We can’t let go of summer! So here’s just one more garden craft before fall crafting begins! We made these mosaic garden rocks using a hodge podge of tiles leftover from other projects. And we think they turned out dynamite! They were super easy to make. We’ll show you how. We have a video showing how to mix and tint the grout. It’s easier than you might think!
We have a complete video showing how to make these Mosaic Garden Rocks. Follow along as we make these cute garden rocks, then use the steps below to make your own.
VIDEO TUTORIAL: How To Make Mosaic Garden Rocks
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How To Make Mosaic Garden Rocks
Materials (For One Of The Mosaic Garden Rocks)
1 rock, 4 to 5 inches
Mix of colorful tiles
Clear silicone adhesive
White sanded grout
Black acrylic craft paint
Mosaic grout sealer
Supplies
Disposable mixing container (like a sour cream container)
Putty knife or wooden stirring stick
Sponge
Gloves
Measuring spoon
Plastic cup for water
Paper towels
Steps
1. Start by picking out your tiles. This part is fun! We set all our tiles out so we could see them all. We combined round tiles, square tiles, and mirror tiles. They ranged in size from 1/4 inch to 1 inch. Since we had tiles of every color of the rainbow, we decided to make rainbow rocks. We did a color merge of red, orange, and yellow on one rock. Greens and aquas and turquoises on one rock. And a mix of blues and purples on the last one. Look over your tiles and make your own design. You could make one rock all one color or one rock with every color. It’s up to you!
2. Next glue the tiles onto the rock. We like to use clear silicone adhesive. (You might think hot glue would be fast and easy for this project, but the rocks are cold so they make the glue harden too fast and it gets brittle. The tiles tend to pop off.)
To glue the tiles down, place a dab on the back of each tile and press it onto the surface of the rock. Most tiles have a top and bottom, with the bottom being rougher to grab onto the surface.
Place the tiles pretty close together. Our grout label says it spans a width of 1/8th inch to 1/2 inch. We made sure to arrange our tiles with spaces between 1/8th inch to 1/2 inch.
Cover the whole rock with tiles except for the bottom. Let the glue dry completely.
3. Now we are ready to mix the grout. Put your gloves on. Read the instructions on your grout. You are looking for the ratio of water to grout you will need. Our grout needs 7 parts grout to 1 part water. For a project as small as these rocks you’ll only need a small amount of grout. We mixed 1 tablespoon of water with 7 tablespoons of grout. We think it is better to mix in small batches anyway since you only have 15 minutes to grout the project once it’s mixed up.
Here’s a video we made showing how to mix and tint the grout:
Add 1 tablespoon of water to your disposable container, then add 7 tablespoons of grout. Mix this together thoroughly. You want the grout to be the texture of natural peanut butter. Add more water if necessary until the grout is the right consistency.
4. If you want to tint the grout, add a small amount of acrylic craft paint to the grout. Mix together thoroughly. Remember you only have about 15 minutes to work with the mixed grout, and that includes applying it, so don’t take too long with this part. Check to see if you like the color, if not add more paint and mix together again. The grout will look darker when wet and will look a little lighter when dry.
5. To grout your mosaic, put a dollop of grout right on the tiles. Using your gloved fingers, press the grout into all the spaces between the tiles.
Make sure you get grout in and around every side of every tile. Wipe the excess grout off with a damp sponge. A small amount of grout will remian on the surface of the tiles. No worries. We’ll take care of that in a few.
Let the grout dry for 30 minutes. Then buff the haze that has formed off the tiles with a damp paper towel.
Let the grout dry completely over night. (If a haze forms again, buff the tiles again.)
6. To seal your mosaic garden rocks, shake the grout sealer. Paint the sealer all over the mosaic rocks in a very thin coat. We like to use a sponge paintbrush. The sealer will dry clear.
When your rock is all dry, Take it to see it’s new home in the garden. Your gnome will thank you!
Aren’t these fun? There’s no wrong way to make them! If you have any questions about grout or tint or making mosaics, leave us a comment. We will reply! We’re happy to help.
Cheers,
Jennifer & Kitty
We love getting pinned!
I love your rocks. Have been meaning to make some. Maybe for Christmas!
My question is…if you use sanded grout on a project and it turns out crumbly, is there any way to repair it? My granddaughter and I worked on a flat surface …inside an old desk drawet. We had attached it to table legs to make a plant stand, but the grout dried so crumbly we couldnt seal it. Its been several months now… it got put aside and forgotte awhile but I thought about it again the other day and wondered if there is hope?
Should we try to scrape it out and regrout? Not sure if thats feasible.
Hmm…maybe try scraping a little out then regrouting on top of the old grout. Do you think it would hold a second layer of grout? If not you could scrape most away and regrout. Sorry you had that problem!
J&K
Can we use heat gun to dry adhesive? We teach teens crafts and have 1 1/2 hrs per project.
Martha
I am a retired teacher who does craft and art projects with a friend who teaches 7th grade . We tried using a glue gun with tiles, frames, and other craft projects and found that in the long run, the glue gun really doesn’t work that well. Weldbond , a steel tough glue works best on most projects. When we tried the glue gun, the objects fell off! You can get Weldbond at most hardware stores, Michaels, and Walmart. Not expensive and will keep if you don’t store it outside.
Thanks for the tip Judy. Sometimes hotglue is just too brittle! We also like clear 100% silicone adhesive.
J&K
Hello, I would like to make these with my daughter and I am wondering if you could tell me where you purchased all the different tiles from that you used?
Hi Jenny,
We got them from Mosaic Trader. https://www.mosaictraderusa.com/ She has all kinds of colors and shapes.
Jennifer & Kitty
My daughter is very visually impaired and I am looking for a project that is tactile such as these beautiful garden rocks. Is this the same way I would make a garden stepping stone? Your DIY crafts are awesome!
Hi Shelly, It’s fun to think of this as a tactile project. It really is! You could use this technique to decorate a stepping stone for the garden. Or we also have a garden stepping stone project with poured concrete. https://runningwithsisters.com/steampunk-stepping-stone/ It is tactile too, but you should wear gloves when touching the concrete.
Hope that helps!
J&K
Yes! This would be a fun way to make a stepping stone. Or you could try this tutorial we have for a stepping stone, but use tiles and marbles instead of the keys and things we used.
https://runningwithsisters.com/steampunk-stepping-stone/
Have fun!
J&K
What type of grout sealer do you use for outside?
We used white sanded grout and finished it with grout sealer.
Hope that helps!
J&K
Ware do U get the tiles and the glue and sealer at. I love to make on. I paint rocks.
Hi Cassy,
We got our tiles and glue from Mosaic Trader. They have great stuff! https://www.mosaictraderusa.com/
Cheers,
J&K
Can you place the tiles close together..like touching?
Great question MaryAnn! If you plan to grout your mosaic, you will need to leave at 1/8th of an inch gap between the tiles. Hope that helps!
J&K
does it have to be tile? can it be broken pieces of China? what other things can be used with or in place of tile?
Hi Lori,
Yes, you can do this with broken china or other things. Great idea! Here are some how-tos we have for other kinds of mosaic.
How To Mosaic With Broken China RunningWithSisters.com/how-to-mosaic-with-broken-china/
How To Cut China For Mosaics RunningWithSisters.com/how-to-cut-china-for-mosaics/
Bejeweled Mosaic Garden Heart RunningWithSisters.com/bejeweled-mosaic-garden-heart/
These are all super fun mosaics that could be done on rocks!
Jennifer & Kitty
I have found the sealant dulls my nice sparkly mosaic tiles and end up going over each one with a cotton bud soaked in nail polish remover to get them shiny again. Any other sealant tips?
Hi Anne, We agree the sealant can leave a dull haze on very shiny tiles. We have tried using a paint brush to target the grout with the sealant and doing to come clean up while it is still wet to clean any tiles. Have you found any other solutions?
Jennifer & Kitty
These are very nice!
I’m wondering about you putting the sealer all over the grout and rocks… Will the sealer on the rocks if they are outside start peeling off and flacking off ??
Hi Deb, We haven’t had any trouble with the sealer flaking off. But you could use a finer paintbrush and only paint the sealer on the grout.
Hope that helps!
Jennifer & Kitty
Your instructions are awesome! As are your photos. Will wellbond work well for the outdoor rocks? Is it totall waterproof? And what brand silicone do you use? I’d like to try both. Also which sealer do you recommend?
Hi Paula,
Wellbond will work, but we like a thicker, more viscous adhesive so we use 100% silicone adhesive. It holds the mosaic pieces in place while the glue sets. Runny glue will allow the mosaic pieces to slide off the rock. We like GE. Here’s what it looks like: https://amzn.to/3PvpIJj
For sealer, we use Mosaic Mercantile Grout Sealer which looks like this: https://amzn.to/3C7ZY30
Hope that helps!
Jennifer & Kitty
What type of sealer are you using? Do you prep the rock in any way? This would be for an outside rock.
All you need to do to prep the rock is make sure it’s clean. No dust or dirt. We like Mosaic Mercantile Sealer: https://amzn.to/3C7ZY30
Cheers,
J&K