Have you ever tried to mosaic a terra cotta pot? It’s a great mosaic project for beginners. And will look wonderful in your garden! We’ll show you how to glue on the tiles to create your mosiac. Then we’ll show you how to apply the grout and buff the tiles clean. Finally we’ll show you how to apply grout sealer to protect your mosaic in the garden.
How To Mosaic A Terra Cotta Pot
Materials
Terra cotta pot, 7″
Glass shell-shaped table scatters, 2″
Large flat marbles (green, turquoise, cobalt & clear)
Small flat marbles (aqua, turquoise & cobalt)
Glass tiles, 1″ (aqua, blue, green & turquoise)
Mirror tiles, 1″
Premixed sanded grout, gray
Mosaic grout sealer
Spray paint primer (gray or white)
Fast drying glue like Beacon’s 527 or clear silicone adhesive
Tools
Dropcloth
Sponge
Paper towels
Putty knife
Nitrile gloves
Foam paintbrush
Steps
1. Spray paint the pot with the primer and let dry.
2. Glue the tiles, flat marbles, and shell-shaped glass scatters to the outside surface of the pot. Leave spaces between the tiles of about 1/8″ to ½”, these spaces are called “grout lines.” (Your grout package will specify what size grout lines to leave.)
3. Wear your gloves. Use the putty knife to apply the grout to the mosaic. Use a sponge or your gloved fingers to move the grout around making sure to push it into every space between the tiles. Smooth the grout around the top and bottom edges of the pot. Wipe any excess grout off of the tiles. Let the grout dry for 30 minutes.
4. A haze will form on the tiles as the grout dries. Buff this haze off the tiles with a damp sponge.
5. Let the grout dry for 24 hours. Then paint a thin layer of sealant all over the mosaic using the sponge paintbrush. Let the sealant dry for 48 hours before exposing the pot to weather. (Sealant makes the mosaic water resistant, not waterproof.)
We have a video on Curious showing how to mosaic a terra cotta pot. You can see it and subscribe with a discount if you click here. It’s really fun!
Cheers,
Jennifer & Kitty
I watched your You Tube video on mosiac rocks. I love the idea and have done a few with stained glass. Where do you find the different tile?. All I can find here are various sizes of glass globs.
Hobby Lobby has small bags of tiles. I’ve also seen them carry bags of mirrored tiles and shells as shown on the picture.
Great tip Jane! Thanks for sharing!
J&K
Nice —does it last when you have it in the heat and water your plant
Ours still looks great, but it’s not in direct rain.
J&K
I have tried the same exact mosaic grout sealer that is in the picture and it doesn’t work well for me. First of all, it dried with a white haze on my glass and tiles. Secondly, it considerably lightened my grout. Am I doing something wrong? My grout had set for a couple of days so I am sure it was dry. I would appreciate any advice you can give me because I have already made 6 more rocks and now I’m afraid to seal them.
So sorry you had trouble with the sealer. You could try applying the sealer then wiping it off the tiles with a soft cloth before it dries. Not sure why it lightened the grout. Was the grout thoroughly dry? Grout usually lightens as it dries. Let us know if that helps!
J&K
If I keep the planter indoors or under a covered patio do I have to seal the grout?
Great question Linda! You don’t have to seal the grout if the mosaic pot is protected from weather.
J&K
I just completed a mosaic pot and the grout has cracked all over. How can I prevent this from happening again. I feel like my pot is destroyed.
Will this work on a plastic pot terracotta is so expensive in England
Or is there other institutions I can possibly see for plastic pot s got all my things just ready to have a go at this they are beautiful thanks so much.
Hi Mandy, Great question! We had no idea terra cotta is expensive there. We haven’t tried mosaic on plastic. Maybe you could do an experimental test. If the glue and grout will stick to the plastic, then it should work fine. One trick could be to rough up the surface of the plastic pot with sandpaper before gluing to give the adhesive a little texture to grip onto. Please let us know if you try it and how it turns out!
Good luck!
Jennifer & Kitty
Can this idea also be used on plastic flower pots?
We think it should work on plastic pots, but maybe you could do a test to be sure. Let us know how it goes!
Jennifer & Kitty
Does the white primer serve to make the glass pieces sparkle more?
Great question Kathy! Yes, the white background behind the glass pieces helps them shine more. Plus the primer creates a better surface for the adhesive to adhere to. And it creates a moisture barrier between the grout and the watered plant inside.
Hope that helps!
Jennifer & Kitty