Thinset On Plywood Mosaic Backer?

Thinset mortar can be used on a plywood mosaic backer provided the plywood has been sealed with a white PVA adhesive such as Weldbond. Otherwise, the plywood can suck the moisture out of the thinset before it has a chance to harden leaving it soft and crumbly. It is important to seal the plywood at least a day or two before you mount the mosaic with thinset because the Weldbond needs to be thoroughly dry and cured. For sealing purposes, Weldbond can be painted on with a brush or spread with a trowel. Many mosaic artists dilute the glue slightly or even up to 1:1 with water to make it easier to spread. Note that you shouldn’t seal your plywood with paint or sealers chosen at random because thinset will not bond to some of the oil-based and silicone-based products.

Some artists seal their plywood backers with Weldbond before mosaicing even if they are going to use that same Weldbond to mount the tiles. Why? They want to make sure that the entire surface of the plywood has been sealed so that it doesn’t suck the moisture out of the GROUT when it cures. I never worry about sealing the face of my plywood because I am sure that I will get enough Weldbond spread around when I mount my tile, and so pre-sealing seems like an unnecessary extra step to me.

Sealing VS Sealing

A note of clarification: In this article, I am talking about pre-sealing the face of the plywood with Weldbond or some other PVA adhesive. This is a different step from sealing the finished mosaic a few days after grouting with a tile and grout sealer or “sealing” the edges and back of the plywood with paint or varnish to prevent warping by moisture.

When You Should and Should NOT Use Plywood

Plywood can warp and delaminate over time merely from the humidity in the air, and so you should never use plywood as a backer for outdoor mosaic or a mosaic in a damp location. However, plywood makes a great backer for dry indoor mosaics and not just for its light weight, which in itself is a significant advantage over concrete backer board. Unlike concrete backer board, the edges of plywood can be stained or painted, and they do not shed crumbs of concrete and sand. In my opinion, concrete backer board should only be used inside walls and floors and other places where its crumbly edges are covered up; it is not a backer for moveable mosaic plaques.

Use Cabinet-Grade Plywood

Note that you should spend the extra money and buy cabinet-grade plywood (in 1/2 inch thickness) instead of the ordinary plywood used for sheathing in construction. The cabinet-grade stuff comes with a sanded finish and has no knots or internal voids. It is also more resistant to warping, and the edges of cut pieces are cleaner than those cut from regular plywood mainly due to the lack of voids in the internal plies. With all of these advantages, the cabinet-grade plywood is only about 15% to 25% more than regular plywood, and in real terms it is actually the same price: some of the regular plywood may need to be scrapped due to internal voids, and it will require more work to make the edges presentable. The edges of a cut piece of cabinet grade plywood can be left plain or painted. The edges of a cut piece of regular plywood will have voids and require putty, sanding and paint if not a frame to look presentable.

Why Use Thinset on Plywood?

If plywood can only be used for dry indoor mosaics, then why would someone need to use thinset mortar on a piece of plywood anyway? The simple answer is there isn’t any reason to do so (IF you are using regular flat tile). With flat glass tile, you simply glue the tile on with Weldbond or some other PVA adhesive, let it dry for a day or so and then grout it by rubbing wet grout into the gaps and wiping away the excess.

However, some people (including myself) like to use rounded and irregularly-shaped found objects in our mosaics, and these are not easily grouted. Instead of the glue-then-grout method, we like to press our objects into a bed of mortar so that the excess mortar presses up slightly around the object and skip grouting entirely. It is also necessary to avoid grouting if your found objects are naturally porous (seashells, bones, unpolished stones) because grout will stain these materials.

solstice-door mosaic detail
The face of “Solstice Door” mosaic stele was made from a lifetime’s collection of found artifacts embedded in thinset mortar. Note that the stele is a reinforced concrete monument. Plywood would not support the weight of these materials.

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9 responses to “Thinset On Plywood Mosaic Backer?”

  1. blaine hadaller Avatar
    blaine hadaller

    i purchased a mosaic piece in tijuana. (35 – 4″ tiles). I’ve scraped the cardboard and glue off the backs and am ready to assemble. Eventually I would like to hang it on a wall. My inclination is to adhere it with AcrylPro ceramic tile adhesive to 3/4″ plywood. The piece is of various bottles of port. Colour is mostly deep purple/brown. I was also thinking of using a charcoal grey/black grout. If you would be so kind to let me know if I am on the right track? It’s a beautiful piece and I want to make sure I get it right the first time.

    sincerely
    blaine

    1. Joe Moorman Avatar

      Blaine,
      It sounds like the image of your mosaic is printed on the tiles instead of being created by different colors of tile being arranged in patterns. If so, the grout color should probably be as inconspicuous as possible, so a dark grout would probably do that with the dark tile. I hope this helps.

  2. CMS Avatar
    CMS

    Thank you. I found this exceptionally helpful and practical. I’ve been on the fence about what to use.

  3. Ivan Cordero Avatar
    Ivan Cordero

    Newbie here. Is it recommended that I seal the plywood as indicated above if I will just glue the tiles to the plywood and then grout? Or does just using the glue on each tile have the same effect? I plan to use Hakatai tiles.

    1. Joe Moorman Avatar
      Joe Moorman

      Hi Ivan,
      You can lay the tiles up on mounting tape and then press the whole assembly into glue, allow to harden, and then peel off the mounting tape. Or you can glue on each tile one at a time. It all depends on how you want to work and if you are improvising the design as you go along. I recommend reading the product descriptions, which contain usage recommendations:
      https://mosaicartsupply.com/shop/mosaic-mounting-tape-6-inches-x-100-feet/
      Thanks

  4. Pamela Avatar
    Pamela

    Your info is really great, but as a mosaic newbie my brain needs a little clarification..
    I want to make a 3×5 HANGING piece for outside to hand on my fence..
    From what I’ve read here I’m thinking I need Cabinet Grade plywood, and Also seal it to protect from moisture damage.. is that right? And use glass not ceramic tiles ???
    Thank you so much for your great info..
    Pam

    1. Joe Moorman Avatar
      Joe Moorman

      Hi Pam,

      This article explains why plywood outdoors is a bad idea and what some alternatives are:

      https://blog.mosaicartsupply.com/materials-and-methods-for-outdoor-mosaic-tables/

      This article also has some useful information:

      https://blog.mosaicartsupply.com/backers-for-outdoor-garden-mosaics/

      I hope this helps!

  5. Laura mccatey Avatar
    Laura mccatey

    Is 14 inch plywood of for a 18 x 35 inch piece

    1. Joe Moorman Avatar
      Joe Moorman

      A piece of plywood 1/4-inch thick would not be thick enough and would warp unless it had some framing on the back to stiffen it.

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