Flower Table

Geneva Vanderzeil

Instructor

In This Lesson

For this project, you’ll be giving an ordinary IKEA table a whole new look with a flower-petal mosaic design made from pre-cut tiles. The ready-made shapes make it easy to dive straight into arranging patterns, letting you practice with colour and cohesive designs.

Tools & Materials.

Coffee table with an inset or flat surface (timber or suitable base)
Pre shaped petal tiles in multiple colours
Hammer (for breaking tiles)
Old towel or cloth (to cover tiles while smashing)
Wheeled tile cutter (optional – for shaping or smaller cuts)
Waterproof tile adhesive
Glue spreader or small spatula
Waterproof grout
Grout float (for spreading grout)
Sponge and clean water (for wiping tiles)
Tile sealant (for sealing and protecting the finished surface)
Soft cloth (for final polish and clean)

You Need

Tools & Materials

Ikea ‘Gladom’ tray Side table
Mandala Art Leaf Petal Ceramic petal tiles
Mosaic glue
Grout powder
Squeegee and sponge

Instructions

Firstly, play around with the pattern to find what your happy with. Start the edge and continued making flowers in different colours and sizes until the whole surface is covered. Leave at least 2-3mm between each tile to allow for grout, and make sure the gaps aren't too big either as you don't want large sections of grout.

Glue all of the tiles down. Starting at the edge, pick up each tile, put some glue underneath it and gently push it down, making sure that the glue doesn't squeeze out from beneath. Leave it for one hour while the glue set.

Pour the grout powder in to a bowl and add small amounts of water whilst mixing until it became the consistency of toothpaste. A rough guide is 150mL of water to 500g of grout powder. (Make sure to follow the safety instructions when making the grout!).

Once the mixture is ready, apply the grout to your piece. I used the Mandala squeegee to put the grout on the tiles and smooth it out, ensuring all of the gaps are filled up. Don't worry if there is a little bit of grout on top of your tiles, it will come off!

After this, wait for the grout to dry slightly and then use a damp sponge to wipe away the excess grout from the top of the tiles. You may have to do this a few times! Finally, allow the grout to completely dry for 1 hour and use a slightly dampened cloth to polish the surface.