seamer1: For all inside mosaics, I use either weld bond (a white glue) or GEII silicone. If you're working strictly on a flat surface, weld bond is fine. BUT it's a bugger to use if you're working on vertical pieces, because those pieces will SLIDE! For outside mosaics, I use mortar (thinset) because it can withstand the elements.

SEAMER: ROSIE's advice is perfect, but I even use thinset on inside stuff sometimes cuz it fills up lots of spaces the glue can't get to on those dishes - like when there's a curve underneath. It has almost instant adhesion too. Thinset is a powdered cementous adhesive. If you can get Mapei Ultra Flex 2 from Lowes, it is modified w/a polymer for added adhesion and flexibility - it's in the flooring section. If you get thinset from a tile store, it may not have the admixture, so when you mix the powder, use half water and half admixture - a laytex additive.

does the thinset called Versabond, have the additives in it already,or do you still need to add the fortifier, half water and half additive?

slow, do you do only small sections at a time, and 'butter' each piece, or lather it on the area you're working on?
Becky

oh, I just found out what I needed to know..
versabond is a fortified thinset, so it's already prepared for an adhesive..
but I still don't know whether to cover the entire piece first, and then adhere individual broken dish pieces or what..
my intention is to cover the entire piece, so there's no bare spots, once it's all covered..
and looking inside the piece, no spots will look left uncovered..
guess I answered my own questions..lol

Interesting to see this re-surface. I use an artist's pallet knife to spread a small area - say, three/four inches - w/the thinset then set the pieces on it, being careful not to let the thinset squish up higher than the piece itself. Thinset is my favorite adhesive. So much easier to clean up than GEII, which I'm trying to get away from. I said so many bad words yesterday trying to use Weldbond on the mannequin.