Mosaic Beach Blog

Why & how should I seal my grout?

Grout is a cementious product that while strong it is also porous. That means that the grout will stain with any oil or liquid spilled on it. Sealant stops that from happening (yeah!). It also limits mold and mildew production in  moist areas (like shower grout). I always seal pieces that are used (trays, tables or outdoor pieces) but not usually wall hangings or mirrors.

Most grout sealants (including the one we sell) are clear liquids. You simply brush it over the grout lines (for big tiles, small grout lines) or all over the piece if it is a mosaic. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Buff the tiles dry to avoid them becoming hazy. Repeat until the sealant does not penetrate the grout in 5 minutes (could take 3 coats) buffing the tiles in between coats. I would reapply it annually.

Now get sealing!!

The casting method (aka,how do I make a garden stone)

I know spring feels miles away but this is the time to start thinking about your garden..or at least the hardscaping elements that we can work on now.  Many of you have inundated me with questions on how to make your own garden stones...so here is a brief description.

1. Get yourself a good mold.  We use molds made for this purpose (and we sell 'em) but you can use just about anything with flex.  Measure the bottom and cut a piece of craft paper to fit. It should lay perfectly flat with no curving at the mold edge.

2. Draw out your design.  Find a piece of sticky paper (I use clear dollar store shelf paper) and cut it to size as well.  Lay it sticky side up on your design and tape the edges to the table so it doesn't fly all over the place.

3. Start cutting your tiles. Work AWAY from the sticky surface. Little shards will get caught in the sticky paper and kill the stickiness. Lay the tiles UPSIDE DOWN on the sticky paper. Remember you are looking at the bottom of the design.

4. When your mosaic is completed, coat your mold with some sort of release agent (I use vaseline) and gently lift the sticky paper mosaic into the mold (sticky side STILL UP!). 

5. Mix your concrete. Always purchase SAND mix at the hardware store. Pebble mix will wreck the mosaic. Follow mixing instructions on bag.

6. Pour concrete half way into the mold. Agitate gently to remove the bubble by tapping the sides. Cut a piece of chickenwire to fit into the mold. It MUST be smaller than the mold. If any part sticks out of the stone it will rust and eventually break the stone.

7. Pour the rest of the concrete on top ofthe chickenwire. Let dry for 48 hours. Lift stone from mold. Pull sticky paper off. Check and clean surface of any concrete that may have splooged through. I use dry concrete and a spray bottle to fill in air pockets.

8. Wrap the stone in cling wrap and set aside for as long as the bag of concrete says it takes to cure. (The stuff I use is 24 days).  Then VOILA! Garden stone perfection.

Is there a part you missed or I forgot...drop me a line!

Tools and Materials Required

1. Mosaic mold. 2. Mosaic tiles 3. Kraft paper 4. Clear sticky paper 5. Sand mix concrete. 6. Chicken wire.

 

Choosing the right grout colour

Grout can make or break your piece which is why so many of us are terrified to make the WRONG choice. Keep in mind that grout is the third element of a traditional mosaic behind the design and the tile choice so it IS important. Things to keep in mind when selecting your grout.

1. NEVER colour match. Seriously. Why do the background of your piece in black and then grout it in black? You might as well have just painted it as opposed to mosaicking it. Some contrast is necessary.

2. If in doubt do a grout study. Grab a few of your tiles and glue them down in two or 3 little groupings then grout them in different colours. See what you like best and voila. It only took an extra couple hours and probably saved a bunch of heartbreak.

3. Black is considered the most "ungrouted". It is very strong and I like it a lot with bright colours. It will make dark purples, blues & black tile all pretty much disappear.

4. Light shades like silver and sand are harmonious and unifying. They are good if you have a complicated image that you don't want fractured (dark colours are less unifying). 

5. If in doubt standard gray or natural gray is an excellent choice. It is traditional looking with a medium browny/gray colour.  One of my personal faves.

6. Terracotta grout looks great on terracotta pots. It can look like you've just "pushed" the tiles into the pot. Very cool effect.

There, some of my personal experiences with grout. I would love to hear about your personal experiences when choosing grout.  Drop us a line!!

The Mesh Method

What is the mesh method?  So glad you asked! The mesh method or double direct is a great replacement for the indirect method in many situations. It allows you to work directly over your design (rather than upside down) which is very helpful when using materials like ceramic where the colour is only on the surface.

It is also good for installs. Why sweat over the backsplash, floor or fireplace when you can sit at your worktable glue the pieces to the mesh and then install the whole design at one time? Much less downtime when you do the shower all in one day!

How do you use the mesh you ask? Easy! Draw your design out on craft paper.  If you will need to move the piece around (ie if you are doing it on the dining room table and anticipate entertaining during the process) tape it to a lightweight board otherwise tape it to your work surface. Then, place a layer of plastic sheeting or cling-wrap over your design and tape it down too (this stops the glue that holds the tile to the mesh from sticking to the craft paper design). Then place your mesh over top again taping it down so your project does not move. Keep in mind as you move to the edge of the mesh with the tiles you will need to remove the tape.

Start cutting your tiles and gluing them to the mesh. I use Weldbond glue as my adhesive. Any PVA NON-water soluble glue will be fine. Put only a SMALL amount of glue on the tile to hold it to the mesh. When you install the mesh you want your adhesive to grab the tile, not the Weldbond.  Most vitreous glass has ridged bottoms. I try just to touch the high parts with the glue.

Once your mesh design has dried prepare your installation surface with the appropriate adhesive using an appropriate size notched trowel for the tiles you have chosen. (see the adhesives help section). It is important that you use the right trowel as too little adhesive & it won't bond correctly, too much and it will ooze up between your tiles and interfere with the grout.

Stick your mesh down and if a few pieces fall off during installation it's not a big deal..just stick 'em back in! Use a board (not your hands) to push the mesh down into the adhesive to keep it level and then let it dry overnight. Grout as usual!

How many tiles do I need?

First you need to figure out the size of the area you are going to cover. Here are some simple formulas.

Circles- .785 x diameter x diameter = inches. I work in inches but you can divide by 144 to get square feet.

Triangles- .5 x length x width

Rectangles- length X width

Then you need to decide what tiles you are using. 3/4 inch, 1 inch, cut tiles? All of the sizes impact the number of tiles you need. I usually add 10-20% for wastage based on the amount of cutting I am doing for the design.

Here is an example based on a 24" round table using 3/4 inch tiles with 20% wastage (we are going with a REALLY complicated design!)

.785 x 24 x24 = 452 square inches /.75 = 603 3/4" tiles +20%=724 tiles    GOT IT??  We are here to help so if that was clear as mud...call us, drop an email or a comment with YOUR dimensions and we'll help you figure it out!

Grout

Grout, the 3rd most important part of a mosaic (behind design & tile colour) can also be the most traumatizing.  Mix it this way, don't leave it on too long, how do I colour it, which grout is better, what bloody colour???

Here are some tricks.

What grout??
1. Always sanded. It has more strength, is easier to work with & will last longer.
2. Polymer modified grouts are usually the norm now. If not, add an admix for strength for functional projects (tables, trays, trivets etc).
3. Grout can be purchase coloured or you can add colour to it in the form of paints (only acrylic or latex...no oil) or pigments.
How do I grout??
1. Mix the grout with water until it reaches an oatmeal or peanut butter consistency. MIX IT! That means NO pre-mixed grouts. They are usually unsanded & crap.
2. Let it slake or set-up for 5-10 minutes. The grout will harden a little. Stir it until it is soft again and get to it!
3. Spread the grout with a gloved finger or grout float over the tiles, pushing the grout in between while scraping as much off the surface as possible. You want  the grout to be level with the tiles. The sponge later will bring it down a little.
4. Let it dry for 15-20 minutes or until haze forms on the surface of the tile and the grout does not move when you rub your finger over it (the sand yes, the actual grout..no)                                    
5. Sponge with a dry damp sponge. (wring it out until there is no water). Rub the sponge across the tiles removing the grout.  Flip the sponge over and gently go over the same area. See how the sponged area no longer looks sandy but the un-sponged area does...hmmm. nice eh!  There will be a small amount of haze left on the tiles. Let it dry for another 15-20 minutes and sponge again and then buff with a dry, lint free cloth, or leave it overnight and give it a vinegar wash in the morning! For more on cleaning haze see Grout haze everywhere!! .

YEAH! easy grouting. 

Adhesives

There are limitless opportunities for design expression in mosaic, but not so much in the choice of adhesives. Certain ones are appropriate for certain situations & it is imperative that you know which to use. When in doubt...drop us a line!

Weldbond. God's gift to adhesive at least to the pagan's amongst us! Weldbond is a curing PVA glue that gets stronger the longer it dries. It will also dry clear. (the time line for that clear depends on how much you glob it on! more on that in tips & tricks). Weldbond is great for all interior projects & a few exterior ones. It is water resistant...NOT waterproof so it isn't a good choice in standing water spots. (unless epoxied)

Mastic or pre-mixed tile adhesive is a thick paste-like adhesive which gets a bad rap but it is good in certain interior only situations. I am not speaking for all brands but I use Chembond & I like it for vases, pots or other interior vertical projects because it has hold.  I also like it for projects like wall hangings when disparate height materials are used (like pottery) because it also enables you to build it up and finally for wet situations like backsplashes because that is what it is designed for. Check your adhesive & confirm it works for wet & you are ok.

Thinset mortar is the adhesive of choice for many mosaicists but I find it difficult to work with unless in certain specific situations. For outdoor or floor projects it is the BEST & really only adhesive to use. Use an admix to mix it when going concrete to concrete. I do NOT find that it bonds well with wood so ensure you prime the heck out of it! Go concrete board when in doubt. It is easier to use when doing the indirect or double direct methods than gluing piece by piece.  It is the best installation adhesive (floors, counters etc).

There are other things that I am missing like clear silicones, liquid nails etc. for specific sitiations but these are the three that get us through the day, every day at the studio.

Any questions?  Drop us a line.  Good luck! Tanya

Mosaic Tools

Mosaic is a great hobby because it has so few tools!  Once you've graduated from smashing tiles with a hammer you will need to invest in only 2 things...A tile nipper & dual wheeled nippers.

Tile nippers are used to crack tiles and are used more often for heavier materials (porcelain, ceramic) or where precision is not required.  You can also crack vitreous or mosaic glass tiles with them.  They are offset so when using them turn the angled or offset bit in toward your body (left if you are right-handed, reversed for left) and pu the material to be cut only half way into the nipper. If you stick it the whole way it will either shatter (if you are cutting glass) or it simply won't break at all (if you are using heavy materials like porcelain). Make sure to always hold the nippers at the bottom so that they are doing all of the work, not your forearm.  Tile nippers are also good for nibbling. If you've had a cut go wonky you can nibble off the wierd bit. You can also nibble shapes like circles & leaves with the nippers. Nippers are available at most hardware & tile stores, as well as all great mosaic shops for $15-20.

Dual wheels are different in that they actually cut the tiles using 2 non-rotating wheels. The wheels can be turned when dull so they will last a long time and they are replaceable so once you've bought the cutter you will keep it forever as opposed to tile nippers that just get chucked when dull.  Duals are very good for precision because you put them directly where you want the cut.  I cut glass, stained glass, mirror & smalti with my duals. I do cheat & cut heavier materials like porcelain or ceramic when I need a very precise cut (like a triangle) but just know that it dulls the wheels faster. Duals are a specialty tool that can be found at mosaic shops & stained glass stores and range from $30-50.

Did I miss anything? Let me know!