Vintage Button Mosaic Tray With Resin

Gorgeous glass tiles set off a collection of vintage buttons in this shabby-chic mosaic tray. And clear, high-gloss resin gives the look a magical finish. To see a video we made showing how to mosaic this tray step-by-step, visit Curious.com

Materials

Unfinished wood tray, 9”x12”
Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Spray Paint Primer, white
FolkArt Metallics Acrylic Craft Paint, Solid Bronze #663
75 glass tiles, ¾”, green
75 glass tiles, ¾”, blue
12 flea market shank buttons

Tools & Supplies

EnviroTex Lite Pour-On High Gloss Finish, 4-ounce kit
Beacon Adhesives Quick Grip
Household silicone adhesive, clear
2 straight-sided plastic cups, 16 oz.
3 chopsticks
foam paintbrush
hammer & nail
wire cutters
protective gloves
safety glasses
level

Steps

1. To prepare the tray, spray paint it with white primer and let dry. Seal the inside edges with a thin bead of silicone adhesive, pressing the adhesive into the edge with a gloved finger and let dry. Paint the tray with the bronze craft paint and let dry.

2. With safety glasses on, cut the backs off the shank buttons with the wire snips. Lay the buttons in the tray so they form a curved line. Arrange green tiles above the button line and blue tiles below.

3. Don your gloves and safety glasses. Break approximately 5 blue tiles and a 5 green tiles using a hammer and nail. Use the broken tile pieces to fill in the gaps next to the button line in the tray.

4. Glue the tiles and buttons in place with the Quick Grip. Be sure to put the glue on the rough side of each tile, so the flat side is facing up. Let dry overnight.

5. Before you mix the High-Gloss Finish, put your gloves and protective glasses back on. In a well-ventilated area, pour the entire contents of the resin and hardener into a plastic cup. Stir immediately with a chopstick for one minute, whipping the mixture as you would whip cake batter. Be sure to scrape the sides and stir vigorously. Thorough mixing is key! After one minute, pour the mixture into the second plastic cup and stir for one more minute with a clean chopstick.

6. Immediately pour the resin mixture directly over the tiles and buttons in the tray. Make sure the resin covers every tile and button. Tilt the tray to help the resin reach each side and corner of the tray.

7. Place the tray on a level surface in a dust-free space. Five minutes after you pour the resin, bubbles may appear on the surface. To release the bubbles, exhale over the surface of the resin being careful not to inhale. Place a box over the tray to keep dust particles out. Let cure for 48 hours.