Mosaics

You can join in the fun and learn the art of mosaic making at our Westgate Studio. No previous experience is necessary.  Café Monet offers a variety of shapes, tesserae (mosaic glass & ceramic pieces) and grouts. One of the great things about mosaics is that you can take them home with you on the same day. No wait to take your masterpiece home!

Mosaic shapes range in price from $16 and up. You pay for the mosaic shape you select and that is all. This cost covers the shape, the tesserae tiles, adhesive, and a take-home mosaic grout kit with instructions.

Step One

The first step in the mosaic process is to select your mosaic surface and tesserae (mosaic pieces). You can draw your initial design on paper, directly on your piece, or lay it out in tesserae on your surface.

Step Two

Apply adhesive to your surface. Lay down your adhesive in sections. Apply your tesserae. Place each piece on top of your adhesive as desired. You need to leave a minimum of 1/8" between each tile to leave room for grout. You can space your pieces out further if you like. A good rule of thumb is a 1/8" minimum and 1/2" maximum space between pieces. Lay down your next section of adhesive. Work in small areas at a time. This keeps your adhesive from drying out if you are working slowly. It will also give you stopping points if you want to take a break. You don't have to do a project in one sitting. Work section by section until your piece is completely covered.

Step Three

Take it home while you allow your adhesive to dry completely (24-48 hours) before grouting. Grouting is very easy! If you picked a picture frame or mirror, remove the glass or cover it with paper before starting. Add 1 teaspoon of water to grout at a time until you get a thick toothpaste or peanut buttery consistency. The grout should be more creamy than watery. If the grout is too thin, let it stand until thickened or add more grout. The ratio is approximately 3 parts grout to 1 part water.

Step Four

Apply grout on top of your mosaic design with your fingers or a trowel, like you were icing a cake. Make sure it gets into all of the nooks and crannies in between the tessera. Once you have covered the entire piece, wipe off as much excess grout as you can with your hands. Then let it set for about 20-30 minutes or until the grout becomes hazy. Wipe the haze and smooth out any lumps with a slightly dampened sponge or paper towel. Then go over your piece with a dry cloth to remove any remaining haze or residual grout. Once dry, buff with a soft cloth.

Extra Touches: Want a different color of grout? Ask for the white

grout at checkout, then add some acrylic paint to it while mixing it with water. You can also finish the edges of your mosaic shape at home by painting with acrylic. Grouting your mosaic is easy, but if you need us to take care of it for you, we can do the grouting for a $10 minimum service charge (additional for larger or more complex pieces). It will be ready to be picked up in 5 days.

Enjoy your final masterpiece!