Mosaic door header

[meaco]

This is killing me!!  We have no mosaics on here...so I thought 

I did this earlier in the year for a lady that wanted a mosaic header for her living room after seeing one that I made for my house.  She told me the colors she wanted and just told me to design anything.  So, I came up with the flowers.  In the original drawing I didn't have a flower in the middle...I changed it because the other thing just didn't look right.  But I have step by step pics of the process since I kept her updated on the project.  I bought the header already cut and routed on the edges from Michael's.  I put a wood sealer on it before I started the mosaic.

[meaco]

This is pre-grout.  I always prime and paint before the grouting process...just makes it a bit easier and keeps it a bit neater.  Since this was an indoor only mosaic I used Weldbond for the adhesive.

[ct4mom]

OOO Meaco this is going to be a great start to finish. Thanks for being the first Moaiac

[meaco]

Here it is all grouted and done.  She wanted the paint to be cream, so I matched up the grout best that I could with the paint color.  Another tip with grouting is that I always use painters tape around the edges.  Again, I just find it to be a much neater process.  When the grout dries a bit just carefully peal off the tape and you have a nice, clean grout line.  If any grout comes off with the tape, just fill it in and smooth it out.

[meaco]

And here's a close up of the finished header.  It now hangs over her french doors in her living room. :)

BTW...have no idea why my pics are coming up bigger when you click on them.  It can be opened up using your browser, but if you can't let me know and I'll try to reload the pics.

[ct4mom]

Meaco that is so pretty I bey she was very pleased with how it came out. I dont know why some pics get much bigger than others but I like them like that. BTW the little guy on the couch is adorable.

[meaco]

Thanks, Diane!  She loved the way it came out.  I'm thinking of doing another one similar to this for one of my shows in the fall.  The colors are pretty neutral...and I get to use up my scrap glass. :)

That's Miss Lola in the picture.  She curls up in a ball in that chair while I'm working.  Spoiled rotten for sure!! :)

[Lou Ann]

Meaco,

That is wonderful!!!

ps we were waiting for you and Malinda to get the ball rolling in the mosaic area

[meaco]

LOL, Lou Ann! :) 

Thanks...hopefully I will start on a new big glass on glass window soon and I'll make sure to post pics as I go along. Still working on the design at the moment.

[Kev]

Thank you thank you thank you! This was the only area lacking a display of expertise..and you filled that perfectly! What a beautiful job you did with that.

It is normal for the pics to enlarge once you click on them. Depending on the actual size of the actual pic upload will determine whether it opens in it's own window or within the post.

[Malinda]

well hummm, first off this is very nice Meaco but you make great mosaics so I'm not surprised. Can you get a picture of it in place?

I will make more mosaics soon and post stuff in here too lol...

[nansea121]

Yaaaaaa meaco!!!! Thank you, thank you for showing the process. That helps me to see better:) When you laid out your design in this piece, did you use the routered edge as your guide line for the bits of glass? Love the painter's tape idea. When you went around those curved ends, did you lightly pleat the tape down to keep that outer edge line clean?

'Nother question...lol, do you sometimes use the grinder, or is it preferable to use nippers only? I've never used a mosaic cutter, so I've no idea how it works or feels.

Hi Lola!!!

[Audrey]

That is wonderful.
 I am wanting to get into mosaics soon, as I don't have much more room to hang glass in windows. I did it at camp as a kid, and I did a table top a couple years ago that turned out to be a multi-medium piece, but now I want to work with all my scrap glass. I need ideas and inspiration.

[Becki]

Very nice, meaco!  You're not alone here!  I started out in mosaics and did custom mosaics for awhile before I discovered warm glass. Unfortunately I don't do them as much as I used to but the occasional mosaic does pop up from time to time!

Keep up the good work!

[PiscesGlass]

Just lovely Meaco and Hi Lola!  Love the couch too..lol.  Now I'm itching to get into my scrap glass too...found a nice piece of 1/2" plywood yesterday...hummm..lets' see what can I do with that....

This is wonderful that your the first tutorial on mosaics!  Thanks!  De

[meaco]

Thanks everyone...appreciate all the nice compliments! 

Yaaaaaa meaco!!!! Thank you, thank you for showing the process. That helps me to see better:) When you laid out your design in this piece, did you use the routered edge as your guide line for the bits of glass? Love the painter's tape idea. When you went around those curved ends, did you lightly pleat the tape down to keep that outer edge line clean?

'Nother question...lol, do you sometimes use the grinder, or is it preferable to use nippers only? I've never used a mosaic cutter, so I've no idea how it works or feels.

Hi Lola!!!

The design was just freehanded on the plaque using the routered edge as the guides.  The painters tape was laid down smooth on the edges and you do have to pleat a little to make it around the edges.  And for this mosaic I just nipped all the glass with my mosaic cutter.  This one I just wanted that look, but sometimes I do use the grinder for a different look.  On this particular piece I had just finished making tons of suncatchers and sg stuff for Christmas and I was SO tired of using the grinder...so I was more than happy to just nip away! :)  I like to use the wheeled tile nippers because you can get more precise cuts than with the bigger mosaic cutter.  I usually use the bigger cutter with the smooth straight edge for cutting plates.

well hummm, first off this is very nice Meaco but you make great mosaics so I'm not surprised. Can you get a picture of it in place?

I will make more mosaics soon and post stuff in here too lol...

Unfortunately, there's not a good picture of it in place.  The lady just showed me a camera phone picture...which was not very good. :( Oh well...

[meaco]

Just lovely Meaco and Hi Lola!  Love the couch too..lol.  Now I'm itching to get into my scrap glass too...found a nice piece of 1/2" plywood yesterday...hummm..lets' see what can I do with that....

This is wonderful that your the first tutorial on mosaics!  Thanks!  De

Oh...Go for it, De!!  I use alot of plywood for mosaics but recently I've started using a lot of MDF.  Plywood warps and MDF doesn't if you seal it in the beginning.

[Lauren]

Beautiful as usual!!

[meaco]

Thanks, Lauren!  :)

[PiscesGlass]

Meaco Thanks for the reminder about plywood vs mdf....I guess I'd better use the MDF board...don't want any warping on something I plan on spending any sort of time on.....

De

[Wayne]

[/quote]

Oh...Go for it, De!!  I use alot of plywood for mosaics but recently I've started using a lot of MDF.  Plywood warps and MDF doesn't if you seal it in the beginning.
[/quote]

When using any type of wood, you must seal it first with a real sealer not a paint.  One such sealer commonly used is Kiltz which is sold everywhere.  When using plywood, do not use the thin stuff.  You will find the 3/4" works fine.  All wood should be kept to inside mosaics only.  Another really popular and very light substrate is the Wedi board.  It is usually sold through tile shops in 3 x 5 sheets and smaller pieces via online mosaic shops.

Also, sealing the grout when done keeps the grout lines from becoming discolored due to dust and grime as the years progress.

[meaco]

That's a good point, Wayne.  I use Kiltz...and it's gr-8!

[nansea121]

  what's MDF board?

mmmm...Kiltz...now where's my pen?

[Wayne]

what's MDF board?

mmmm...Kiltz...now where's my pen?

Medium Density Fiberboard which is used for furniture and as a substrate for veneers.

[nansea121]

Thanks Wayne!!! I wrote that down:)