Grouting your Mosaic

1. Making mosaics requires basic shop safety practices: Wear goggles when cutting mosaic materials or mixing grout. Mosaic materials are often sharp. Keep out of reach of children. Avoid breathing the dust when mixing grout. Wear rubber dishwashing gloves when grouting to avoid irritating your skin. Do not dispose of grouting material in your household plumbing.

2. Get a bucket and mixing stick/spatula. Put the grout in the bucket (1 cup per square foot).

3. ADD ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER AT A TIME AND MIX until you can pick up the grout with your spatula, turn your spatula sideways and the grout does not slide off! The grout will be like cookie dough. (You may want to add Weldbond glue to your grout mix for additional adhering capabilities. The ratio is one part Weldbond to 5 parts water. Make sure you keep the mix the correct consistency!)

Step 1
In this initial step you quickly wipe the grout with a sponge onto your mosaic filling in all the cracks. You will probably not be able to see the outline shape of each individual piece of glass because it is covered in too much grout. So take the clean backside of your sponge and wipe off your mosaic with no more than 2 passes in each area. YOUR MOSAIC WILL STILL BE DIRTY! Let it be (don't touch it again!) until you can see a drying haze on the glass pieces. It could take up to 30 minutes, but probably more like 15 minutes. It will be obvious. Use a fan if you like.

Step 2
After you see the dry haze, you will make another two passes over your mosaic with a clean, wrung out sponge. The main idea in this step is to scrub the haze off so only a very thin haze remains. YOUR MOSAIC WILL STILL BE DIRTY, BUT NOT QUITE AS DIRTY! Let this very thin haze dry. (Usually 5 to 10 minutes) Again, it will obvious and use a fan if you like.

Step 3
Now, pull out the paper towel and wipe! The haze will come off easily, without scrubbing. The paper towel will lift up that final haze and leave your piece sparkly clean. If this step is not easy and you are scrubbing with the paper towel, then repeat step two completely.

 

Sealing your Mosaic

Let the mosaic set for at least 48 hours before sealing. If your mosaic will be inside, sealing is optional. Sealing is necessary if water or other elements will be in contact with your mosaic. Always avoid spraying glass cleaner on your mosaic. Keep clean by buffing with a dry rag. At The Vinery, we carry Armorcrete, which is handy, because you can just apply it and do not have to wipe it off. Two coats with 30 minutes in between each coat is sufficient. Other grout sealers will leave a white haze that needs to be removed immediately and can be a laborious process. To apply sealer, spread sealer on grout with a cheap brush until covered. The sealer takes at least 24-48 hours to dry.

No warranty is implied by these instructions. Please link to these instructions freely, but email us if you would like to reproduce them.