Replace Glass Top With Concrete Board
Glass-top metal patio tables can be used to make a mosaic table by replacing the glass top with 1/4 inch concrete backer board. The concrete backer board is roughly the same thickness as the glass top it is replacing, and it can rest on the rim of the metal table just as the glass top did. However, the thin concrete backer board can sag if unsupported, so marine plywood or pressure-treated plywood should be laminated to the underside of the backer board to stiffen it.
Note that the plywood should be slightly smaller in diameter than the concrete backer board so that it doesn’t interfere with the metal rim of of the table. Only the concrete backer board rests in the inside of the rim where the glass rested. If the plywood were to rest there, then the table top would be too thick and stick up above the rim instead of fitting inside it like the glass.
Steps For Replacing The Glass Top With Reinforced Concrete Mosaic Backer
- buy 1/4″ concrete backer board from building material store.
- measure glass top being replaced.
- cut 1/4″ concrete backer board into a circle the same size using jig saw.
- cut pressure-treated plywood into slightly smaller circle using jig saw with fresh blade.
- glue plywood to concrete backer board using Weldbond or other PVA glue.
- paint underside of plywood and its outer edge with multiple coats of outdoor paint.
- insert table top into metal table base.
Repairing Edges of Concrete Backer Board
Concrete backer board sometimes has bubbles and voids that aren’t exposed until you cut across them and leave a weak spot or rough crumbly spot at the edge of the piece. You can also damage the edges of the concrete backer board during transport and handling. If this happens, you can repair and reinforce these weak crumbly places with the same thinset mortar that you use to attach the tiles.
Use Thinset Mortar Instead of Glue
Outdoor and wet mosaic should always be done with thinset mortar instead of glue. Thinset mortar is concrete with polymers added for strength and adhesive properties. You can also use the thinset for grouting the finished mosaic. An outdoor mosaic made with thinset will last many times longer than a mosaic made with glue, and that is why they use thinset for attaching tiles in swimming pools.
Using Thinset
We use Versabond brand thinset by Custom Building Products and add 1/4 pound of water per pound of thinset. Thinset comes in big bags that are inconvenient. We keep the bag of thinset in a 5-gallon plastic bucket with a lid. We slide the whole bag into the bucket and cut the top off the bag and scoop out what we need. Never try to pour it unless you like big clouds of dust that is dangerous to breath.
Finding The Right Table Is Easier Than Making The Wrong Table Work
I have always disliked the subject of mosaic tops for metal patio tables because I receive too many emails from lunatics who think the most important thing about the table to be mosaiced is that it is what they already happen to have on hand. It doesn’t matter to them if the table is broken or rusting to pieces or made of wood or already has an expanded metal mesh top welded in place.
For these people, it isn’t about finding a table that is appropriate for a mosaic top, it’s about making whatever they happen to have work, no matter how flawed or problematic or downright dangerous it might be. What’s worse is that when I take valuable time to email back explaining why the table is a poor candidate, they usually email back proposing some farcical method of making it work and wanting further comment.
These proposals show a lack of understanding of basic concepts, but what really makes them insufferable is that they are usually posed as questions asking me to explain why it would not work or why it wouldn’t make the process quicker or easier, usually in a pleading way. (As if my agreeing with them could somehow alter laws of physics or other aspects of objective reality… )
Reading their emails always brings to mind an expression used in the military, one that is blunt, crude and profoundly apt, like so many military expressions: You cannot polish a turd. How many times have I longed to type those words into an email reply!
Inspect Table For Strength And Stability
A mosaic table top can weigh significantly more than the glass top it is replacing. Before doing anything else, inspect the table to make sure it can hold the weight. Look for broken welds in particular, but also keep an eye out for the gauge of materials used for the table. Most metal patio tables are much heavier and stronger than they need to be, but factories make things lighter, cheaper and more disposable each year. If the table in question appears to be light-gauge and weaker than most wrought iron you have seen, then think twice before using it as the base for a mosaic table top.
Bistro Tables
If you use a small metal bistro table, then make sure that you don’t create a safety problem by putting a very heavy top on a table that is taller than it is wide. This can make the table unstable and easy to tip over. The heavy table top could easily injure someone if the table were knocked over by a casual bump. The solution is to anchor or weight the feet of the table, and a sock filled with sand and tied in a knot is often all that is required. Using wire to twist tie the table to the railing of a balcony is another quick solution.
Glass Mosaic Tile Is Best For Outdoors
Glass in nonporous and therefore impervious to moisture and freeze damage. Ceramic tile and stone are porous, and thus water can penetrate inside and freeze and crack the tile over time, sometimes very rapidly depending on where you live. Sure we have a lot of Roman stone mosaics from 2000 years ago, but those mosaics are in the dry warm Mediterranean basin and not west Michigan…
Remember To Seal Outdoor Mosaics
A few days after grouting, you should seal your mosaic with a tile and grout sealer. Tile and grout sealers are invisible pore sealers and not coatings that form a separate layer over the top of the mosaic. You wipe them on with a rag, and then wipe away the excess with a clean rag and allow to dry for ten minutes. Apply it 3 times or whatever the manufacturer instructions recommend.
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