New technique I can't live without

16 years ago

I'm sure some of you veterans have been doing this for years, but I just gave this new technique a shot and it worked so beautifully, I'm hooked for life.

I use thinset for adhesive since all of my mosaics so far are for outdoors. The other night, I put some thinset in a plastic sandwich baggie, cut off a corner and applied it to my project ala pastry bag. OMG, this is the best ever! I had a way easier time getting the right amount into small areas. And best of all, it keeps for days and days. I'm only able to mosaic a few nights a week for a couple hours at a time, and it's wonderful being able to pick up my ready-filled bag, pull off the little bit of thinset that dried over the tip and have at it. When I'm done, there's no clean-up. I just set the bag down, close up for the night and it's there waiting to go next time.

I love this! I know from seeing an old post that some have already been using this technique for years, but I wanted to bring it back up in case there are newbies out there who haven't tried it. This works beautifully for small projects where you want to work on a little section at a time.

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Comments (6)

silvamae
16 years ago
I've been mosaicing for over 10 years and just this past month started using this method. When I think of all the frustration I could have saved myself! I love this method and will never go back to mixing in containers!
jenel
16 years ago
Wow, that's amazing! I'll try to remember that for my next project. The fact that the thinset stays usable for several days will be a lifesaver! Like you, I can't work on the mosaic every day (or even close to it.) Thank you!
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loribee2
Original Author
16 years ago
It does. I was really surprised because I didn't bother sealing the bag tight or anything. I just threw it down, figuring I'd toss it and make a new one the next time. But when I came back, the little nob of dried thinset just popped right off the tip and the rest was good as new. I also love that if I want to set down just one tile, I can pipe a dab ob thinset on my base instead of buttering the tile. It's way easier than trying to hold a tiny piece of tile while sticking adhesive on it.
loribee2
Original Author
16 years ago
It does. I was really surprised because I didn't bother sealing the bag tight or anything. I just threw it down, figuring I'd toss it and make a new one the next time. But when I came back, the little nob of dried thinset just popped right off the tip and the rest was good as new. I also love that if I want to set down just one tile, I can pipe a dab ob thinset on my base instead of buttering the tile. It's way easier than trying to hold a tiny piece of tile while sticking adhesive on it.
nanatricia
16 years ago
I have been doing this a long time .It is great also you can put it in the icebox over night and it will keep .
aka_strawberrygoat
16 years ago
cool, since I don't bake cakes to decorate~
much lower on the sugars....lol