Mosaic tips...
For all you budding mosaic artists out there....here's some tips I've gleaned from others, discovered by accident or read in books. I'll be adding to the list as the months go by. If you have any, let me know and I'll add them and credit you!
Tip 1
Never pour grout or cement adhesive (thinset) down your sink or drains - or you'll soon know about it! Gather leftover grout / adhesive in newspaper and throw it away. Fill dirty buckets etc... with water and leave overnight. The grout will settle at the bottom and you can pour the water away then scoop out any leftover grout and throw it in the bin.
Tip 2
Don't use premixed grout or adhesive - its not as good as the powder you mix yourself and its more expensive.
Tip 3
Got this one from Mosaic Artists Online (see links) - affectionately termed the 'baggie'. When you are using cement based tile adhesive, instead of having it in a pot while you work (where it dries out - lets face it, mosaics are a slow business), put the cement adhesive in a plastic bag, snip off a corner and squeeze away! You don't have to worry about it drying up while your'e having a cup of tea :)
Tip 4
If you are using stained glass for your mosaic, make sure that if you draw your image onto your wood (or whatever substrate) before you start mosaicing, that you do this in very feint pencil otherwise the mark of your drawing will show through the glass.
Tip 5
Pay careful attention to the 'substrate' you use (the material you build your mosaic onto) or you may find that your mosaic doesn't last. It should be thick enough to support the weight of your mosaic, have no flex at all in it (otherwise pieces will pop out) and if the piece is going outdoors or in a wet area, it should ideally be totally waterproof. The best waterproof material I have found is a tiling substrate called Wedi Board (a google search should lead you to suppliers). Obviously, concrete / stone objects are also great. There is a lot of debate about whether you should ever use wood like marine ply for outdoors. If you want something to last eons, best to avoid!
Tip 6
What you use to stick down your pieces to your substrate depends on where the piece will go. If it is for indoors only, then good quality PVA glue is easy to work with. You can also use tile adhesive (mix small enough quantities because it dries out) as this allows you to build up different heights to the tiling to either give you an even surface (if you are using differnt height tiles) or to create an uneven surface for texture and interest. If the piece is for outdoors, use only external grade tile adhesive. If you are working with glass, remember that whatever adhesive you use will show through the glass and change the colour of it. If you want the adhesive to go clear, use either clear silicone adhesive (good but smelly - like the stuff you seal round the bath with) or PVA glue that will eventually dry clear - this can take many days. With PVA glue and glass you can also use the 'alcohol' technique where you put the pva on both your substrate and tile, but don't stick them together yet - allow the two surfaces to nearly dry clear, then using a cotton bud, daub some alcohol (like nail varnish remover) on both surfaces then stick them together. This allows the glue to go clear much quicker and also gives you a lot of control when you are using PVA on vertical or curved surfaces - you'll find the pieces won't slide down like they do with fresh PVA!
