Outdoor mosaic

I have to make an outdoor mosaic for a community garden using broken
tiles cemented to the ground. I want to involve children in the
construction of the mosaic and the plan is that we will run a workshop
where each child will make a 1' square mosaic 'slab' which will later be
cemented to a concrete base. I'm imagining something like a flat wooden
box that can be used as a mold, filled with about an inch of
cement/grout/adhesive, which broken pieces of ceramic tile can be pushed
into to make a design.

The whole thing needs to be as durable and vandal-proof possible.

Question 1- What is the best material to use to cement the tile pieces
into a slab?

Is it worthwhile re-inforcing this with chicken wire etc? As we may have
a limited number of wooden molds, is there something I can use which is
fast drying so that the molds can be re-used several times in a day?

Question 2- Do you know of any websites with pictures of similar
mosaics?

I'm imagining each child will make a picture of a bird, a flower, a fish
etc.. It would be good to have a few examples to show them.

Question 3- Any tips from anyone who has done anything like this before?

Thanks in advance.
--
Andy

Have the child arrange the tile pieces on a piece of Contact paper that has
been cut to fit the bottom of the mold....
*Cut the Contact paper to the correct size
*Peel the backing off and lay it flat, sticky side up
*Arrange the tile pieces, having the back of the tile facing up
*Place the Contact Paper with the tile pieces in place into the box/mold- then
pour the cement on top.
*Let it cure the recommended time, then remove the mold/frame
*Peel off the Contact Paper

I like this idea as it separates the children from the cement.

However the tiles are only coloured on one side, so the pattern will not
show as it is being laid out, but with a small modification it will
work:

1. The tiles are laid face up in the bottom of the empty mold.
2. The contact paper is pressed on top, sticky side against the design.
3. A board that fits the inside of the mold is placed on top.
4. The whole lot is inverted and the mold lifted off, the paper can then
be slid back into the mold with tile pieces now face down, and cement
poured on top.

But what should I use for the 'cement'? I would like something strong
and fast drying, will ordinary cement powder do, perhaps with an
accelerator?




In message , ILIKEKITES
writes
Have the child arrange the tile pieces on a piece of Contact paper that has
been cut to fit the bottom of the mold....
*Cut the Contact paper to the correct size
*Peel the backing off and lay it flat, sticky side up
*Arrange the tile pieces, having the back of the tile facing up
*Place the Contact Paper with the tile pieces in place into the box/mold- then
pour the cement on top.
*Let it cure the recommended time, then remove the mold/frame
*Peel off the Contact Paper

--
Andy

The way that I have made these tiles is to use cardboard pizza boxes.
You can recycle or ask the pizza shop for new ones. Use just the bottom
and it has to be square.

I used quick set cement mix from any hardware store. The instructions
are on the package.

You also need 2 wire coat hangers. Lay the two hangers in the bottom of
the box to criss-cross each other. This adds aditional support. Then add
the mixed cement mix.

What I would be careful of is the broken tiles and the children. Make
sure they are wearing durable utility gloves.

The cement mix dries pretty quick, so they need to work quickly. You can
keep it wet by a fine spray of water from a garden hose.

Once done, let the blocks set for 24 hours minimum. Then you can use a
wire brush to clean the surface, tear away the cardboard and place
wherever you want. The best way is to leave the cardboard because in a
short time, the cardboard will disentegrate.

You can find good patterns in any child's color book. I don't know of
any way you can put the patten onto the wet cement.

In message , ~Star~
writes
The way that I have made these tiles is to use cardboard pizza boxes.
You can recycle or ask the pizza shop for new ones. Use just the bottom
and it has to be square.

I used quick set cement mix from any hardware store. The instructions
are on the package.

You also need 2 wire coat hangers. Lay the two hangers in the bottom of
the box to criss-cross each other. This adds aditional support. Then add
the mixed cement mix.

What I would be careful of is the broken tiles and the children. Make
sure they are wearing durable utility gloves.

The cement mix dries pretty quick, so they need to work quickly. You can
keep it wet by a fine spray of water from a garden hose.

Once done, let the blocks set for 24 hours minimum. Then you can use a
wire brush to clean the surface, tear away the cardboard and place
wherever you want. The best way is to leave the cardboard because in a
short time, the cardboard will disentegrate.

You can find good patterns in any child's color book. I don't know of
any way you can put the patten onto the wet cement.

I like the pizza box idea, this will save making lots of wooden molds,
the ones we have here do not have a separate top and bottom but are all
folded from a single sheet, could be made to work though with scissors
and tape.

I had thought about reinforcing the cement slab and was going to use
chicken wire cut to a square to fit the box.

One way I thought to transfer the pattern to the wet cement is to first
draw it out on graph paper at reduced size, and then use a 'comb' with
teeth spaced appropriately, wiped left-right and up-down across the
cement will reproduce the grid, the squares can then be filled with the
right colour referring to the graph paper.

The sharp broken tiles may be a problem, gardening gloves may make
handling them awkward, but lightweight gloves will not offer much
protection, other than using tweezers or tongs I can't think of a
solution, nor can I find a way to break the tiles into regular shapes,
they just shatter into pointed shards.

--
Andy

www.smitcraft.com sell pre cut tiles which don't have sharp edges...maybe
you could use these they sell them in large tubs...their catalogue is free
to order online. I don't know if they ship worldwide but maybe it's worth a
thought!
Why not use glass nuggets or beads instead if you are worried about cutting
little fingers? Or cut plastic?
......M