AnonyMouse_31531 Posted March 30, 2013 Posted March 30, 2013 I was wondering if any of you have made mosaic displays for outdoors. We have a small courtyard and was thinking of making a few squares of mosaic to hang up. However the snag is that I have never attempted this before. Does anyone have any tips on what to use (such as the backing wood) or how best to go about it?
AnonyMouse_2157 Posted March 30, 2013 Posted March 30, 2013 could you go to somewhere like 'Topps Tiles' and ask for all their chipped and reject ones. They often have huge amounts that are perfectly fine for such projects. These could be smashed up and used. Also ask parents for old cups, saucers and plates. If you are using wood you should consider using marine ply as this is more likely to last a bit longer. You could always mosaic directly onto the tiles though and then use plaster to stick them to whatever surface you have in mind. Have you tried googling 'How to make...' you should get some ideas this way.
Guest Posted April 1, 2013 Posted April 1, 2013 Hi I have made several with the children ( reception) I used marine ply which my husband cut with a jigsaw for me and i then varnished it on both sides several coats before we started. Decide where you want holes to attach to the wall and drill these lbefore you start so that you mosaic around them. Once the mosaic is on the wall, you can fill the hole With mosaic pieces and grout in situe so you dont see the holes. You can use pva glue to stick the tiles on or tile adhesive. The last one I did last year was for the jubilee and was in the shape of a crown. I asked the children to bring in items from home to add the jewels and asked for donations of old necklaces, buttons, broken jewellery, glass nuggets etc. I bought lots of glass nuggets from 'the range' and also square mosaic pieces in a range of colours from ebay. I used to do stained glass as a hobby so had loads of coloured glass and also cut that into pieces to use as well. When you finish glueing on the pieces with either pva or tile adhesive you'll need to grout it which takes ages. You get a much better look if you colour the grout grey ( I added black squeezy paint to my adhesive to save buying another pot and it worked fine) I worked with 3 children at a time and directed them quite a lot so I gave them a section to do and I said which colour it needed to be and they then chose which pieces to fill it in with. Hope that helps! Debx
AnonyMouse_3735 Posted April 1, 2013 Posted April 1, 2013 I have seen some wonderful ones using plastic bottle caps... takes an age to collect though if you don't have a good place to say you are collecting.. marine ply, with yacht varnish, used that myself for outdoor projects before and lasted ages.. the one I saw had tacked the tops on using a stapler, but have seen them glued as well.. but not sure which one. so may take a bit of experimenting..
AnonyMouse_3735 Posted April 1, 2013 Posted April 1, 2013 I have seen some wonderful ones using plastic bottle caps... takes an age to collect though if you don't have a good place to say you are collecting.. marine ply, with yacht varnish, used that myself for outdoor projects before and lasted ages.. the one I saw had tacked the tops on using a stapler, but have seen them glued as well.. but not sure which one. so may take a bit of experimenting.. 2
AnonyMouse_39602 Posted April 1, 2013 Posted April 1, 2013 I made one at home 13 years ago for my garden - just a mirror and some old mosaic tiles on webbing ( my ex father in law built swimming pools ) it was put onto an old window that was boarded up from inside - still there ....... and mirror has never cracked despite many a football and cricket ball !!! I also did a table top of an old garden table using old tiles from b& q - if the children are helping use gloves as can be sharp and also spirit level if for a table top as I found out the tea or wine was in danger of being wonky in places
AnonyMouse_3735 Posted April 1, 2013 Posted April 1, 2013 no idea how that double posted... :unsure: :unsure:
AnonyMouse_31531 Posted April 2, 2013 Author Posted April 2, 2013 Thank you everyone there are some wonderful ideas. I had not thought of approaching a tile shop for rejects or using bottle tops (they are amazing pictures. so simple but effective). The main thing seems to be using marine ply and varnishing it first so that is invaluable information!
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