Mosaics can be a truly stunning part of your interior decor of house… not only that, but the careful placement of tiles and working to a plan is amazingly therapeutic. However, even the best of mosaic tile ideas will come out poorly if you select the wrong adhesive for your type of project. Today we check out the 9 types of adhesives that are used with mosaic tiles, and the strengths, weaknesses and unique purposes of each.

Craft glue: Most of us have craft glue lying around the house. However, it is trully only suitable for mosaics where you’re using very small tile pieces, that will be lying flat and not bearing any weight. You’ll also need a strong grout formulation, and perhaps more grout than usual.

Two-part epoxy: From the weakest to the strongest – two part epoxy is about as far as you can get from craft glue, for mosaic tiles! If you’re using river stones or pebbles in a mosaic, rather than mosaic tiles, two-part epoxy may be your only adhesive select. However, you’ll need some skill at mixing it correctly and using it, and epoxy is also more expensive than most adhesives.

Water-soluble glue: Can be used either diluted, for making gummed paper (see below), or for gluing mosaic tiles directly onto wood. Do remember that if you live in a humid climate, your tesserae will probably end up shifting, especially if they are vertically placed or bear any load.

Gummed paper: A great mosaic tile adhesive, but only for temporary applications. You can make it up yourself with brown paper and water-soluble glue, which has been diluted. It may take a bit of experimentation to find the right proportions, though.

Sealant: Not quite an adhesive, sealant can help your mosaic tiles to stick down somewhat, and also protect them from humidity, smoke, rain and heat. It is recommend in conjunction with a glue and a grout, or an adhesive/grout in one mixture for all mosaics.

Ready mixed cement: This fairly standard mosaic tile adhesive can be used for both the indirect and direct methods of making mosaics. You can use many ready mixed cements as a glue and grout in one, and they are fairly easy to color – just mix in a powder colorant with the dry powder before you add the water.

Cement: Strong, cheap and flexible – you can also mix cement yourself, and get all the benefits of ready mixed cement at a lower price.

Epoxy-adhesive grout: The favorite method of experienced mosaic makers who know what they want, know how to get it, and are willing to input the cash to ensure that their mosaic is strong and long-lasting.

Ready mixed grout:You’ll need to use this in combination with epoxy adhesive for the actual mosaic tiles, or with craft glue or cement, to stick the tesserae down properly. Some ready mixed mortar can actually be colorized with acrylic or hobby paints, so you can get very specific background colors for your mosaic tile works.

The major difference between a mosaic pattern and a pattern for stained glass deals with the spacing between the pieces of glass and the size of the individual pieces.

Many mosaic pieces are used outdoors. Due to the range in temperatures that exist outdoors, mosaics made with large pieces of glass will crack over time. To avoid this, be sure the glass is well seated in the cement and there are no air bubbles under the glass. Another way to avoid cracking is to use smaller pieces of glass. The larger the piece of glass, the more of a chance there will be for future cracks.

Another factor you need to consider is the amount of space between the individual pieces of glass. Depending on the pattern you use, spacing between pieces of glass should not exceed 1/4 of an inch.

To turn a stained glass pattern into a mosaic pattern, you first need to resize it to fit your mosaic mold size. Then cut the individual pattern pieces 1/16 to 1/8 smaller. This will give you a spacing of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. If you would like the look of traditional stained glass, cut the individual pieces 1/16 smaller. Spacing of adjacent glass pieces should be uniform.

If the pattern you have chosen has large pieces of glass, cut these pattern pieces out (1/16 inch smaller), then divide that pattern piece into smaller pieces with 1/32 inch space between the pieces. Using this smaller spacing within the design, where once was a large piece of glass, will convey unity and prevent future cracking.

By using the two different spacings, the overall effect will be a unified piece. Larger spacing will provide definition and the smaller spacing will unify the color.

Another alternative for turning a stained glass pattern into a mosaic pattern is to first resize the pattern to fit the mosaic mold you plan to use. If you are using a clear mold, after wiping down the mold with Vaseline, cut a piece of clear contact paper to fit the bottom of the mold and place it in the mold sticky side up. Then place the pattern under your mold. Using glass nippers make small piece of glass to fill the areas within the pattern. Remember to place the individual piece upside down, when you remove your mosaic piece from the mold the bottom will now be the top. When all glass is on the contact paper, firmly press the glass to obtain good adhesion. Now you are ready to fill the mold with concrete.

If you are not using a clear mold then place the clear contact paper sticky side up on top of the pattern. Proceed as if you were using a clear mold until all the glass is placed on the contact paper (upside down). Then carefully place the contact paper with the glass into your mold.