How to Make Mosaics Out of Broken Tiles
- 1). Design your mosaic. Broken tiles can be affixed to many surfaces. Depending on the type and quantity of your broken tile, you can choose to create a variety of decorative items with your tile. If you have never worked with tile before, it's best to work with a flat surface. For instance, you could decorate a small table or tray with your tiles. Most home improvement stores have prefabricated tabletops and legs ready to be assembled. Many craft stores offer plain serving trays, stepping-stones and a variety of other items waiting to be decorated.
- 2). Arrange your tiles. The beauty of mosaic is that it can be totally random. You do not need to plan its appearance. However, if you would like to, cut a piece of paper or cardboard the same size as your project, and lay your tile out in your desired pattern before you begin. If you like you can follow a common pattern: place the largest pieces in the middle and surround them with smaller pieces, or vice versa. If your pieces are all bigger, you can break them into smaller pieces. Wearing protective goggles, place your tiles on an unbreakable surface and cover them with an old towel. Hit the covered tiles with a hammer until your tiles are the desired size.
- 3). Put on your gloves. Both of the adhesives used with tile, and the grout used to seal it, are toxic. Wear your gloves and use these chemicals in a well-ventilated area. Gloves will also prevent your fingers from being cut with pieces of tile or abraded while using grout.
- 4). Apply mastic or thinset to your object. These are the adhesives your tile will stick too. Mastic is easier to work with, but thinset is stronger and better suited to anything that may get wet. These can be applied to small informal projects with any kind of spreader -like a putty knife or old table knife, or you can purchase tools designed for this purpose for bigger projects. The main goal is to apply an even layer of the adhesive. Read your adhesive's instructions to see what the specific recommendations are.
- 5). Place your tiles. Once you have created an even adhesive surface for your tiles, place them in your desired pattern. Once your tiles are in place, allow your project to dry for at least 24 hours. If it's moist outside, wait two or three days.
- 6). Cover your tiles with grout. Grout is not just a cosmetic aspect of a mosaic project -- it is the cement that will hold your tiles in place. Grout can be purchased pre-mixed, or you can buy it dry and mix your own. Grout comes in a variety of colors. Grout should be spread on top of your project, generously filling in all spaces. When enough grout is in place, wet your tiling sponge and gently wipe grout off of the surface of your tiles. Be careful to remove as little grout as possible. Remember: the grout has a job to do. If you are doing a small project and don't have a tile sponge, wet paper towels work too.
- 7). Cure your grout. Grout should be allowed to dry slowly. To achieve this, keep the surface damp by spraying it with water from a spray bottle, a couple times a day, for a few days. This will prevent the top from drying first and eventually cracking.
- 8). Seal your grout. To help maintain the color and integrity of your grout, spray it with a grout sealant at the conclusion of your project.
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