Thin Set Mortar

Thin set mortar is one of the best adhesives for mosaic art whether it be for a small piece or large structural installation. It is basically cement and is perfect for anything going outdoors.

Don't buy thinset already mixed up from the home improvement stores. It is much more expensive and doesn't hold as well. Just buy it in dry format. If you don't want to buy a 25 pound bag for your first piece, we sell it in 1 1/2 pound containers for you to dabble in.

The best liquid to mix in is a latex or acrylic additive. This can be found at your local hardware store. Once again, if you don't want to buy a gallon jug of the stuff, we sell it in smaller bottles. Use this additive instead of water for mixing. It will make the thin set stickier and it creates an awesome bond with the glass tiles. You will mix it to the consistency of toothpaste (like grout).

Thin set can be used on many surfaces including cement, ceramic, terra cotta, wood, and backerboard. Thin set doesn't hold well on metal or plastic. If you are doing a large piece then I recommend creating your piece on mesh using the double direct method. Then you can just install the entire piece at once after spreading the thinset.

If you mosaic is small then you can either spread a little thinset at a time and lay in the pieces or backbutter each piece as you set it in place. Thinset can be very messy. Keep your area clean as you lay the tiles especially if you are backbuttering. You will get it all over your fingers so keep an old towel nearby.

Once the thinset has set up then it is very difficult to scrape out of the grout joints. Keep a toothpick handy to wipe out the joints as you go. Also, only mix a little thinset at a time if you are laying tiles using the direct method. Once the thin set starts to haze over then it is no good and must be thrown out.

Be sure to use all disposable items when working with thin set so that you can just throw everything away when finished. Don't wash thinset down the drain as it WILL clog your pipes (I know this from experience)!

Once your piece has dried for 24 hours, grout and seal. You can then place it outside and not have to worry about the tiles popping off.

Direct Method of Mosaic

This is the most common way to lay mosaic tiles. Basically you glue each tile directly to your final surface. This is a great technique for a lot of mosaic pieces.

You can use whatever adhesive you have chosen and prep your surface accordingly. To lay your tiles, either lay your glue on the surface and then place your tiles or dab the glue onto the back of each tile and lay the tile on your surface (called backbuttering). Each method works and I actually use both when tiling direct.

The problem arises when you have a cool design that you want to transfer onto a tabletop or other similar surface. Once you draw out your design then you can redraw it onto your table easily using carbon paper. Lay out the carbon paper on the table then lay your design on top. Trace over all of your lines and it will then be reproduced on your table.

Now you have to adhere the tiles to this table. If using thinset, you might have trouble. You will have to be very careful to only spread enough thinset so that you don't cover up your lines. This is where the backbuttering of the tiles is best. If you use Weldbond or some other tube like glue then you can use either method to lay the tiles.

Direct method is best when you don't have a specific design in mind. Random placement of tiles works great in this area.

The AfterGlow Series

As you have noticed we are running a promo for a free mixed bag of AfterGlow tiles. You may be wondering why on Earth we are giving away these tiles.

I fell in love with these little guys when I first received the samples from our factory. The colors are so clear and they cut like a dream. Use the wheeled cutters and you get a very straight cut with little or no shards. These will not cut with the basic nippers.

It wasn't until I grouted my first piece when I really realized how awesome these tiles are. Before grouting the light grabs the color and illuminates it. After grouting there is a border around each tile and that makes the light really play off of the color (kind of refracting is oddly). It just seems to light up the entire tile or the entire piece.

I know you are saying, "of course Tammy is going to say this...she is trying to sell her tiles". Obviously I want to sell these tiles, but as most of you know I am more into helping clients than making money. Every client that comes into my showroom goes nuts over The AfterGlow Series. I always get people coming back for more.

It is one of those items that is very hard to photograph and must be seen in person to appreciate it. So this is why we are giving away a mixed bag with every order over $50. By the way, we extended this promo until Sept. 30. I promise that you won't be disappointed.

The Perfect Grout Color

Picking out the best color of grout for your completed project is extremely important. The wrong color can destroy your piece. Trust me...I have ruined several mosaics due to a bad color choice.

In the tile industry we do have a rule of thumb for grout colors. Gray and brown are always good choices with varying shades depending upon your overall color. If you are using mainly cool colors then choose gray grout, if using warm colors then use brown grout. For an overall light effect, choose a light colored grout and for darker tiles use a dark grout. So if you do your piece in mostly a rich cobalt blue with a hint of light aqua and white thrown, I would recommend a dark gray grout. The cobalt is a cool color and dark tile. If you choose to do your piece in varying shades of reds, oranges, and yellows, then I would recommend a medium tone brown grout. Does this make sense???

Using the neutral grout colors will make it to where people don't see the grout only the flow of the tiles. However, what if you want to make your grout joints stand out? Black and white will do this. Black grout is an amazing choice for those brightly colored tiles. It will give your piece a leaded stained glass feel. White will fracture your entire piece so use it sparingly. I only recommend white grout when most of your tiles are white. It is not as pleasing to the eye.

Grout colorants can give you a ton of options for grout color. Grout colorants are a strong concrete dye that resists fading. A little goes a long way! Just a teaspoon will tint 2 cups of grout to the dark shades. I only add it to white grout. This gives you brighter colors. Some people will add it to gray grout. You will still get the colors but they are more muted. You can also add the colorant to thinset and concrete (like your stepping stones).

Try mixing different colors together too. We mix terra cotta grout with brown colorant. This takes the edge off of the redness of the terra cotta giving you a rich grout color. We will also mix black grout with white grout to achieve gray tones. How about mixing blue and red colorant to get a beautiful purple? Maybe add sandstone colorant to terra cotta grout for a rich goldenrod grout. See the possibilities are endless!

Mosaic Tools - What do you really need? Part 2

So other than cutters, what tools do you need? I can tell you that most of what you need, you will have laying around your house. There is no need to go spend lots of $$$ on these items. Spend your money on tiles instead!

Plastic containers are a must. I mean those that you would usually throw away when the product is gone, like butter and frosting containers. These are great because after you have cleaned them out, you can store your tiles or broken chips in them and mix grout and thin set in these. I never use anything that has to be washed when it comes to grout and thin set. I just throw the entire container away after I am done.

Plastic spoons are another great disposable item. Anytime you get food to go, save that spoon that you never use. After mixing your grout just throw it away with the plastic container. Newspaper is another great disposable item. Use this as your work mat. It will catch all of the shards and spills. Just wad it up and toss it when you get done.

Sponges are great for cleanup on your pieces that have odd items sticking out. Paper towels are a must when dry grouting (which we will talk about next time). Buckets are needed for doing large projects. I have found that those plastic gallon ice cream buckets are perfect for use as a bucket. Invest in a box of latex gloves. You will go through at least 2 pair when grouting.

So what about items that are not disposable. You definately need safety glasses and a dust mask. These are some safety items that will help to prolong your life! You never know where glass is going to go when you cut it. You just don't want it in your eyes. Grout dust is horrible for your lungs. Always wear a dust mask when pouring dry grout so you don't inhale the dust. It will just turn to concrete in your lungs. Not a good thing!

Other tools that I use are an old butter knife, scissors, utility knife, 3/16" notched trowel, and toothpicks. The old butter knife is one of those with the weird pointed end. This is great for digging out thin set or grout that is in a place it doesn't need to be or even back buttering tiles. Scissors are used with cutting fiberglass mesh and patterns. The utility knife is used most often for cutting substrate like hardibacker. I use the notched trowel when I need to lay and trowel through large areas of thin set. If you hold it at a 45 degree angle you will have a perfect thickness of thin set. Toothpicks are used for fine tuning the mosaic. I use them to dig out thinset from grout joints and mostly to reposition tiny tiles that I can't get my fingers on.

As usual, I have probably left out something. Always remember that you can use a lot of things around your home when doing mosaics. Once you use them on your projects, keep them in a small tool box for your next piece.

Tulsa House Beautiful Show

This weekend we will be exhibiting at the Tulsa House Beautiful Show featuring Andrew Dan Jumbo from While You Were Out. This is our first home show and are not really sure what to expect. We have been working hard on new displays that will feature our MatrixColor and AfterGlow Series. We have tons of eye candy for all to see.

If you are in the Tulsa area this weekend stop by to see us. We will be at booth number 256. It is one of the more colorful booths out there. We have examples of how to use our glass tile in your home installations such as showers and backsplashes but also have some artistic pieces. I am hoping to show everyone how mosaic tile can be used throughout the home. Some people are scared of the small tiles and glass shards!

We look forward to meeting all that can come by. While you are at our booth make sure to pick up some free samples and tons of literature that we have available.

Hours:
Friday 2 to 9
Saturday 10 to 9
Sunday 11 to 6

Mosaic Tools - What do you really need? Part 1

This is a tough topic in the mosaic world. Everyone uses different tools for different reasons. As my motto states, find what works for you and stick with it.

The very first tool that you will need is a cutter of some sort. There are wheeled cutters, basic nippers, hammer, and tile saws. All of these work well with different types of tesserae. The wheeled cutters are, by far, the best tool for working with glass. They cut pretty precise with some practice. Here is a tutorial on how to use the wheeled cutters. See my blog below called Getting A Straight Cut With Glass Tile.

There are several brands out there to choose from. I have tried most of them and have found that they are really all the same. The only big difference is if the wheels are stationary or if they wobble freely. The stationary wheels are the best. The wobbly wheels give you wobbly cuts. If you happen to have a set of these cutters, simply place a washer beneath the wheels. This will give the wheels a tighter fit.

Other than the color of the handles they all work the same and have the same type of wheels. When your cutters don't seem to be working as well loosen the bolt and turn your wheel slightly. This gives you a brand new cutting surface.

There is another type of wheeled cutters called Starretts. They have a different handle set up. I haven't used them myself but have recommended them to my clients with severe arthritis. They are supposed to make cutting tiles so much easier on your hands.

Then there are the basic nippers. These are good for cutting ceramic, marble, and porcelain. They are much harder to use though. Don't use the entire cutting surface as this will shatter your piece. Place your tile on the front corner or back corner of the cutting teeth to get a cut. The nippers are not meant to "cut" the tile, but to direct the breaking of the tile. So place your teeth in the direction you want the break and then squeeze. These take some practice as well. Once again, these are all pretty much the same, just different handle colors. However, I have seen a pair at Lowe's that have a nice ratchet system that will make breaking so much easier.

A hammer is an awesome tool to have laying around. When you have a huge plate, bowl, or ceramic tile, you can use the hammer to break it down to a workable size. Be sure to place a towel over the top of the item first. You don't want your glaze to pop off with the break.

A tile saw is really only necessary when working with large ceramic tiles and marble. You can get some great cuts with it. It is very good for cutting your marble into strips so they can then be nipped into small tesserae. Keep in mind that a wet saw is very messy!

So that is all of the basic cutters. I am sure there are others that I have left out. Feel free to let me know what I have forgotten.

Cutters are the most important tool but what else do you need? A sponge if you wet grout, paper towels if you dry grout, buckets for grout water, plastic containers for mixing thinset and grout, plastic spoons for stirring, utility knife for cutting surfaces, notched trowel for spreading thinset, gloves, safety glasses, fiberglass mesh, etc. etc. etc. There are lots of tools needed for different projects. Research before getting started to make sure you have it all ready to work with. We will go into more detail in our next blog.