Q&A Monday ~ No Days Groutless Mosaic Birdbath

Hi~
I wanted to line the bottom of a bird bath with your product (No Days Groutless Mosaic Adhesive).  Saves grouting.  Will it hold up outside if I bring it in the winter and only use when weather is warm?  I live in Maryland, so we don't get too many really cold days.
~S

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Hi, S ~

I've started on my sample piece. Worked on it a lot yesterday and plan to finish it today or tomorrow.I've attached the in progress picture of my birdbath on a hypertufa cement base. If you'd like to see pictures of the progress I made yesterday and the order in which I place the tiles, you can see them on our Instagram page: http://instagram.com/nodaysadhesives# or scroll down to the bottom of this post for the photo montage.

No Days Groutless birdbath on hypertufa...in progress

Also, I heard back from Brad. He says,"The adhesive is insoluble in water so it will hold up.    The birdbath is a great example to show on Facebook to illustrate that the adhesive will withstand being installed in an underwater environment.   Being able to withstand water is also applicable to the No Days Mosaic Mesh, No Days Mosaic Adhesive Film, No Days Bailbond, No Days Glaze and HoneyDoo Zuper Glue."

Hope this helps, and let me know if you need any assistance with your birdbath :)

Also, I'd love to see pictures when you've finished!

Cheers,

Carrie 

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Hi, Carrie ~

I am so thrilled that you would take time out of your busy day to work on the birdbath!!

I sculpted my birdbath with clay and have been thinking (for a few years) how I would like to finish it.  Once I get supplies and get started, I will be back in touch.  I also try to do decorative painting, sew bears for Newborns in Need and some crocheting and beading.  I can't seem to stay with one thing.  I have found that my painting overlaps onto my sculpting and so I am anxious to do the glass.  I got the cutter, glass, etc ready to go, just was hesitant to do the grouting since I had done some stepping stones where the glass moved.

I will keep in touch.
Thank you,
S

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Good luck, S! Again don't hesitate to ask if you run into questions:)

I am with you as far as multiple techniques are concerned. I love when you can combine all your loves together. You sound well-rounded ;)

Carrie

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Carrie, new question.  I want to order some products.  How did you line the bird bath?  Did you put down the groutless base?  Did you use the adhesive to glue the tiles on so they don't fall.

No Days Groutless Mosaic Birdbath

What do you suggest I purchase to get started since I have never seen any of the products and should I buy it from the company?  I don't want to waste money in the beginning.  Maybe later I can accumulate more of their products.
Thanks, S

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Hi, S~

With all of your hobbies, you probably already have a heat gun or embossing heat tool? That's how you heat set the adhesive. I will warn you that working 3D with the adhesive is a little tricky. You have to work in small sections. Here's a video that shows some 3D pieces being worked on with the No Days Mosaic Adhesive:

And here's a video that is an introduction to the Groutless Mosaic Adhesive, which is what I used:

The 3D video shows taping the beginning pieces in place, but I just let them cool down and add more, using gravity to my advantage. After laying down the initial strip (only 5 or 6 tiles) and letting them cool, I turned the stone bowl and added another short segment and then heat set them. After they cooled, I rotated the bowl again and added the next 5 or 6 tiles, until I got back to the beginning. After that first row, I added a few rows of tile at a time. I started on the outside of my bowl because the center was optically off on my homemade bowl. It may be easier to start in the flat bottom area and then slowly work your way up the sides.

Photo collage that shows the steps in building the mosaic birdbath
using No Days Groutless Mosaic Adhesive on a hypertufa base.

 In some areas, I doubled up the adhesive under the tiles, because my bowl is porous. When, heating the adhesive, it tends to pull together before it spreads out again, so you need to really heat it and "paint" it around with the tiles. My bowl is about 14" or more across, and the last picture I sent was a little less than the whole 12" roll of black Groutless Mosaic Adhesive. There are areas of the tile that are covered with some groutless. You can leave them as is, or the adhesive scrapes off with a razor (or fingernail if it's still slightly warm). ADDITION: I also found out that after the mosaic cools, that the excess adhesive can be washed off with a garden hose and spray nozzle. Quick and easy! I had one tile that popped off, and that was because I didn't heat it long enough to properly adhere to the cement base.

Oh, and I use a pair of long tweezers (~6" or so) that helps to push on the tiles while they're hot.
So, the only materials that you'll need are glass tiles (I cut mine to 3/8" and 5/16" and 1/8" just to have a variety of sizes), Groutless Mosaic Adhesive, heat gun or embossing heat tool, tweezers, and scissors to cut the adhesive. That should be it!

Here are written directions for a micro mosaic project I did with the Groutless: http://nodaysadhesives.blogspot.com/2012/08/micro-mosaic-tutorial-no-days-groutless.html
Good luck!
I'd love to see pictures of your birdbath when you get around to it:)
Carrie

Q&A Monday ~ Vertical Mount Mosaic with Mesh

Subject: mosaic product question

I an interested in doing some mosaic work on  concrete wall outside. Is there a product that would work well for this? It needs to be able to withstand winter and hot summer conditions as I am located in KS.

Thank you,

S

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No Days Mosaic Mesh allows you to build your mosaic on a horizontal
surface and then mount your mosaic vertically using thinset or mortar.

 Hi, S ~

The best way to approach the work you want to do would be to build your mosaic on mesh and then mount on the wall using an appropriate thinset / mortar.

Our No Days Mosaic Mesh has a heat set adhesive that holds the tiles to the mesh while you're building the mosaic. When the pieces are set in place, then you use thinset to attach it to the wall.

We have a YouTube channel and there's a quick video on the process here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHExYFozByA&feature=share&list=PL2470E6E3D2CD6545

There's an artist that uses our mesh all the time on installations and she likes to place and then heat set the tiles on the mesh. After the tiles cool down, she butters the back of the mosaic with a thin layer of thinset, which helps to stabilize the mosaic and makes it easy to install. http://nodaysadhesives.blogspot.com/2013/05/merle-art-design-custom-dogwood-bathroom.html

Hope this helps,
Carrie

Mosaic insert on stone bench, made using No Days Mosaic Mesh.

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No Days Instructor and Support Carrie Strope Sohayda

Hi, there! Carrie, here... Not only do I travel the country teaching folks how to use No Days adhesives (and other techniques), but I also answer customer support emails about using No Days. So, if you're having an issue with the adhesives, chances are good that I'll be answering your questions! Since I get so many good questions, I thought it might be a great learning opportunity for people that may be having some of the same issues but haven't thought to email us. Don't worry, I'll keep the emails anonymous! Also, don't forget that we've got a lot of really fabulous videos (I put those together, too...) on our YouTube channel. So for those of you who are visual learners (umm...we're visual artists, right?), you may want to check them out! If you've got questions, feel free to contact us at info@streuter.com.

Linda's No Days Mosaics

Linda's beautiful garden bench

We love it when you share your projects with us! It's so inspiring to see the creativity that all of our No Days family members (that's you!) possess. Here are some photos that Linda shared with us...

Linda's Gorgeous Groutless Mosaic Upcycled Chair

"I used  No Days Mosaic Adhesive on this project. I use it on almost all my projects. I have also used the Groutless Mosaic Adhesive. I like taking old things and making them look beautiful. I am going to attach a few other pictures to show you. The chair I am sending you was made with the Groutless because I felt grout would not last in that area." 

Linda's Mosaic Mailbox

"I love doing glass on glass. I still have not been able to keep bubbles from showing, but when I use the right glass very little shows. I am not able to put my glass on glass in the oven because of the size of the pieces. I have seen the work of others that you have put online and I think mine is so simple compared to some you have shown. I learned how to do stained glass more than 35 years ago. I then raised a family and had a teaching job.  I just retired last year and went to the stepping stone class. I have found something that I love to do again!"  

Linda's Lovely stained glass mosaic recycled window

"Because of No Days Mosaic Adhesive I have tried so many things. There really isn't much more room in my house, I will have to start making things for others! I have decided if I can not sell things, people will start getting them as gifts... I'm not going to stop trying to make things better...Oh, use any picture you like, all was made with No Days Mosaic Adhesive." ~Linda

Linda's wonderful woodland window

Check out more of Linda's creations at Garlin Stained Glass on Facebook!

Tips & Tricks ~ No Days Mosaic Adhesive on a Glass Tabletop

Donna's Poolside Hibiscus Mosaic Tabletop

 Occasionally, we get asked if it's okay to use No Days Mosaic Adhesive on large glass tabletops.  I've never really been sure if it would work or not, due to the fact that you have to heat the glass to 160ºF (71ºC) to get the pieces to adhere properly. When heating large pieces of glass, there's a possibility of thermal shocking and shattering the glass, if it's not heated evenly across the entire surface of the glass.

 However, we received these amazing photos of a hibiscus mosaic tabletop completed by Donna using No Days Mosaic Adhesive film and stained glass on a tempered glass tabletop.

"I made this mosaic hibiscus table using NO Days Mosaic Adhesive Film.  I covered the entire glass table with the film, placed my glass on the top of the film and heated both the top and underside of the table with a heat gun.  It worked great!!!  If I needed to move something, I just reheated that area and moved it. The table was made with tempered glass, I think that’s why it didn’t break.  I have also turned the table completely upside down, and it all held together."

Thanks for sharing, Donna!

We love seeing pictures of pieces made using No Days adhesives. If you've got something you've made that you'd like to share, please email us at: info@streuter.com.

How to Create an Outdoor Stepping Stone Mosaic with No Days Adhesive

No Days Mosaic Stepping Stone

Tools & Materials:
-Paving Stone from home improvement store
-No Days Mosaic Adhesive Film (2 layers)
-heat gun
-sheets of stained glass
-tweezers
-glass cutting tools
-sanded grout


Approximate Time Start to Finish: 60-90 minutes depending upon size of stone, and skill level

"Queen Of Bees Throne" by Leigh Adams

April 2011 Featured Artist - Leigh Adams of Glass Art Designs

Leigh Adams emits an energy and exuberance brighter than the purple in her hair! She loves sharing her knowledge of mosaic with students of all ages, but especially enjoys working with children to create public art. Although most of her work is done in the Pasadena California area, Leigh has traveled and worked with children in Mexico, China and Central America for many years.

Whether teaching folk arts, language or life skills, Leigh believes that cooperative learning, achieving consensus and building new skills which can result in public acknowledgement are some of the greatest gifts we can give our children and our society.

Leigh Adams of Leigh Adams Glass Art Designs