Mosaics enrich architecture, furnishings
The beauty and artistry of mosaic design is seen throughout history as a favored decorative style. Architecture is enriched by walls and floors decorated with mosaics employed on interior and exterior surfaces. The enduring nature of the craft is witnessed in centuries-old public buildings, court houses, spectacular cathedrals and town squares that continue to shimmer with the resonant colors and intricate patterns of mosaic work.
Today, we are witnessing a resurgence of this tiny tile style in our own homes and gardens. Mosaic-tile detailing has now become a staple in bathrooms, on floors and walk-in shower compartments. Nautical and water motifs — jumping fish, seashells, sailboats and anchors — can be drawn with tiles to become the focal point amid simple, larger tiles.
The kitchen backsplash is another focal area to cover with a striking background of mosaics — a solid strip of metallic bronze or silver looks strikingly rich and contemporary. Mosaic tiles make an excellent border detail for floors in a hallway.
Applying mosaic tile to a large area, wall, floor or ceiling is a huge undertaking that is expensive to install. But mosaic tiles can be employed to decorate furniture and accessories. This is a craft or art form that takes as much patience as it does skill.
Here’s a perfect summertime project for you (and the kids). A mosaic garden table is just the right size to start, and chances are good that when the table is finished, you will have a family heirloom filled with memories that you have woven into the design.
Mosaic patterns can be produced with a vast assortment of materials, including glass, ceramic and metal tiles, pebbles, shells, even semiprecious stones. For a tabletop, you will want tiles with a smooth, flat finish so that your top will be even. Save uneven and textured tiles for walls and accessories. You can buy bags or kits of colored glass tiles at arts and crafts stores. For covering larger surfaces, mosaic tiles are sold in blocks for faster installation. These are sold at flooring, tile or building stores.
For me, the most fun bit is making up the design. You can incorporate ancient patterns and modern motifs, your favorite colors, abstract shapes and familiar designs to create your own work of art. The Internet is a great place to explore design options. You’ll find illustrations of ancient patterns for the Greek key and the guilloche pattern (twisted rope), along with designs for cats, fish, people … most anything you can draw. Two helpful Web sites are mosaic-tile-design.com and thejoyofshards.co.uk.
To make the garden table shown here, I started with a piece of 1-inch plywood cut to fit over an existing table, and primed the wood. If you are working on an old tabletop, sand it smooth first and then apply a high-adhesion primer.
Do some sketches on paper of the overall design until you are satisfied with the result. Use colored pencils to mark where you want each color block of tile. Then draw the design outline onto the primed surface with a pencil and ruler, using your paper design as a reference.
Assemble the tiles in place on your design, cutting tiles to fit where necessary. Tiles can be set at random angles, mixing colors and shapes. Leave a small space between each tile for the grout.
Working in small sections, as the adhesive dries quickly, remove the tiles you have set into position, spread an one-eighth-inch layer of tile adhesive on the tabletop and a dab on the back of the tile and press it into position.
When the tiles are all on, let dry for several hours. Spread exterior grout over the whole surface, pressing it into the cracks between the tiles. Let it dry for about an hour, then use a wet sponge to wipe the grout off the face of the tiles.
Debbie Travis is a columnist for King Features Syndicate. E-mail questions to her at house2home@debbietravis.com.