Mosaics For Beginners: Tutorial 1 - Essential Tools

hello everyone and welcome to the beginning of a short course looking at everything a complete beginner needs in order to get started with creating their own mosaics at home and without any of the technical stuff you really don't need before you start today we're going to be going over all the essential tools that you need these are the ones that you can't really get away with not having before you begin but luckily they are all really easily available and not too expensive neither but - in case you're wondering where to get them from I'll pop some links in the description for you to take a look at but without further ado let's get started first of all if you plan on doing any cutting of any tiles at all then you're going to need a pair of nippers and there are two types for you to choose from the wheel nipper and the standard nipper these curious-looking wheel nippers are essential cutting tools if you're looking at cutting glass tiles the wheels have a very fine edge that grips the tile as you squeeze the handles down at the line of pressure that this creates cuts through the glass without shattering it wield nippers can also be used for ceramic tiles although they can be a little bit clumsy if you cut in long lines but they're really good if you're doing detailed work standard nipples on the other hand can't be used with glass tiles at all they will always just shatter the tile rather than cutting it but they are perfect for working with all types of unglazed ceramic so depending on which type of media you're looking to work with will probably dictate the type of nippers you're looking to buy if it's the bright and vibrant hues of glass that's tempting you then go for the wheels if it's the gentle hues of natural ceramic that really stand out then you can get away with just the standard nippers if it's mixed-media that takes your fancy then you're obviously going to be balancing both but also bear in mind this is only if you're looking to actually cut the tiles these mirrors and these coasters for example have been made without cutting a single tile and they make perfect projects for beginners if you're just starting out with mosaics and kind of just want to get a feel for it but if it's the crazy paving style then you're going for then you will definitely need to cut the tiles if you want to achieve that look the second vital tool and perhaps the most obvious one for mosaics is the tiles themselves this is a pretty big subject though so I'm actually going to cover it in more detail in the next video but for now you just need to know that mosaic tiles come in a vast array of different shapes and colors and sizes there are glass tiles ceramic tiles Mira tiles glittered wands striped walls matte ones you name it it's out there it's available some need to be cut and some really should never be cut some are easy to work with and there are some that really really will test your patience and you should probably move onto it when you're a bit more advanced but as I say we will cover these in more detail in the next video there are three types of glue traditionally used in mosaic PVA glue which is that type white stuff that you used as a kid and you spread it around with a big plastic spatula this is perfect for flat projects so your mirrors frame borders anything where you're not going to be fighting gravity in any way cheek PVA is ideal because it doesn't dry too quickly which gives you time to readjust the tiles if you need to a lot of it but when it does dry it gives a nice firm grip if you're creating projects that will have a gravitational issue such as working on curved sir like rocks or plant pots that I would go with a fabric glue this is just another type of PVA but it's much thicker and bonds more quickly than standard PVA meaning your tiles are less likely to slip into the wrong position before they've had time to dry lastly you can use the tile grout itself as a glue if it's an adhesive tile grout then it's got PVA already in it and by just pressing tiles in it you can use it to stick it to your surface this type of grout gives a good strong bond and it's ideal for freestyle projects such as decorating rocks or mosaics with children as they can just press the tiles in wherever they please and the only real downside to it is that it can be difficult to reposition your tiles most mosaics use grout in between the tiles as it strengthens the whole piece firms the tiles in place and the different colors of graft could also have a really strong effect on how the whole piece looks white grout makes the individual tiles stand out but it also displays the colors of the tiles most effectively whereas a soft grey will push the grout into the background and this makes it much easier to see the tiles as one large group of color rather than as individual little pieces very dark grout on the other hand stands out the most could become almost the main feature of the whole piece you just need to be aware that black or very dark gray grout can also stain ceramic tiles especially if they're the paler ones and so it's usually best to work with dark grays and blacks on glass there are lots of things you can use as a board or objects decorate with mosaics the only rule is that it needs to be solid mosaic will break really easy if it's distorted in any way wood is perhaps the most obvious choice to indoors as it's solid cheap easily cut to all manner of different shapes and sizes personally I like to create Hannibal wall art and wood is perfect for this because it's not too heavy and you can easily attach the little frame hooks to the back but you can also use old coasters trays mirrors furniture anything where you can stick something to it you could mosaic it you can even use other tiles the big ones that you use for kitchens for example they make perfect plant holders because it doesn't matter if they get wet again notice there's no cuts on this project as well good for beginners kind of obvious but if you plan on doing any cutting of tiles then you really need to invest in some goggles little pieces of flying glass or ceramic really won't do your eyes any good if it gets in that a lightweight pair is fine so long as they give good coverage and they are comfortable to wear when working with the tiles themselves you don't really need any gloves and I tend not to use them just because I like to have a really good feel of what I'm doing but when it comes to grouting it's a good idea to get some rubber gloves just to give you an sun protection normal grout will really dry your skin and color crack and dye it quite badly as well and a halfway decent pair of rubber gloves will prevent that from happening you should also be careful when grouting is it can be easy to cut the tips of your fingers when running them across the cut edges so it's often better to apply a generous amount of grout and then wipe away the excess with a sponge rather than using a smaller amount and trying to press it in between the tiles with your fingers and that is all the basic tools that you need to get started with mosaics as a hobby it's can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be a next video we'll take a look at the different types of tiles and cuts that you can use with them and especially looking at which ones are best suited for beginners but I hope you've enjoyed this little video and I look forward to see you in the next one bye bye [Music]

Channel: City Self-Sufficiency

Views: 83,091

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Id: cmKhBr4bDqY

Length: 7min 19sec (439 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 06 2020