6-3-10

BEFORE MORTAR

IT'S BLOODY MORTAR

MORTAR DYRING

SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS

CLEANING MORTAR OFF TILES

TADA!


Even though we're far away from home, sometimes we think about it. We spent the bulk of our afternoon today in the cave doing masonry work, and it reminded us of NYC subway art work. The tile mosaics created on the walls inside the Time Square, 23rd/Ely, Bleeker, and Lorimer/Metropolitan stations are fantastic, and we now have a greater sense of appreciation for artistic tile work.

In order to put tile on the wall, the following steps must be taken:
(1) screw proper backboard onto wall where you want to tile
(2) combine concrete mixture with water
(3) break tiles
(4) affix tiles to backboard using concrete mixture
(5) allow to set dry
(6) blend mortar mixture
(7) apply mortar over entire wall surface
(8) sponge excess mortar off tiles
(9) stand back and marvel

After our experience with this project, we are eager to get a place and do some serious mosaic work ourselves. It's not an easy task, but good things are worth the wait. We have learned the proper consistency for the grout (thick, but smooth, about the consistency of chunky peanut butter) as well as for the mortar (a bit thicker and smoother...it should hold its shape without running down your trowel). Without this knowledge, we'd have tiles falling off our walls; instead, we'll be able to create a piece of wall art that is aesthetically pleasing. Anyone want to come help?