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Most of the equipment you will need to make mosaic projects is readily available from DIY and craft shops. Many of the tools are exactly the same as those used for ordinary tiling, including the basic cutting tool, known as tile nippers or tile cutters. The doublewheel cutters and hammer and hardie are more specialist tools, as is the small notched trowel.
Drawing equipment
Colored pencils
Gather together a selection of colored pencils that match as closely as possible the range of mosaic colors with which you are working. The aim is to help design a successful mosaic rather than to produce a drawing that is beautiful in its own right but impossible to recreate in mosaic. Pastel pencils are particularly useful, as colors can be mixed together to create better matches. They can also be easily erased, which allows scope for revision and readjustment.
Geometry instruments
Tools such as rulers, protractors, compasses, and squares will help you set up geometric patterns as well as mark out the size of the brown paper you need to cut out if you are using the indirect method. The ruler and square are also useful for gridding up the brown paper when you are enlarging your designs. A beam compass is useful for drawing large circles, although when drawing on paper you can improvise with a piece of string wound around a pencil and pulled taut from a drawing pin at the center.
Charcoal
Charcoal is the ideal tool for sketching onto brown paper or other bases used in the direct method. It creates a bold and flowing line but can be erased and revised with ease. You can therefore make alterations even after you have started working and as the design develops through the process of making.
Paper
Tracing paper is useful for both reversing designs and transferring them to brown paper if you are using the indirect method. It can also be used to transfer designs directly onto boards for the direct method.
Mosaic cutting tools
Heavy-duty tile nippers
These tile nippers have extra long handles that give more leverage when cutting hard materials such as thick floor tiles and marble.
Tile nippers
This is the essential tool for all mosaic cutting. The tungsten tipped blades can be used on all but the hardest mosaic materials for both cutting and shaping. They are bought with a spring attached, but some people find them easier to use if the spring is removed. The back of the blades can be used as well as the front, which may be more convenient for some awkward cuts. The back will also stay sharp for longer and its use will extend the life of the nippers. Eventually the blades will become blunt, and although it is not possible to sharpen them very well, blunt nippers can be useful for cutting certain materials, such as some particular marble colors. However, other materials, such as gold and silver, will cut much better with a sharp pair of nippers.
Double-wheel nippers
Double-wheel nippers are particularly good at cutting straight and accurate lines in vitreous glass and unglazed ceramic. Many people also use them for cutting smalti for greater accuracy and less wastage. They are designed so that the blades can be turned as they get blunt, and it is a good idea to mark the point at which you start and always turn them the same way so that you use up the whole of the cutting edge in a methodical way. Replacement wheels are available.
Score and snap tile cutters
These tools have a scoring wheel and a snapper for breaking the tiles. They are used when working with tiles larger than 1 in. (2.5 cm) square to cut strips of the required size. These can then be cut across with nippers to form squares and rectangles. They can also be used on small tiles to cut triangles, as the scoring encourages the tiles to break more neatly from point to point. The snapper is also useful when cutting glass. Larger versions are available with a fixed bed and a rail along which the scoring wheel runs, known as flatbed tile cutters.
Glass cutters
These are sharp cutting wheels that score a line in the surface of glass sheets along which they will break when pressure is applied to either side. This can be done by gripping the glass between your thumb and fingers or using the snapper on the score and snap tile cutter.
Hammer and hardie
The traditional method of cutting mosaic is to use a hammer and hardie. A mosaic hammer has a flat tungsten tip at each end, and a hardie is like a chisel embedded in a solid stand such as a tree trunk or a flowerpot filled with cement. The mosaic piece is held on top of the hardie along the line of the desired cut and the hammer brought down parallel to the hardie. You must avoid hitting the hammer blade itself on the hardie, as this will blunt it or possibly break it.
Mosaic fixing tools
Mixing trowel
This angled trowel is very useful for mixing up grout and adhesive. It is also perfect for cleaning the sludge out of the bottom of buckets (this residue should always be binned rather than washed away, as it plays havoc with drains).
Plasterer’s small tools
These little tools are perfect for applying adhesive to both curved and flat surfaces when using the indirect method. The pointed end can be maneuvered into the most awkward corners, and can also be used in the indirect method for spreading adhesive into areas that the larger trowel cannot easily reach.
Small screwdriver
Although designed for other purposes, a little screwdriver is an indispensable tool for the mosaicist. It can be used to lever tiles off their backing, whether on paper or board, and to nudge them into alignment. It is also perfect for scraping adhesive out of joints and cleaning grout away from corners.
Small-notched trowel
Small-notched trowels are used for applying cement-based adhesive for mosaic work. The small notches, about ⅛ in. (3 mm) wide, ensure that most of the backing surface is covered in adhesive and even very small pieces of mosaic are in contact with the fixing bed. The notches mean that a very even bed of adhesive can be achieved, eliminating any thicker areas that would cause the adhesive to come up between the joints. The surface should be carefully examined for any thin areas of adhesive, and a little extra can be added if too much has been scraped away. Be careful to clean the trowel before the adhesive dries, as it is hard work scraping it out of all the little notches.
Grouting tools
Grouting float
This is a useful tool for grouting large areas of mosaic. Its sharp edge is particularly good at scraping away excess grout and helping to reduce wastage. It can also be used for pressing down on the mosaic face to flatten out any uneven areas and ensure a firm bond between the tiles and the adhesive bed.
Squeegee
An alternative tool for grouting, the squeegee has a rubber blade that is used to spread the grout across the face of the mosaic. It can also be used to scrape away the excess grout and is more maneuverable in small areas than the float.
Tiler’s sponge
These sponges have a particularly close density that helps to pick up surplus grout and makes the job of cleaning the surface easier.
Rubber gloves
The simplest way of spreading grout is by using your hands, but you should always wear rubber gloves. The cement in the grout is very drying for the skin and some of the dark colors are also very staining. On three-dimensional objects there is no alternative method, as floats and squeegees cannot cover curved surfaces with such accuracy and control.
Health and safety
Mosaic is a very low-tech craft and there are no power tools or heavy equipment involved. The opportunities for self-harm are therefore limited by taking a few simple precautions. Most important is to take some trouble in setting up your workstation. Mosaic is an engrossing activity and it is easy to find yourself working for hours in uncomfortable and awkward positions. You will be able to work for longer and with less discomfort if you make sure your working surface is at a convenient height, with a stool or chair that is compatible. When you find yourself having to stretch to reach particular areas, think about turning the piece around so that it is closer to you or cutting the completed area off if you are following the indirect method. As with all manual work it is good practice to give yourself regular breaks when you can stretch and relax your muscles, as well as taking the opportunity to stand back from your work and assess it from a greater distance. Listed below are a few pieces of equipment that will make your life easier and safer.
Knee pads
If you are working on the ground, it is a good idea to protect your knees with knee pads. These are available from builders’ merchants and can make life a lot more comfortable, as well as protecting your joints from future problems. If you do not have knee pads you can place something soft on the floor instead, such as a cushion or some bubble-wrap.
Brushes
Mosaic debris is often very sharp, and it should always be cleared away with a brush rather than your hands. The pieces, however, are so small that the little cuts that you will inevitably get from time to time are never deep enough to cause lasting difficulty.
Protective goggles
Cutting can also cause sharp splinters to fly off in unpredictable directions, and goggles will protect your eyes from these shards. If you wear glasses, these will do the same job, and you can get glasses with clear glass instead of lenses that are more comfortable to wear than goggles.
Masks
All mosaic materials release dust when they are cut, and if you are cutting a large amount at one time, such as quartering glass or ceramic tiles, it is advisable to wear a face mask. Pouring powdered adhesives and grout can also create clouds of fine particles, and a mask should be worn when mixing large quantities.
