Mosaic tile bar front

This project was completed for a local bar in town, Alley Cat in Carrollton Georgia. It was opening in three days when we got word that they wanted a mosaic done for the front of the bar. My brother, Rory (instructable user rory_woj), his wife (Rhea), and various family members all pitched in to complete the project on time. The first step for use was coming to an agreement with the owner of the bar on the design. If you are makeing a mosaic for yourself you will not need this step. Also the step outlined in this instructable can be applied to a multitude of different projects (table tops, bird baths, bathrooms, etc. you name it).

Basic supplies needed to complete a tile job are needed and that information can be found else where on this website.

The tiles we used were from a warehouse near by. They had lots of old boxes of broken tiles or upopluar colors for typical tile project. They cut us a really good deal because of this.

In order to break the tile we used tile snips. This alows you to break the tile at the angle you need. Here Is a link to a set of tile snips. I have never bought a pair (mine were handed down from my grandad). You will find more information through a search, but I would not buy into different tile snips for ceramic vs. glass.
http://www.buybrandtools.com/acatalog/Rubi-Nippers-for-Ceramic-Tiles.html
Other than that all you need is a little creativity!

Always remember to enjoy yourself :D

Step 1

Comments

[artonline]

Super! looks great! Collective creativity - it's very cool!
modern painting

[canida]

This looks awesome! I'm inspired to do some creative mosaic work myself.

What do you use to glue the tile onto the backer board before grouting?

[luke_woj]

Thanks!

We used Thinset Mortar...it can be found in any home improvement/hardware store.

[rory_woj]

Good stuff. I agree with making the grout lines even when separating objects out in the design- The color helps, but cutting the tile with a tile cutter and even sanding down the edges to create smooth lines gives it a finished look

[luke_woj]

I just updated it. Thanks for the input.

[scoochmaroo]

Neat! Can you included a little more about where you got your tiles and if you cut them or just used them in the shapes they came in?