Photographing Your Finished Mosaic

Taking a picture of your finished mosaic is harder than it sounds. When you do a piece that includes all sorts of glass you are going to have a reflective problem. Some glass photographs better than others. Vitreous glass tile is not a high gloss so it is not too bad but the crystal glass can be horrible.

If you stand in front of your piece and snap the picture you will most likely see yourself and all the glaring light around you. The colors will not turn out correct and you will probably end up with a very dark picture. Iridescent glass causes the same problem as the crystal glass.

To get a decent picture without a professional photographer, you will need a good camera. Those cheap digitals don't do much for glass tile. You will need some sort of light diffusing system. I found a great set up at Wal-Mart that was cheap back in the camera department.

After having the proper tools, you need to plan to take a picture of the finished mosaic from an angle. This will keep the reflections low. You don't have to go at such a stark angle as the picture to the right but get a little tilt on your angle.

Here are two of our product pictures taken at different angles so you can see the difference. The one on the bottom is exactly like the actual blend. The one on top threw the colors terribly. (Yes we are working on better pictures ourselves!)

Adhesives for Outdoors

As spring approaches, I am getting the most common question...what adhesive do I use for my outdoor projects??? You really have to know the answer to this or your project will get ruined.

First of all, it doesn't matter what glue you use if you use the wrong base. Remember that when wood gets wet, it can warp. Once it warps, your tiles will pop right off. Your best surfaces for outdoors include cement board (hardibacker), glass, and concrete. I have used wood outdoors with good results though. You have to make sure to completely seal it (that includes the bottom) and don't put it directly in the weather.

Now for adhesives...
Thin set mortar is by far the best adhesive for outdoors. It is basically concrete. You don't have to worry about water getting to your glue and causing it to loosen. Once thin set is dry it is hard as a rock. The bad thing is that thin set won't adhere to glass. It has to be applied to a porous material such as concrete. This is by far the best adhesive for your stepping stones!

If you want to do a glass vase (or even a terra cotta pot), then I recommend Liquid Nails. This stuff can stick to almost anything but works especially well on glass. I do not recommend the clear Liquid Nails. The only kind that I have good experience with is Liquid Nails for Small Household Projects. It is a putty color so you don't want to use it with clear tiles. The great thing about this stuff is that it sets up quickly so you don't have to deal with your tiles sliding down the side of your vase.

If your heart is set on using transparent tiles then you will have to try silicone. Just look for the kind that is good for use in a shower or bath. I don't like using silicone since it is so stringy but it might work well for you.

Discount Codes and Offers

Mosaic supplies can be very expensive if you are not careful. We completely understand this and I try to keep our prices down as low as I can without making us go broke. We do try to offer discount codes or special offers on a regular basis to help offset the cost of your tile. Believe it or not, we have actually had people think that our tile is cheap, poor quality tile because we have the price so much lower than some of our competitors. It is easy to change their minds once they see the tile in person. We keep the pricing low because we import many of our products ourselves. After all of this our clients are very pleased with the transaction and the money they have saved.

So check back on our site often to see what we have on sale, on clearance, or for free. Check this blog often too. Sometimes we stick coupons in here for even more savings. For example, you can use discount code blogger0308 to get free 1 1/2 pound container of grout. Next time you order from us just add the color of grout you want to your cart and type in the code. It will take off $4 for the cost of the grout. This code is good for anyone including Artist and Trade accounts.

Affordable Vinyl Graphics

There is a new business in Owasso and online. Affordable Vinyl Graphics has a very cool website and an awesome project. It is not directly tied into mosaics but the owner of this company, Heather Rodden, is a very nice person that will go out of her way to get you exactly what you need.

In case you don't know, these vinyl graphics can be installed anywhere including painted walls, metal, plastics, etc. They won't damage the surface that you put them on. So you can hang your mosaic art on your living room wall and then have Heather do a cool graphic that includes the name of your piece. She can do it in any font and tons of colors! You then stick the vinyl under or around your finished art while it is on the wall.

Imagine creating a round piece then having Heather do the name of the piece so that it archs around your art. Cool effects! So hop over to Affordable Vinyl Graphics when you get a chance and make sure to look at their Photo Gallery.

Your Grout Color

This is the most common question for me...what color grout should I use? This is a very tough question since this can ruin your project if the wrong color is chosen.

Remember the rule of thumb:

• Mostly warm colors...use brown grout
• Mostly cool colors...use gray grout
• Mostly vivid colors (all very bright)...black is a possibility
• All white...use white grout

I have people that do a piece where the focal point is all in blue and the back ground is all in brown. Since blue is a cool color they think gray but imagine gray grout with brown tiles...Yuck! You want to choose a color that will make the entire work flow. Brown would be best in this case. What if your focal is all blue and the background is all orange. In this case you will want to use gray to keep your focal from being fractured. Gray would look fine with the orange tiles too.

Don't forget the correct intensity. If your piece is mostly dark then use a darker tone. If it is mostly light use a lighter.

So the rule of thumb is just a guideline. Always do the grout test to make sure of what color to use. Simply don a mask and sprinkle a little of each grout possibility into the grout joints of your piece. See what looks best then vacuum the dry grout out before mixing the real batch.

Tulsa Home & Garden Show

Hello everyone! The Tulsa Home & Garden show is now over and life can start getting back to normal for the Tile Shack crew. It was a huge success and I wanted to share some of the pics of our booth.

We put together some great displays that show our tiles installed.

We also had some great artwork. Carriera and Artemesia were created by Tish Busking. The shoes and aquarium were done by Sean Busking.

We also got in some rest and play time with some our builder friends.

Tulsa Granite and Middleton Construction of Tulsa also featured our tiles in their booths.

Finishing Edges on an Art Project

Finishing edges on a work of art has always been an issue. There are several ways that will complete your piece and make it gorgeous.

Try:

1. Build a frame out of wood. This works especially well when thin backerboard or Wedi board has been used as the substrate.
2. Do a grout rub on the edges. The grout won't stay in bulk but will leave a fine layer of grit and color that will blend well with the rest of your piece. Just rub down the edges while grouting the rest of the piece. Make sure to pick up your piece and wipe off the excess build up before it sets up. This works well with wood and Wedi board.
3. Use stained glass copper foil. This stuff has an adhesive backing so it sticks well on the edges. For this to really work you will need to make sure your edge is clean of all grout. The adhesive doesn't stick well to dried grout. I use this when I do a piece on backerboard but it can be used on all surfaces. For a silver edge, use the tape that is used on duct work that you can buy at your local hardware store.
4. Paint those edges. This is really only a good technique if your work is done on wood. Be sure to tape off the edges before grouting. Pull off tape before grout has set and paint in a couple of days.
5. Brass foil is a great edging for wood. This is a metal band that is nailed onto the sides of your piece before you grout. Here is a link to a company where we buy our's. We buy brass foil that is .02 mm. Be sure to buy the width that you will need for your surfaces. Go the extra penny and buy brass nails to use on this stuff. It will give a nice finish.

Although you can lay tiles on your edge, I never recommend it. If your piece gets bumped or falls those edge pieces have a good chance of falling off.