I completed the first phase of fixing the mosaic. Now, I have to wait for a few days for the grout to be totally dried. In this tutorial, you will see how I fixed the mosaic tiles. (If you have missed the previous tutorials, see Part 1 and Part 2)
Mosaic fixing materials
Grouting materials for the first phase:
1) A sand paper (thick grain) to make the surface rough, 2) wood carving tool to prepare the surface. 3) white or grey grout, 4) water to mix the grout and to clean the tools, 5) two empty 5 or 8 lt. plastic bottles for mixing the grout and keeping the dirty water and leftover grout, 6) a metal spoon to mix the grout, 7) plastic gloves to protect your hands, 8) a dust mask to protect yourself from inhaling the dry grout, 9) a metal comb spreader to place the grout,
I pulled out the mosaic from the plastic and turned it upside down. This way those stacked small chips between the tiles fell. Also, there were a few wet tiles, so the glue dried in a short time. The glue must be totally dry before applying the grout (see pictures below).
Preparing the surface
The surface of my board was very smooth, so, I used sand paper to make it rough. Afterwards, I made small scars with the wood carving tool. The grout will get into these holes and hold the mosaic securely (see pictures above).
Fixing the mosaic
Before starting to mix the grout, I layed an old newspaper under the mosaic to protect the table and another one on the floor. I cut the empty plastic bottle about 20 cm. height to make my grout mixing bowl. I added 1 cup of the grout with a little bit water and mixed with the metal spoon until the mixture became like soft potato puree texture. I spreaded the mixture evenly with the metal comb on all around the surface, not much thicker than 3 mm. (the grout should not fill between tiles). I waited for 5 minutes and holding the mosaic from both sides, placed it on top of the mixture (see pic above). Gently, I pressed it all around the surface (see pic above).
I cleaned the tools with water inside the bucket. It's very important that never throw this dirty water to your sink, it will clog your tubes and you will have a serious damage on your pipe system. I transferred the dirty water into the empty plastic bottle and wrapped the leftover grout with the newsletter, for later on to trash into the garbage.
The grout dries in about 24-48 hours. Once it's ready, I will prepare a grey tone grout and I will apply it in between the tiles to finish the mosaic. If you wish to know about this last process, simply reply to this newsletter typing "YES, send it", or sign-up to my mailing list at http://bit.ly/ACreativeJournalofanArtist-Sign-up
Have a great weekend!
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