. If
you haven't dropped any dishes lately, try Goodwill or Value
Village for cheap, colourful plates. To cut plates into useable
pieces, tile nippers work really well. |
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Sort the pieces into colour groups |
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Take time to sort shards by colour and stow them in different
containers. Otherwise you'll have to sort them as you're affixing
pieces to the shelf, with your fingers all covered in mortar,
murmuring cruel epithets and wearing a pinched expression.
Next, carefully lay out your design, or just dive in and
start sticking the pieces on with madcap abandon.
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Use white 'Thinset' tile mortar |
Use acrylic admixture for a stronger, more flexible bond |
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Mortar Love
To attach the pieces you'll need tile fixative, a mortar commonly
sold as Thinset. Look for it in the tile aisle. Get WHITE
Thinset if you can find it. It doesn't show through the grout
as badly as regular Thinset, which dries very dark gray.
TIP: Also in the tile aisle you'll find acrylic admixture,
a liquid polymer that replaces the water you would normally
use to mix up mortar. Admixture strengthens the mortar and
I highly recommend it, especially if you'll be using your
shelf outside.
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Mix to stiff peaks |
Tile pieces can vary in thickness |
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Mix the Thinset to the 'firm peak' stage. It should be quite
stiff and tacky. Using a Popsicle stick, spread a little mortar
on the back of a piece of broken tile or plate, and plop it
on your shelf. Start setting pieces around it, matching the
edges with complementary shapes.
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Put more mortar on the thin pieces so that the tops become level
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| Try to set all the pieces flush by applying varying amounts
of Thinset to the underside of each piece, depending on its
thickness. Keep the spaces between pieces roughly an eighth-inch
to a quarter-inch wide. |
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Build from the bottom up on vertical surfaces |
Use spacers to maintain space between pieces |
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| Some parts of the shelf are more difficult, like the edges.
You may need plastic tile-spacers or matchsticks if you're working
vertically up an edge, because the pieces will tend to slide
downward in response to gravity. You can also use masking tape
to hold pieces in place until the mortar sets up.
You pretty much have to do the shelf in stages. Otherwise,
pieces drop off when you flip the shelf over. So mix your
mortar in small batches (about a cup at a time), and stretch
the project out over a few days.
Once you have the entire surface covered (except the back
edge where you'll hang it), allow time for the Thinset to
cure. Then you're ready to grout.
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Use a rubber float to press grout into the spaces |
Work the grout in with the float |
Fill all the spaces - use your finger to press it in if necessary
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Grouter Limits
Buy 'unsanded' grout if your spaces are less than 1/8"; it's
creamy and flows into tiny spaces. If you have more generous
spaces up to 3/8", buy 'sanded' grout, which contains fine
sand to lock the grout in place in larger crevices.
If you haven't tried grouting before, it's fun. You smush
the grout into the spaces with a rubber float (also available
in the tile aisle), pushing grout across and down into the
little trenches until no more will go in.
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Use a tile sponge with softened edges and corners to clean off
the excess grout
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Gently wipe the surface |
Rinse and wipe again |
| Let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe diagonally across
it using a damp sponge to clean off the mosaic pieces. Then
let it sit for another 10 minutes or so, and wipe again, always
rinsing the sponge in clean water between each pass. |
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Always use a clean side of the sponge, and continually rinse
the sponge in clean water! |
The final wipe must be dead clean |
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| When the mosaic surface is really clean, leave the shelf for
a week to allow the grout to cure fully, then seal the entire
shelf with grout sealer. |
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Drill and install screws for hanging the shelf |
Seal the back with tub and tile caulk |
After curing, seal with grout sealant |
| Mount the shelf indoors or out and admire your handiwork for
years to come. |
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Artisans'
work featured on this episode:
(click pics for Artist info and larger
images)
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