Mosaics 101

Designer Bett McLean used terra cotta-colored grout to finish off her "Bears and Beehive " table. The stand was a rusty flea-market find that she scraped, primed and painted. Figure A Figure B Figure C Figure D When McLean couldn't bring herself to break three small Czechoslovakian plates she'd found at an antique store, she designed this mosaic kitchen panel - a sort of range-top backsplash around them. The result is dramatic and demonstrates the "anything goes" quality of working with broken-pottery mosaics. Mix broken with unbroken, flat with three-dimensional. Be as colorful or as subtle as you wish. Go large, go small, go wild! A cracked Blue Willow plate was the inspiration for this terra-cotta pot. For more color, use broken Fiestaware. Teapot tops, teacup handles and plate bottoms can add whimsical three-dimensional touches to your masterpieces. It was after state-plate collector Beth Haiken realized some of her prized dishware was made of lead that she decided she might be better off looking at it rather than eating off it.

With our simple step-by-step directions, you can easily create mosaic flowerpots , steppingstones, trays, tables and backsplashes--you name it.

And best of all, to make mosaics with true personality, you've got to break some dishes!

Materials:

dishes to be broken
old towel or plastic bag
wood mallet or small hammer
tile adhesive
grout (available in different grades)
safety glasses
grout sealer
gloves
hammer

Steps:

1. There are two ways to break your pottery pieces. The first is to cover the item with a heavy towel and hammer away. The second is to place it in a large plastic bag before breaking it (figure A). The latter method may help contain the shards. In either case, wear safety glasses, and put on gloves before picking up pieces.
2. Spread out your mosaic pieces so you can see them. You can plan your design beforehand or just wing it. For the "Bears" table, McLean drew her design on a wood tabletop and put the pieces in position. She then picked up each piece, "buttered" it with glue using a flat-sided knife (figure B), and stuck it back down. If your design is more free form, spread glue onto one small area at a time and press the mosaic pieces firmly into the glue.
3. Apply grout with your gloved hand or using a spreader (figure C). Spread until the grout fills all the cracks and crevices. Depending upon your desired look, the grout can be flush to your pieces or, if the pieces are curved or irregularly shaped , sometimes a little above. Wipe up as you go along, but remember that you can wipe off the excess after your mosaic is dry.
4. Clean with soap and water using a sponge or dishrag. Try to wipe off all the little smidgens of grout and grit (figure D). Using a brush, apply sealer to the grout to make it water-resistant.

(Project from the May/June 1998 issue of HGTV Ideas magazine.)