How to create a mosaic tabletop

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We show you how to create your very own pretty mosaic tabletop using crockery remininscent of a by-gone era to turn a piece of furniture from bland to grand.

Mosaic art dates back to the 4th century BC, when Greeks had their floors covered in elaborate tiles depicting various scenes.

Revive an old table using unwanted chipped china or similar crockery easily found in thrift stores to create a pretty mosaic tabletop smart enough to serve a high tea.

To begin, gather china of similar designs and colours, including those with raised patterns for added interest. Second-hand stores or garage sales are great places to find suitable china, and ask friends to save their broken crockery for you.

As for the choice of table to revive, you might want to go for one with a raised edge, as we have, in the case you want to fit a piece of protective glass over the mosaic. A flat tabletop is also suitable, but you might want to omit plates with raised designs to create a smooth surface and apply a suitable protective sealer from hardware stores. Before tiling the table, you may want to paint it in a soft shade that complements the pretty mosaic.

Lastly, talk to your hardware supplier to ensure you choose the best adhesive and grout for your tiles. Take your time when choosing a grout colour and go for a tone similar to that of the china. Now you’re ready to get creative!

Create a mosaic table in six easy steps:

You will need
Vintage-syle plates (from thrift stores); safety goggles, hammer, tile nippers, metal ruler, adhesive, grout and applicator (from hardware stores); specially cut glass (see A touch of glass, opposite) or sealer.

1. After you’ve sanded and painted your table, lay your choice of various plates on the top to establish a rough idea of where you would like to lay the plates’ shards to ensure balance between the various designs and colours.
2. First put on your safety goggles, then wrap a plate loosely in a relatively thick towel and gently but firmly hammer the plate through the towel until the plate has broken into a number of large and small pieces. Carefully unwrap the towel to reveal the broken crockery.
3. Using tile nippers, further cut larger shards of crockery into similar-sized pieces – one common method used is to score a line on the shard with tile nippers or a metal ruler and then snap it to break. Discard any tiny shards and place the pieces you will use in a bowl.
4. Beginning in the centre of the table and with the larger pieces of crockery, attach each piece to the tabletop using a small amount of adhesive applied to the back of the crockery. Continue outwards and then fill in the spaces with the smaller shards. Leave overnight to set.
5. Wearing rubber gloves, place a handful of grout on the tabletop. Using the grout applicator, gradually cover the entire surface of the table with grout, taking care to fill in all the crevices. Dampen a sponge with water and use to wipe away any excess grout.
6. When all the excess grout has been removed, gently wipe each piece of crockery with a damp cloth to clean well. Leave for a few hours for grout to set. When grout has dried, gently wipe mosaic again with a clean wet rag, then lay glass, if using, or apply sealer.

A touch of glass

If your mosaic has an uneven surface get a glass expert to cut a piece of glass and smooth its edges to fit the tabletop. You need a tabletop with a raised edge to support the glass, but if your table does not have one, simply secure quarter-inch dowels around the edge and then sit the glass on them. If you’re not adding glass, apply a sealer from hardware stores to the mosaic.

Photography: Sam McAdam. Styling: Angela Haughton.