Instructions - how to make a mosaic
How to make your mosaic:
Think about the pattern you wish to make with the tiles and colours you have in your pack. Make a rough sketch on the wood-shape accordingly with a pencil if appropriate. You can also place tiles in a pattern before securing and move them around before applying glue. You can use the photo included in kit to help you with the pattern if you wish. Be careful when handling cut mirror tiles or cut tiles as they may have sharp edges. Children are best to use uncut tile kits or with supervision when using cut tiles. Tree of Life are not liable for any injuries.
Spread the glue to a section of the wood-shape where you want to secure the tile.
Try to make the space between each tile even.
Glue will take around 20 minutes to harden and will be fully set in 24 hours. If a tile comes off, simply stick back on once more with a little more glue. Some packs have grout, you may want to put a thin film of grout over the back of the woodshape to match, or paint the back.
For shapes with grout:
Coverage: this varies dependant on the size of tiles and gaps. With tiles that are 20mm x 20mm x 4mm thick, with a 2mm gap between tiles a 200g pack will grout an area of 1.6 sq feet (0.15 sq m).
Grouting: pour grout into plastic bowl/tub and make a ‘well’ in the centre of grout. Gradually add a small amount of water to the well and mix thoroughly with a small stick (lollipop/pencil/glue spreader/end of paintbrush or similar).
The mixed grout should be of toothpaste consistency. If it is too wet it will wash out. Using a grout spreader or a plastic card, apply grout to the surface of your tiles, running the grout spreader in all directions to fill all the gaps. Remove excess grout with the spreader as best you can. Leave for 10-15 mins until you can see the grout is beginning to dry then rub the surface with a damp sponge until it is free from excess grout. Make sure each tile is free from grout and when fully dry polish your tiles and pick off any tiny pieces of excess grout. You can turn over your creation and grout the back with a thin layer with the spreader to match or paint it. Enjoy your lovely creation!