6 Tips for Your Mosaic Art

Mosaic art is becoming increasingly popular - with a renaissance as an art media, but also in the home improvement industry. Whether you are piecing together mosaic tiles and glass beads for the sheer guilty pleasure of creating a piece of art - or if you are putting your skill to work as a craftsman - mosaic art is certainly a thing of beauty.

For those of you who are just getting started in your mosaic art creations, I have a few great tips to share with you - so you don't have to learn everything by trial and error. Following are 6 things every mosaic artist - or craftsperson - should know:

1.) Weldbond for indoor mosaics - This stuff is a great all-purpose adhesive for your mosaic tiles and glass beads to stay securely fastened to their base. It is water-resistant, but also water based (no bad fumes), and it dries clear so you won't see any nasty residue on your creation.

2.) Seal outdoor mosaics - The sun, wind, rain and all of the other elements can play havoc with both the mosaic tiles and the tile grout that you use in between them. After your grout has cured for 2 full days, seal the outdoor mosaic with tile and grout sealer from your local building center.

3.) Mosaic material is heavy - Try to avoid using lightweight or breakable material as a base for your design. For example, if you have an older glass top table that you want to create a mosaic on, you would be better off using a thin (3/8" minimum) piece of plywood - or another product that is sturdy. You run into two problems with a weak base: first, it can be very unsafe, especially in the case of glass. Second, if the base moves and bends and reshapes itself, the grout will crack and the tiles with break away from the art.

4.) Take proper safety precautions - When you build your mosaic with tiles and glass beads, there is going to be some cutting, scraping and possibly breaking involved. You may even need to use tools that break or snap the different pieces to achieve the shape that you want. It is always best to use glass cutting gloves, and use protective eyewear when you do this.

5.) Use thinset for outdoor mosaics - Thinset is a concrete-based adhesive - essentially a sticky concrete - that is the best for outdoor mosaics. Sometimes the basic adhesives can breakdown with the constant battering from the elements - unlike thinset, which is an outdoor application.

6.) Use Leponitt glass mosaic cutters - Leponitt is the number one choice in cutters for cutting glass mosaic tiles, their cutters makes cutting glass tiles easy. Leponitt is preferred by both the craft enthusiast and the professional mosaic artists.

Those are 6 hints that I can share with you just so you don't have to learn the hard way when you go to begin your mosaic art. Always remember, the only limit you have on your mosaic art, is the boundary of your imagination!