Category: Joe’s Rantings

  • The Importance of Durability in Mosaic Art

    In my previous post, I wrote about improvisation being a critical skill for visual artists working in multiple mediums. I regularly get emails from people using methods that are not technically sound: using hot glue guns to mount mosaic tile, using grout as mortar to attach tiles, etc., and so I think I need to…

  • Art Using Improvised Methods

    In my previous post, I wrote about the improvised double-reverse method one of our customers Tobin was using to lay up details for the large panels of his garden courtyard mosaic. Tobin’s method uses packing tape and contact paper to temporarily lay up mosaic designs instead of the traditional lime putty or clay, but that…

  • Mosaic Birdhouses

    Today someone emailed me about using 1/4-inch concrete backer board to make mosaic birdhouses more weather-resistant and durable. I think they had read we recommend thinset mortar for all outdoor and wet mosaics and that thinset mortar was not recommended for wood, which is true, and they were wanting to overcome the problem by laminating…