![]() Concrete backer board can be used for rectangular and circular mosaics that have some sort of frame (such as the rim of a metal patio table), but the edges of concrete backer board can be crumbly, and that makes it a lot less useful for irregularly-shaped mosaics where the edges are left unfinished, such as you see in the fragments of ancient Roman mosaics displayed in museums. Instead of the glue-then-grout method used for indoor mosaics, you should use thinset mortar to attach the tiles to a stone or masonry surface. Wood doesn’t even have to get wet for the humidity in the air to swell and warp it. Outdoorsįor outdoor mosaics, you should not use wood or adhesive. You can also buy a decent jigsaw for about $75, but make sure you follow the safety instructions and maybe watch a safety video or two on Youtube if you are a novice with power tools. Check with friends and their spouses for a few pieces of scrap, or you can buy a sheet of cabinet-grade plywood at a building material store such as Home Depot or Lowes and have a friend cut out what you need with a jigsaw. Indoorsįor indoor mosaics, you can use a piece of 1/2″ cabinet-grade plywood, and a local carpenter or cabinet maker can give you more than you could ever use. ![]() If you want more of a random “found” shape instead of a specific shape, then the solution is to use a piece of scrap plywood or flagstone depending on whether or not the mosaic is outdoors. Oh what might have been… Irregularly-Shaped Backers The saddest customer picture we ever received was a picture of a beautiful mosaic design (serious, intense, original) executed on the most boring, cutesy, cliche shape of a ladybug. Also, most of that craft crapola is designed in China, and it all looks rather dated. If you buy a shaped backer from a craft supplier, then your mosaic will have exactly the same shape and size as all the other mosaics made from that particular backer. The last section about custom-shaped backers for outdoors should be useful for people making mosaic signs and placards. Note that not every location in a kitchen or bathroom has to be considered as being “wet.”įirst, I will discuss irregularly-shaped backers, and then I will explain how to make custom-shaped backers for both indoors and outdoors. How you make such a backer and what materials you use depends on whether or not the mosaic will be installed in an outdoor or wet location. ![]() Direct ordering available at DiamondTechCrafts.Rectangular backers are fine for most mosaic designs, but sometimes you want to make an irregularly-shaped mosaic or a mosaic with a custom shape, such as the silhouette of a common object: tree, automobile, flower, turtle, etc.Have A Knockout-Cookout With These Crafts!.This way you can line up squares and draw a guideline on the tiles so you have a reference of where to nip.Ĭheck out the videos below to see how to cut rectangles, squares, triangles, random shapes and circles and stop by the Diamond Tech Crafts Creative Corner for more how-to and fun project ideas. You will probably want to draw out a pattern if you are planning on incorporating curved designs. Keystoning can be a little tricky too keystoning is the shaping of tiles to form a curved design. To cut triangles, angle the material at the corner of the chip and apply pressure.Ĭircles are a little trickier, if you’re not experienced, you may want to draw a circle on the glass as a guide and nip the corner of the chip and then bit away at the edges until you have a nice circle. ![]() To cut rectangles, simply place the chip between the wheels of the nipper and apply pressure, to make a square repeat the same procedure with the rectangle. When working with material like smalti, marble or ceramic tiles it is best to use a tile nipper. The way you use each nipper varies, check out the videos below to get an idea of how to use them. These smaller glass chips can be cut into smaller shaped using a wheeled glass nipper. Most glass used in mosaics are stained glass chips, vitreous glass chips or mirrored glass chips. The scorer/breaker is used to score and break large pieces of ceramic and glass tile to cut into smaller, more manageable shapes for nipping. In general, there are two nipping tools to use when working with mosaics the wheeled glass nipper and the tile nipper and for larger pieces you have my favorite tool, the scorer/breaker. When it comes to cutting shapes for your mosaics, the material you are cutting/nipping and the tool you are cutting with will usually determine how you cut.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |