Creating a Vertical Mount Mosaic Using NO Days Mosaic Mesh

NO Days Mosaic Mesh for “indirect” mosaic application


No Days Mosaic Mesh is a fiberglass mesh coated with NO Days Mosaic Adhesive that allows you to build your mosaic on a flat surface and then mount it horizontally or vertically to your substrate using ThinSet, Mortar, Cement or Mastic.  


Begin by creating your pattern template. You can trace your design directly on the mesh using a permanent marker.  No Days Mosaic Mesh can be easily trimmed to size using scissors or a craft blade. If you need to, you can stitch the mesh together.  Place it on your template and cut to size. You can also temporarily hold it together with scotch tape on the back side. Alternatively, you can overlap mesh pieces and heat set them together to build custom shapes and sizes, allowing you to secure your design in large or small sections.

 

You can trace your design directly onto the mesh.  Make sure the mesh is on top of the silicon release liner that it’s packaged with before beginning to build your mosaic. Then, after placing your pieces you can heat set the adhesive using a standard heat gun set to low. As you’re heating the pieces, it’s helpful to have a tool to push on the pieces and move them into place. Alternatively, you can cure your mosaic by placing the whole sheet in an oven at 200 degrees F for 10-20 minutes.  If any of your pieces are in the wrong place after the adhesive has cooled, simply reheat to remove or move the piece into place.


After your mosaic has fully cooled (in 5-10 minutes), you can peel it from the release liner and easily transport it to be mounted vertically or horizontally to your substrate. 


Using ThinSet, Mortar, Cement or Mastic, mix according to the directions on the package. Spread the tile mortar on the surface you wish to adhere your mosaic to. Rake grooves across the mortar to help hold the tesserae in place while the mortar is curing and to create a route for air to be pressed out from under the tiles.


Place the mosaic and mesh into the thinset and press the mosaic into the mortar.  Scrape and wipe away excess mortar.   


After letting the mortar fully cure for 24-48 hours, you’re ready to mix and grout your mosaic. If mixing grout for outside surfaces, you may want to add a latex additive to strengthen the grout. Add water and mix thoroughly until the grout is the consistency of wet sand and holds together in a ball when you squeeze it. Apply the grout by pushing it across the surface of the mosaic and into the gaps between tesserae. Let the grout sit for 5-10 minutes before lightly buffing it to remove excess grout on the surface of your tiles that can leave a hazy appearance.


That’s it! Your mosaic is finished.

For more project ideas and instructional videos, visit http://www.Streuter.com
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