| Surface Preparation: |
| You can mosaic onto almost any surface as long as it will remain rigid and has been prepared first. |
| Wood: |
Plywood, MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) and hardboard. Must be sealed properly and the
bigger the mosaic the thicker the wood must be to prevent it warping under pressure. First
key your surface by scoring it with a box cutter or hacksaw. You can also sand your surface
to roughen it up. Seal it by applying a mixture of water and PVA adhesive (this is also known
as wood glue) (1:1) on the surface or you can use spray sealant. |
| Backerboard: |
If you would like your mosaic to be water-resistant, this is an excellent choice as it
remains rigid when wet. There are 2 types of Backerboard; cement based panels and lightweight
panels comprising of cement and fiberglass. Both are available in varying thicknesses. |
| Concrete: |
Concrete bases can be bought at local plant nurseries (if you would like to make stepping
stones). Only use concrete if it is in perfect condition and not crumbling. |
| Glass: |
Glass is great to mosaic on with glass tiles. The glass needs to be cleaned off with
denatured alcohol. |
| Walls: |
Make sure your wall is strong enough. I will only mosaic onto a brick wall as I don’t
know whether partitioning will work. Key your wall by chipping small holes into the wall so
that the cement adhesive (thin based mortar) will grip. I like to work on mesh and then stick
the mosaic onto the wall. You can also use backerboard. |
| Floors: |
If you mosaic onto cement floors the same principle as with walls applies to the keying
of the surface. I would also use mesh or backerboard and then adhere it with cement adhesive
to the floor. I have never mosaiced onto a wooden floor but according to the experts, the
floor must be plywood reinforced. |
| Terracotta: |
Seal the terracotta with pottery sealant before sticking down your tessarae. You can also
use a PVA adhesive mixed with water to seal the terracotta. |
| Metal: |
Key your metal with rough sandpaper then rub it down so that there are no flakes or small
particles to interfere with the adhesive. |
