Mosaics are a great way to brighten up dull spots around your home, or to create hard wearing, water resistant surfaces.

I love creating my own distinctive designs, by using commercialy available tiles in unusual ways.

In my video, I show you how to make a colourful Hearth Mosaic and a classy Table Top mosaic, using pieces of broken glazed tile.

You can also make mosaics using Tesserae, which are small squares of commercially made glazed tile which can be built up into patterns of your choice. For larger areas, Tesserae blocks are available, and I used these to make a modern looking bathside mosaic, for one of my video projects.

Here are a few hints, tips and ideas for mosaic projects.

For the Fireplace Mosaic, shown in my video, I used a combination of different coloured glazed tiles and some larger green glazed tiles, which I decorated with my own hand drawn pattern.

The tiles are readily available from Tops Tiles, and the Ceramic Paints for the tile decoration are available from Pebo.

The design may look complicated, but it's just a matter of using a fine paint brush and taking it for a 'walk' around your tile.

Then 'bake' the tile following the manufacturers instructions, to set the pattern.

Don't forget, you'll be breaking the tiles anyway, using the method shown in my video, so don't worry if your paint work isn't perfect!

Tile grout and mosaic edges

White grout is traditionally used in mosaic making. It works particularly well where you want a clean modern appearance, such as for my Bathside Mosaic project.

If you would like to give your mosaic a bolder appearance, you can choose from a range of coloured grouts to complement your design. These are quite widely available from most large DIY stores, and tile suppliers.

The edges of mosaics can sometimes present a problem.

For my Hearth Mosaic, I nailed down a square section of beading all around the design area. Make sure that the beading is the same thickness as your tiles, to create a flush edge.

Alternatively, you can smooth the grout around the edges of the mosaic to create a more rounded edge, as shown on my Mosaic Table project.

Tile adhesive is one of the most critical elements in making a successful mosaic. After all, your work won't last long if the adhesive doesn't bond to the surface! This is particularly important for mosaics on a vertical surface, as the bond will be under much more stress.

In my video, I used a tile adhesive made by Bal Adhesives. I've found this to be reliable on most surfaces, including difficult ones such as my Mosaic Table project, which was metal, and my Bathside Mosaic, which was mounted on the painted wooden surface on the side of a bath.

Bal Tile Adhesive is available from most DIY stores or Tile shops in the U.K. Always remember to follow the manufacturers instructions carefully, for the best results.

Bathside mosaic

This was a really fun project to complete, and made a big difference to an otherwise boring bathside.

It's worth being prepared before you get stuck in. Measurements are important, particularly when cutting and sticking down the beading, and when working on a vertical surface, I would suggest laying out and measuring the tesserae blocks on a flat surface first.Then transfer your measurements on to a piece of paper before marking out.

You must take care to get your first pencil line (marking the top of the mosaic) level before you start, and the corners at proper right-angles, otherwise the tesserae blocks may not fit properly.