Mosaic Tiles

“I put this is the garden thread but oh man I have a better idea
I have an old AT map. I wonder if i put it on glass then break it and resemble it into mosaic tiles.
what ya think?”

“You could go buy a bunch of cheap pottery or colored stoneware dinner plates, break them, and use that for your mosaic pieces. Buy a small pair of tile nippers, and some emery cloth to help shape them and to take the sharp edges off.”

“what do i use to hold thenm down?”

“Several companies make a mosaic specific mortar. You can use regular mortar, sanded or unsanded whichever you prefer. Better seal it afterwards though.”

“i tried to find a website that will show me how but can not find one”

“maybe one of these will tell you...

http://web.hgtv.com/hgtv/web/searchResults/1,8213,,FF.html?searchString=tile+mosaic+garden&searchType=site”

“Construction adhesive might work well too, but won't be as attractive.


Psst! Hey, bitpusher, do think that Mapleleaf and construction adhesive is a good combination?

On second thought, go with treebait's mosaic mortar idea...”

“From lyra's link, this one is what you're looking for.”

“mapleleaf and broken glass.....uh.....I dunno”

“LOL
hush ya'll”

“mapes cant even handle bannana chips. How is she going to handle glass with out a trip to the emergency room?”

“My wife made a nice mosaic frame for a mirror out of broken tiles. Check with a tile shop in your area. They may have damaged or seconds you can get cheaply.

Use mortar to hold the tiles to your substrate. The grout goes on after the mortar sets and is used to fill the spaces between the tiles and lock the whole thing together - that is what comes in sanded or non. Sanded is better for larger gaps.”

“thank you all so much for the links and advice.
i now have a new project after i finish counting my 500 trees
UGH :)”

“If you already know how many trees there are, why do you have to count them?”

“cenus here in the city”

“So are you asking the trees other questions like "Where did you sprout?", or "How many seedlings do you have?"”

“just signed up to count Maple and Ginko (sp) trees here in Staten Island.
going to help count the 500.000 trees that are in NY.
have to check the locations and the size and condintion the trees are in. start training this Monday.

I LOVE VOLUNTEERING!!”
mapleleaf
8:54:20 AM
5/05/05”

“That sounds like a neat idea but I would be worried about what type of glass to use because not all glass breaks the same.

I wonder if you were to glue the map to a cutable substrate then cover it with that epoxy clear coating gel stuff and then if that is cutable make you own pcs.”

“it would be cool to put a pic of you in the trail in the middle of the map
I so smart!”

“Try Michaels arts and crafts.

Is your map made of regular map paper, or is it a xerox copy?

If it's a copy (out of toner, not ink jet), then you might consider doing a "transfer".

I think all that's needed is to copy your picture in reverse. (i.e. scan first into a computer and reverse the image...)

Then, with your unbroken tile, you put the copy face down (toner side down) onto the top of the tile. Rub with Rubbing alcohol (or is it acetone?) until the paper is soaked.... Once everything is soaked, the toner should transfer onto the tile.

Let Dry... then spray with some kind of acrylic fixative... carefully break your pieces... and then just do the mosaic thing.

Be careful, because the grit from the grout might rub off your design....

You might also try grouting the mosiac FIRST and then doing the transfer....

Either way, you'll need to seal the image somehow so that it doesn't rub off (unless you are using it in a way that does not allow the imaged to be touched....

:-)
last edited: 5/12/05 2:29:50 PM”

“There is also a substance that is kind of like a glue that you can use to make transfer designs as well. I'll see if I can find the name of it, but I got it at Michaels, too...”

“OK - here's a link on how to do Xerox Transfers:

http://webmonkey.wired.com/webmonkey/99/23/index3a_page10.html?tw=design”

“and another idea, using marble tiles:

http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/tileml.html”

“ok now this is very very cool.

i think i have found a new hobby

http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/tileml.html”

“Does Treebeard know????


Oh wait, never mind, I thought you wrote "hubby". Dammit I guess I need glasses now.
last edited: 5/13/05 2:28:53 PM”

“I think I may try doing this with some of my photos and see what happens! :-)

ok now this is very very cool.

i think i have found a new hobby

http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/tileml.html”
mapleleaf
3:21:15 PM
5/13/05
ignore this user”

“i know and they make it seem so easy
cool thing to do with maps”