A couple weeks ago I wrote a list of fantastic junk to use in mosaics. Before we get into attaching some of the more randomly shaped items of various materials (which can get a lil tricksy if you don’t want your parts falling off randomly and for no apparent reason), I thought I’d give you a step by step how-to on a small project to get you started.

I know you have some old pots around that are just too worn and ugly to use, but still too serviceable to break up for planter-bottom-drainage. Maybe you are wanting to change the color scheme of your patio or porch and are feeling guilty about your secret desire to just say “To hell with being green! I want new STUFF!” Maybe you’re broke, like me! Maybe it has simply never occurred to you that you can have “new” stuff by giving a makeover to old stuff! In any case, this is a great way to give a facelift to a worn out old terra cotta planter (and with just a couple small changes works on plastic planters, too)!Click on the thumbnails for a larger view, or watch the flickr slideshow at the bottom of the post.

Old terra cotta pots like this get looking pretty funky. Minerals in the soil and water can stain and even erode them a bit leaving them looking well… old and funky! Learning to cut tile isn’t hard, but until I figure out how to cut tile and take a photo at the same time (I may just have to break down and get a tripod out!) I’ll leave that to others. There is a decent straight cutter article here, and an illustration of how to cut curves using tile nippers here. Use a stiff bristled brush to knock the dirt and mineral deposits off of your pot. Neither mastic nor thinset stick well to loose particles.

I generally use mastic for projects like this, and thinset for flat surfaces. The mastic has more body and lends itself well to working on vertical, angled, and even curved surfaces without too much slippage. I spoon a cup or so into a repurposed plastic bag, twist the bag and close it with a rubber band after poking the air out as much as possible and snip a tiny corner out to squeeze the mastic through. The bags hold up well, and when the tip dries out it seals the bag so the mastic inside stays moist. Pinch the dried end off to use again!

I’m not going to cover this entire pot. I want to make a foot decoration along the bottom, and then we’ll work the rim. Start with the bottom to give the mastic a little time to set up before we turn it over. You can make your pot with an even foot, or add some variety by choosing pieces of tile that are varied in height. Until you’ve made a few you may want to stick with tile pieces that are of equal thickness to get a nice even grout fill. If you’re brave, jump right in with different thicknesses and build up your mastic to level the surface of your tile, but I’m warning you- this can be tricky!

Simply continue around, keeping the tile reasonably even with the bottom of the pot. As you near the beginning, try to fit your pieces so that you will end up with a reasonably uniform amount of space between the tiles. The mastic will still be soft, and you can adjust the pieces gently at this point, but don’t try to move them after they have set up for a half hour or so, as you’ll break the bond.

Use a stick or other wooden tool to gently clean excess mastic from the edges of the tiles. Globs of mastic sticking up will interfere with the application and final appearance of your grout.

Turn your pot over, carefully and set it flat. Try not to bump the tile at an angle, but use the flat surface to level the bottom edge if the mastic is still elastic. This is a good time to take a break. Walk away for a couple of minutes. (Get a drink of water, you know you’re not drinking enough water!) Let the bottom tile set up a bit to minimize the risk of knocking it around while you tile the top rim.

I like to make a row of tile along the inside of the rim, since this is one of the places where the old pots look particularly funky. Cover it up!

After the inside rim is complete, start your exterior round, leveling as you go.

Pretty cool so far, eh? Now, you can call it good at this point, and let your mastic cure and then grout, molding the grout to cover the top rim, but that’s a lot of grout, and I find that larger areas of grout, especially on the rim, tend to get banged and chipped easily, so I like to add one more round of tile for a nice, finished rim.

I’m using 1″ x 1″ mini tiles that I scored about 40lbs of at a yard sale for $5. Use whatever size pieces will roughly span the width of the interior and exterior tiles. This is where it gets a little tricky. I lay the sized tile around the top until I have an idea of how many and the size of the triangular cuts I need to fill in. (Don’t mastic these down, yet.)

Simple multiple triangle cuts. I eyeball it; I’m not too hot on measuring unless it’s absolutely necessary. I never worry about cutting extra. I will always find a use for the leftovers in another project!

Fit the little triangles in, still just arranging- no mastic until you have a complete layout for the top rim. Then remove and lay the pieces around the pot, a few at a time and begin to place them on the rim using mastic. Be careful here not to allow the mastic to get messy between the tiles.

There we go! Okay, you have 24 hours or so now to go do whatever else strikes your fancy. Read blogs, write blogs, make love, sleep… you get the idea. I’m going to spend at least a few of the next 24 hours workin’ the GirlyBoi to get her to do the grouting so I can take the photos. When it’s dry and the tiles are firmly attached you may carefully remove any excess mastic before grouting. Tomorrow we’ll do the grout, so bookmark me and come back for part 2!

Questions? Ask away, I’ve done a lot of this and I’ll do my best to help. If you make a mosaic pot or project, leave a link in comments and I’ll come visit- I’d love to see your creative upcycling projects. See ya tomorrow!