Brighten up your garden with this colourful, easy to make mosaic table top. You can apply the mosaic pieces directly on to an existing table or on to a new table top made from MDF or plywood.
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To make a new top you will need to make it 10cm larger all round than the table you wish to cover. You will also need to secure it by attaching four 5cm battens to the underside, each parallel to and 5cm from the edges. As these are not load-bearing they can be glued into place with wood adhesive. If the existing table is circular a new square top will measure 10cm larger on each side than the diameter of the circular table. You will need....
- Table top or MDF or plywood approx. 12mm thick cut to size,
- 4 x 5cm battens (top only),
- PVA glue, diluted,
- Tiles (approx 25) 10 x 10cm,
- Tile adhesive,
- Spreader,
- Tile grout,
- Goggles,
- Gloves,
- Old tea towel,
- Hammer,
- Soft cloth,
- Beading,
- Panel pins
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Step one:
Apply 2 coats of diluted PVA adhesive to the surface, paying close attention to the edges. Meanwhile, wrap each tile in an old tea towel, put on the protective eye gogles and break each tile into pieces with the hammer. Set aside the broken pieces in a box. |
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Step two:
With the spreader, spread the tile adhesive over part of the top to a depth of 2-3mm, arrange the broken tiles as you go leaving a small gap between each tile. Make sure the glazed edges face forward to give the table top a smooth edge. Continue placing the tiles until the table top is covered, filling any gaps with smaller pieces. Leave for several hours to dry thoroughly. |
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Step three:
Rinse the spreader and use it to fill in the gaps between the tiles with grout, either white or coloured. Clean off any excess and leave to dry overnight. Fill any remaining gaps with grout. When throughly dry, polish with a dry cloth. If you plan to use your mosaic table top on an existing table, attach beading to the same depth as the raised surface of the mosaic using panel pins. If using MDF or plywood, paint the edges with emulsion in a colour of your choice. |
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