How to Make Mosaic Tables

Did you ever make a paper collage in school, fitting small pieces of colored paper together to make a picture? If so, then you already have the basic idea of how to make a mosaic.

Simple designs, even those drawn from a child's coloring book, can look stunning done as a mosaic, whether you use ready-made mosaic tiles, glass pebbles, or even broken dishes. Here, too, is a chance to recycle some interesting mixed-media pieces, from newspaper cuttings or photos under glass to river stones, seashells or pottery shards. If you are making a mosaic table, however, choose flat pieces of similar depth to keep your table surface nice and flat.

The following article discusses the indirect method of mosaic construction, whereby you place mosaic tiles upside down onto adhesive paper contained within a mold, fill with cement, and wait for it to dry before flipping the cast over to view your masterpiece. The indirect method is most often used when the finished surface needs to be very smooth.

Direct methods of making mosaic, including illustrated mosaic tutorials and a short instructional video, are offered at right.

Making Your Own Mosaic Tables

Mosaic tables really are unique and even more so when you choose to make them yourself! The most common type of mosaic decoration within a home is often a mosaic table with a mosaic tabletop, often on a wrought iron base in the Tuscan style.

As mentioned, it is possible to create your own mosaic table and that is something which some people choose to do. This is because it makes it more personal to you and it is not overly difficult to achieve a mosaic table yourself either. So, how exactly do you go about creating your own mosaic table?

In order to create a mosaic table yourself, you need to have a mold to make your tiles. You also need adhesive paper which will be cut to fit the bottom of the mold. The mold will have to be coated with petroleum jelly, followed by adhesive paper which will be placed onto the mold with its sticky side facing upwards onto the bottom of the mold.

The next step in the process, is to arrange the pre-cut glass pieces onto the adhesive paper depending upon the design that you are using. Once you have done that, roll the tiles with a brayer in order to ensure that all of the edges on the tiles are down. When that has been done, you will need to use quick drying cement and mix it with water and a powder colorant to add a nice tint to the concrete. After you have successfully prepared the concrete, pour it into the mould, on top of the glass design but try not to fill it all the way to the top. It is likely that there will be a few air bubbles within the mixture, so in order to remove them tap the mold on the surface and leave it to dry for one hour.

When you are sure that the mold has dried, turn the mold upside down in order to peel off the adhesive paper. Make sure that you then remove any excess concrete away from the design using water and a scraping tool. Finally the mosaic tabletop is ready and all you have to do is seal it onto a wrought iron base. This type of homemade mosaic table is known as an indirect method as you are working your way up from the bottom of the stone and you place any wording backwards so that when it is flipped over it reads ok.

Overall it is simple to make your own mosaic table, you just need to have the right tools and equipment to do it.

About The Author: Adam Peters contributes content to home-decorating reviews, offering articles on cutting bamboo shades.