MEDITERRANEAN MOSAIC PLACEMATS

These Mediterranean-inspired placemats are both beautiful and functional. Created with our gorgeous handmade tiles, they are truly unique. They are the perfect introduction to the craft of mosaics; complete your first project in a few hours with no glass cutting required. In four simple steps, you will have completed this beautiful mosaic.

mATERIALS

What you'll need:

2 x Plywood fillable placemats (22.5 x 30cm Plywood Fillable Placemat)
Adhesive - A clear PVA adhesive like Sullivans PVA or Weldbond
A beautiful selection of handmade tiles - 30 x 5cm glass tiles, 56 x 2.5cm glass tiles
Grout - Slate Grey
Acrylic paint - Dark Blue
Grout clean up supplies, paintbrush & painters or masking tape

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Plan your Design

Lay your tiles on the coasters and/or placemat to work out the design you like best.

2. Laying the tiles

Your adhesive can be applied either directly to the placemats or painted individually onto the back of the tiles. The quickest method is to paint the adhesive onto the base. Apply the adhesive to small sections at a time to avoid the adhesive drying out. Allow the adhesive to dry for 24 hours before applying the grout.

3. Grouting time

Before grouting the placemat, run painters or masking tape around the edges of the exposed plywood to protect them.

Wear gloves when grouting, as the grout will dry your hands out. Mix a small amount of powdered grout with water until it becomes a porridge-like consistency. Once mixed, place a small amount of grout onto your tiles and rub it into the gaps between them. Once you have covered the entire mosaic, scrape off the excess and let it dry.
Wait until the grout has started to dry (the grout will become dull) and carefully clear off the excess grout with a sponge. Leave it for 24 hours, then give it a final buff up to remove excess grout.

4. Paint the edges

To finish the placemats, you can paint the edges and the bottom of the wood.