Safety Precautions:
You should always wear safety glasses when breaking up materials to be used in the creation of mosaics. The sharp edges of flying chips could damage your eyes. Also you should wear a dust mask to avoid inhaling dust from broken ceramic materials. Also ensure that you have access to plasters and clean water incase you are cut by any sharp edges.

Background:
Mosaics have been a popular art form for thousands of years and can range from small simple designs to large elaborate works such as those of ancient Rome.

House Number:
This guide will show you how to create your own mosaic house number.

Mosaic pieces:
You can obtain pieces of pottery suitable for making your own mosaics by breaking up old bathroom tiles. You could wrap the tile in a piece of thick cloth and then hit it with a hammer until you had sufficient small pieces of ceramic material for your needs. Alternatively you could obtain better results by using tile cutters. By using different coloured tiles for the mosaic pieces you should be able to create an attractive pattern.

Base board:
Because this mosaic will need to be able to withstand exposure to the elements out of doors, it is necessary to use a base board that is weatherproof. Score the board with a craft knife to make a hatching effect of criss crossed lines and prime it with a weak solution of white craft glue. The scoring and priming makes the surface hold mosaic pieces in place better. Drill holes which will be used to hang up the finished number and draw an outline of the number onto the base board.

 

Attaching the mosaic tiles:
You should now have sufficient tiles prepared and ready to be put in place. Use a waterproof white craft glue to attach the tiles to the board. Use a pair of tweezers to carefully dip the reverse of each tile into the glue and then stick it onto the board. Continue this process until all of the tiles are in place.

Grouting:
You should wear gloves when working with cement based grout as it can be caustic and might damage your skin if it comes into contact with it. Mix the powder with water until it reaches a consistency like cream. Then spread it in place, forcing the grout into any gaps. As the grout begins to dry, gently brush off any excess, ensuring that you do not remove any of the grout from between the mosaic pieces.

Finishing off:
Allow the grout to set slowly overnight in a cool place. Drying should not be done in a warm area as this would speed up the process and weaken the final bonds. Use a small brush and a soft cloth to clear away any excess dust. The house number is now ready to be mounted in place by putting a couple of screws through the predrilled holes.

Other Projects:
Although this guide showed you how to make a mosaic house number, you could apply these techniques to create your own works of mosaic art representing scenes or abstract designs.