Argenta Mosaics Interior Projects

Interior Adhesives
Weldbond white glue. Dilute with water to seal the substrate prior to applying your mosaic.
Use full strength as an adhesive on wood, glass, MD. !ee speci"cations for appropriate use
for other materials. Water resistent, not waterproof. Dries clear. Available at Ace #ardware,
#obby $obby, #ome Depot and $owes do not carry.
Mastic %reat for use on vertical surfaces. &hough some manufacturers claim outdoor use
proceed with caution. Do a small pro'ect "rst and see if it holds up through all four seasons.
(eeping the pro'ect sealed from water intrusion on all sides will help maintain durability.
Available from hardware and home improvement stores.


!ilicone %reat for use on vertical surfaces and is waterproof. Available at home
improvement and hardware stores. If you are doing a large pro'ect or multiple pro'ects, best
to buy large tube for which you will need a caul) gun. If you aren*t familiar with caul) guns
as) someone to show you where the release lever is. +therwise you will s,uee-e to release
the silicone and it will 'ust )eep on pouring out.
/po0y 1 part epo0y is e0pensive but good for ,uic) "0es when one or two tiles are loose.
ive minute epo0y recommended to provide time for mi0ing and applying. Available at
hardware and home improvement stores.
!uitable Interior !ubstrates
2lywood, any wood 3seal "rst4
MD medium density "ber board
When mosaicing the following surfaces be sure to thoroughly research the adhesive you are
using to ma)e sure it will adhere5
%lass
Metal
2lastic
Double 6everse Method for Wor)ing 7our Mosaic
8uy a good brand of tape and contact paper. I have purchased contact paper from the dollar
store with mi0ed results. !ome has been completely unuseable. I use scotch brand pac)ing
tape and contact paper from hardware or home improvement, &arget.
2lace your design face up on a smooth board and tape down securely.
6emove the bac)ing from clear contact paper and place it sticky side up over your
design and tape down to )eep it from shifting. &he stic)y9tac) contact paper will hold
your tiles in place and you can also remove and replace tiles. Dry tiles thoroughly or
they will not stic) to the contact paper.
Wor) your mosaic design cutting and placing tile face up on the stic)y contact paper.
&he ridges on glass mosaic tile go down, smooth side up.
When the mosaic is complete thoroughly tape the entire surface with clear pac)ing
tape. irmly press the mosaic to ma)e good contact with the pac)ing tape.
:ut the design free from the board. Ma)e sure no tape is holding the design to the
board.
#old another smooth board "rmly over your taped design and ;ip the mosaic upside
down.
6emove your paper design and carefully peel the contact paper from the bac) of your
mosaic.
2lace the smooth board that you wor)ed your mosaic on over your now upside down
mosaic. Ma)e sure any any remnants of tape have been removed from the board
before you do this. 7ou will need a smooth surface to slide your mosaic into the mortar
bed.
lip. 7our mosaic is now right side up, pac)ing tape side up with the tile*s na)ed little
bac)sides on the bare board and ready to slide into the mortar bed.
%rout
!anded vs Unsanded
!anded grout is stronger than non<sanded and is recommended when spaces between the
tiles are larger than =9>?.
%rout tint
%rout tint can be purchased from www.marylandmosacs.com
Acrylic paint is also used to color grout. 8e sure to research colorant to ma)e sure it will hold
up in the setting for the completed wor), wet, sun etc.
Appropriate &rowel @otch !i-e
&his is very important for proper adhesion and to also )eep the mortar bed from being too
thic), otherwise mortar will come up between the tiles and ruin the appearance of your grout.
=? 0 =? tile use trowel with A9=B? notch
1? 0 1? tile use trowel with =9C? 0 A9=B? notch
Ace #ardware has small plastic trowels with a A9=B? notch si-e. I have not been
able to "nd these at #ome Depot or $owes.