Mosaics are still one of the most popular ways to decorate picture frames. DIY Crafts host Vicki Payne shows how. Materials:
Picture frame, old or new
Ceramic tiles, china plates, etc.
Hammer
Cloth towel
Safety glasses
Wood board
Ready-mixed sanded grout in desired color
Tile adhesive
Knife or spatula
Rubber gloves
Trowel
Sponge with scratch-pad side
Water
- Wearing safety glasses, place a ceramic tile or china plate face down inside a cloth towel on top of a wooden board. Hammer the tile or china until it breaks into small pieces about 1/2" in size. Repeat with different colors of tiles or china plates (figure A).
- Lay out the desired design (figure B).
- "Butter" the back of each broken piece with tile adhesive, and place it on the front of the picture frame. Space the pieces about 1/8" to 1/4" apart. Cover the entire front of the frame. Don't let the pieces extend over the edges of the frame (figure C).
- Let the tile pieces dry and set overnight.
- Wearing rubber gloves, use a spatula or trowel to work grout into the spaces between the tile pieces. Be sure to grout to the edges of the picture frame too. If there are any differences in height between the mosaic pieces, work grout around them carefully (figure D).
- Rub a sanding block over the tile pieces on the edges of the frame to smooth them (figure E).
- Wait for about 30 minutes, then remove excess grout with a wet sponge. Use the scratch-pad side of the sponge to remove grout from the surface of the tile.
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