How to build a cement board platform to mount your mosaics.

Many mosaics are mounted on plywood, a material easily cut and shaped. However wood can warp and deteriorate with humidity; which is why I mount most of pieces on cement backing boards reinforced by a wooden frame in the manner of the framed canvas used by painters.

This technique, which I describe below, allows for lightweight and resistant boards.

Material needed : 

• 1/4" Hardie backer cement board (or equivalent) 
• 1 x 2" wood board 
• Wood glue 
• 5/8" flathead self threading screws

Hardiebacker boards

1/2" pine boads

self threading screw

Exterior wood glue

Tools needed : 

• Measuring tape
• Straight edge board or ruler
• Pencil 
• Miter or hand saw 
• Circular saw with diamond blade 
• Cordless electric screwdriver

Measuring tape

carpenter pencils

Circular saw

Cordless screwdriver

Miter Saw

 










Once you have measured your mosaic, create a support 1/4" bigger in each dimension. If your mosaic measures 20 x 30 inch, your board should be 20.25 x 30.25 inch. 

Cut your wood boards to fit these dimensions. 

If you are using 1 x 2 inch boards, which actually measure 0.75 x 1.5 inch (Welcome to America), you will cut 2 boards at 20.25 inch and 2 boards at 27.25 inch (30.25 - 2 x 1.5 = 27.25). You will adjust based on the actual dimensions...

If your mosaic is bigger than 3 square foot, I recommend to use additional boards as I did on this frame. 

Once all your cuts are made, assemble the wood and cement board with wood glue and screws, let the glue set, et voila ! 

The whole process is described in the video.

Notes : 

Cement board : 1/4" Hardiebacdker is the best board I could easily find in the US. In Europe, I use Wedi Boards a much better product, just as strong and much lighter. But it is more expensive and difficult to procure in the US.

Cutting the cement board : If you do not have a circular saw, you can use a scorer to mark and snap the Hardie board. This is the method recommended by the manufacturer. However, I prefer the clean cut made by the saw.

Wood boards : I use 1 x 2" yellow pine for most of my mosaics. I have used heavier lumber for bigger mosaics (1 x 3 or 1 x 4. If your mosaic is installed outdoor, you should use treated lumber.

Wood Glue : it is important to not just use screws. The wood glue creates a very strong bond between concrete and wood, which is what we are trying to achieve.

Questions ? Contact me at frederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com

I am a French mosaicist
living in Headland, Alabama, USA.
My Art is about inspiring people.

You can see some of my work 
at www.mosaicblues.com 

You can contact me either by phone 
at (334) 798 1639 or by email at
 frederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com 

You can also subscribe to my 
MosaicBlues Newsletter

 

How to video : Lay your tesserae - Reverse method.

In this short video I demonstrate how to lay your tesserae.  (the little blocks of stones we learned how to make in the 2 previous videos)

We are using the reverse method here: the tesserae's shiny polished face is glued to the model, upside down. so what we see while building the mosaic is actually a mirror image of the final mosaic.

Once all the tesserae are placed, a rigid support is glued with thinset mortar on top of them and left it to set for 36 hours minimum. Then the whole thing is flipped, and the model removed from the top; there appears the final mosaic for the first time ! This will be the object of future videos. 

With a special appearance of Mugen, great destroyers of foxes, grand destructeurs des renards.

Music by the Mokurai Roosters

The Making of a Mosaic - Episode II

Once finished laying the stones upside down, I sprinkle them with a thin layer of grout and spray them with water. After a few hours I follow up with a coat of thinset. I like to mix the thinset with an acrylic additive, to improve its resilience and adhesive power.

This is a small windrose tabletop ready to be filled with thinset. You can see the difference in thickness of the different materials. the black granite is about 5/16" (8 mm) thick, while the red glass is about 1/8" (3 mm) thick. The direct method would not allow such disparity in thickness.

I finally cover the thinset with a structural material,  - I like commercial concrete backing boards used to cover bathroom walls to be laid with ceramic tiles.

I let it dry for at least 48 hours before flipping the piece. This is important. I have damaged some pieces for I was to eager to see them. The thinset needs time to solidify and release moisture. The does not really depends on temperature. It simply needs time.

I wrote somewhere else that the flipping of a mosaic is a very exciting thing, like a birth.  In a few seconds, you see what you created. It is very different from the  direct way, where you set the stones one by one and see your work appear little by little. Here, it is more like a birth; suddenly, the butterfly emerges from its chrysalis.

Here is the Olive Mirror right after being flipped.

Now we are almost done; in "Making of a Mosaic - Episode III", we will complete our work.