With the vast array of mosaic tiles to choose from these days, it makes for designing stunning mosaics so simple and rewarding. However, there also needs to be a bit of planning involved when choosing what tiles to use. Generally, I find if you are unsure of what tile is okay to use hold it on its side and if it is transparent, I would use for interior only, some forms of tiles are kiln fired which does seal in the colour but if you are buying online there are so many brands it is hard to determine if these have been Kiln fired unless stated example of some products we suggest for interior only are our Glitter tiles, glass melts and our crystal range. These tiles are started originally as clear glass then painted back and these are sealed and in some case, some are fired, but different brands vary.
I have used these somewhat outside and I have mainly had the glitter tiles fade, the others not so bad, so it is at your discretion if you use these.
We have so many other varieties in stock such as Ceramic tiles, Opaque squares, and our more economical tiles Vitreous
My preferred material to use is Stained glass, it is fantastic to cut, flat both sides, you can buy this in Opaque or transparent, so great for a variety of mosaics from tea lights where transparent glass is great to allow the light to pass through, Opaque glass for a more solid colour, it is vibrant and will never fade. Stained glass can be cut into smaller pieces using your round wheel cutters or you can use an oil-filled cutter for cutting longer pieces.
Be sure to check out our online tutorials for glass cutting.
Other Types of Material You can Use
The list is endless, but a few things to keep in mind is the surface and the base, basically, you really need a flat base to give good adhesion and always be mindful how hard is it going to be to grout the surface.. Here is a list of possibilities :
Buttons
Shells (with a fairly smooth surface)
Coins
Clay
Beads (Flat Bottom preferably)
Crystals
We also love to use polymer clay for embellishing, this is where we paint the surface eg: a heart with black acrylic pain then we use a glue that dries clear for example Weldbond or Prep Glue
and a sprinkling of fine glitter to fill in gaps, can also work using old jewelry. Here are a couple of examples, the one in the middle we have mosaic and grouted and left the center blank and the filled with polymer flowers.
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