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How To Change A Mosaic Before Grouting (Or Afterward)
Already Grouted? If you have already grouted your mosaic, you can still use these instructions, but you will first need to remove the grout using a grout removal tool, which is normally used to scrape grout from the gaps between glazed ceramic tile. It may take a little more care with glass, but this tool…
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How To Mix Up Concrete, Mortar and Grout Without Creating Dust
Concretes, mortars and grouts have the potential to create significant amounts of dangerous dust when the water is first added. There is only 1 part water for every 4 parts concrete by weight, so much stirring is required before all the dry concrete will be wet. In fact, you can create a lot of dust…
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How To Dispose of Acrylic Paint Rinse Water
Why You Shouldn’t Pour It Down Drains Acrylics are a great alternative to traditional oil paint because they are water based, and so there aren’t any fumes, and you can clean up with soap and water. However, at the end of a studio session, the jar or container that you use to rinse off your…
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How To Dispose of Leftover Grout and Thinset
Grout and thinset mortar are types of concrete and should never be rinsed down drains. That includes the muddy water rinsed from the buckets and trowels used to handle these materials. Remember concrete contains sand and can actually harden underwater, which makes it perfect for clogging pipes. Most people find it easiest to wash up…
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How To Enlarge A Mosaic Pattern Or Drawing Using Only A Ruler
It is easy to enlarge a mosaic pattern or drawing even if you have no confidence in your ability to draw. All you need is a ruler and a pencil. For an example, I will show how to enlarge a back and white copy of a painting of mine from years ago called “Singing Love…
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How To Keep Your Hands Clean When Using Thinset Mortar
Thinset Mortar is concrete with polymers added for enhanced strength and adhesive properties and is the recommended material for all outdoor and wet mosaics (pools, fountains, etc.). Unhardened thinset looks more or less like wet concrete, but it is sticky almost like honey or tar, and handling it for the first time can be a…
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Keeping Art Fresh
You Can’t Force Freshness To make it as a professional artist, you have to keep your art fresh and always be enthusiastic about working on it. The easiest way to do that is to keep a variety of media in your studio and move between them as needed. Yes, you need to have discipline and…
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Mosaic Sinks
Someone recently asked me about how they could make a Moroccan-styled Glass Mosaic Sink, and that got me thinking about different options for making mosaic sinks in general. How to Make a Custom Basin from Thinset and Hardware Cloth? To make a custom shape such as the simple elegant shape used in the Moroccan sinks…
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Mosaic Tile Colors for Flesh and Skin Tones
I frequently get emails asking me what is the best color mosaic tile we sell for rendering skin tones. I then have to explain that the question doesn’t have a straightforward answer, even if the person specifies the particular race or ethnicity of the skin to be depicted. The reason the question is problematic is…
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Adhesives for Mosaic Mannequins and Fiberglass Sculptures
We never have to worry about evaluating new adhesives in our work because we use conventional mosaic backers like plywood (indoors), concrete backer board, stone slabs and masonry walls. This means we always use Weldbond (a white PVA adhesive for dry indoor mosaics) and thinset mortar for everything else. But what if you are wanting…
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Practical Advice for Outdoor Mosaic Art
Thinset Mortar The first thing you need to know about outdoor and wet mosaic (pool, fountain, shower) is that thinset mortar is used instead of glue. Thinset mortar is a type of concrete with polymers added for tensile strength and enhanced adhesive properties. It contains sand and portland cement just like standard concrete and comes…
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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…