It only takes 4 simple steps to create china plate mosaic decor. Imagine what you can do and start getting crafty! But first, raid your grandma’s closet for some old china dishes… she won’t miss them!
When you look at the finished product here you might think, “Oh there’s no way I can do that!” But you’re wrong… cuz you can and I promise you it really easy and very creative!
From table tops to chairs, flower pots to trays you can put a mosaic tile pattern on almost anything. I decided to start easy and found a few old tables at the thrift shop.
I snapped up a few broken china plates from my friends at Plate: Vintage Crockery Rental & Rescue.
Because I am not a master masonry, I needed a easy but effective way to add tile without massive equipment. What I found is to tile any piece of furniture you need a tile nipper, hammer, a trowel and the pre-mixed, all-in-one Adhesive & Grout, work gloves, protective goggles and a damp towel also come in handy!
First, you snip the plate with the tile nippers where you want it to snap a part and like magic the plate breaks in half. You can keep snipping until you get the desired tile sizes and shapes you want. I like squares and rectangles. It takes some practice to get the plates to break in the right spots but once you do a few it becomes easy to see how you will use each piece. I highly recommend you where the safety goggles, work gloves and snip the plates in a waste basket or on a surface you can easily vacuum. The excess tiny pieces of china can be sharp and you will have plenty to clean up.
In some cases you may have to use a hammer to crack a larger size plate. It’s not difficult at all, it just takes a slight tap and the plate will break in pie pieces from the center. My suggestion is to put the plate in a large zip lock bag to catch all the pieces.
After you make as many tile pieces as you think you’ll need…it’s time to get creative! This is my favorite part, take the plate tiles and place them in the desired pattern you want. It’s best to lay them out in the same size and shape of the surface you are decorating. You can use the inside of a grocery bag to trace a pattern piece to use as a guide. I like to try the plate tiles out on the actual furniture itself and remove them after I find what pattern I like.
Next, with the table surface clean and dry, using your trowel coat the top of the table with the all-in-one adhesive & grout mix. I like to make it thick enough for the tile to stick into. Again, this take practice to determine how thick you want it. I look at it like icing a cake with frosting!
Once the adhesive is down you have 30 minutes to lay in the tiles. YES! Here we go…. the FUN part! Lay in each tile in the pattern you like and even take some liberties to your own design adding or subtracting a few tiles along the way!
The adhesive should not be oozing thru the tops of the tiles we just want them to stick to the surface. You can wipe up any excess adhesive now with the damp towel. We want the tiles to be clear of globs of adhesive you can always wipe off the haze on the tile tops as it dries. You’re done for now, let it sit for 24 hours.
Once the adhesive is dry you’re going to put another layer of adhesive/grout over the tops of the tiles to fill in the cracks. It’s sort of scary because your tile and design is so pretty but never fear you’re going to wipe those tiles clean. This is called grouting. Once the cracks have been filled in wipe off all the excess grout from the tops of the tile. One you are satisfied with how it looks let it sit another 24-36 hours before using. Remember, this type of mosaic is for indoor use only. There are sealers and finishes you can add if you want to use it outside.
Once you get the hang of it you can add tiles to flower pots and even serving trays!
Congratualtions, you have a new piece of furniture and a new talent you didn’t know you have!
