I make mine more like a thick batter ,I use sanded grout,it get's thicker as I go..I wipe off with small terry cloth towels that I've cut up from old towels,not thick ones I wipe as I go so it really doesn't dry on the plates,then I may take a slightly damp sponge go over it and polish with more of the towels.Do you have some thing you can practice on befor going to your backsplash..the only thing I hate is clean up for black grout so don't use it much.If you can do what you did on your backsplash you sure won't have any problem!

I have my exchange project...it's several very small sections.
Plus there's the paranoia setting in of the "grout color will make or break a project."

This is killing me.

I mix my gout thick enough so when I tip the bucket upside down nothing moves. If it starts to slide it's not thick enough. It's still very spreadable and mushy. But if there's too much water in it you'll have a better chance that the grout will crack as it dries.
Also, while the grout is curing I lightly mist with
water a few times a day to keep the grout from drying too quickly.
Also use as little water during cleanup as possible.
It sounds more convoluted than it really is.
If you had no problem with mixing the thinset, you should have no problem with the grout. Dig in!

It is not "involved." However, it IS intimidating until you jump in and do it. Here are my observations and tips . . .

I myself use sanded grout, and I mix it with Acrylic Mortar Admix instead of water because I think it makes it stronger, BUT you can just use water. Mix the grout with the liquid so that it makes a thick paste sort of like cooked oatmeal. If you get it too thin, add more grout. If you get it too thick, add more liquid. Simple! Mix until it is all mixed up smoothly. Take a little bit and apply it to your item. Smoosh it in with your hand. Press, drag, push it around. Your goal is to make the grout flow under all the tesserae and fill all the gaps. I wear gloves for this! I buy them at the grocery store, the home health latex gloves. Okay, so smush, smoosh, etc. all over (if it's a small piece). Then I drag my gloved fingers and/or a popsicle stick across everything and take off most of the excess grout.

Then I take a rectangular sponge, dipped in a bucket of water and squeezed until you can't get any more water out of it. Lightly drag the sponge across the piece. Now imagine you are grouting a tiled floor. The square tiles are lined up across the floor in rows. You would drag the damp sponge across the tiles at an angle. This helps to not dish out too much grout. Of course if you have various sizes and shapes of tesserae as most of us do, you won't exactly be able to drag the sponge at an angle. Just be aware of your goal, which is to clean off the tesserae without digging out too much grout. But say you do cause a dip in the grout. Just add more grout and smooth it. You can also gently pat the grout with the sponge. You can wet a small cosmetic brush and gently brush the grout to fine-tune it.

Let it stand and dry for about twenty minutes and then go back to it again. This time I use an old wash cloth, wet but wrung out well. I use one finger under the wash cloth to polish each piece individually.

As to color, I myself prefer "Sandstone." My next two preferences are "Antique White" and "Pewter." I don't use black because it's so hard to clean up (but I like the look of it).

On a large piece, you can grout in sections. This makes it so much easier and less intimidating. Say for instance I am grouting a birdhouse. I might grout only the bottom or only the roof today, then do the rest some other day.

Really, after you jump in and do it, you may just dread grouting in the future because it is so messy, not difficult to do.

Do Not let grout go down your sink drain. If possible, grout outside. I usually grout indoors and I spread lots of newspaper. I tape the corners down so it doesn't slide around and distract me. I have several containers of water around so that I can dip and rinse my sponges in clean water. For cleanup, I carry the containers outside and toss the water on the ground, fold the newspapers up and put in the garbage. If you live in an apartment or where you can't toss the grout water outside, then let the container sit for awhile until the grout settles to the bottom, then carefully pour the water down the drain and wipe the bottom of the container with paper towels.

I have never been able to save grout once it's mixed with liquid. So mix up a little more than you need and throw the rest away.

Last thing. Don't leave the final cleanup until the next day. Once grout hardens, it takes a lot of elbow grease to clean off. So allow enough time for grouting, and if possible, grout when you won't be interrupted.

Good luck!

Great instructions.... I'm gonna use what you said when I get ready to do it...
Thanks Silvamae!
* * * *Happy * * * Holidays !!!!
M E R R Y + C H R I S T M A S !!!!
God Bless !
susiesunshine

...And don't panic when your beautiful design is covered in grout LOL. I still have to remind myself it WILL all come off!!

Maria

Thank you so much! I'm still dreading it, but hearing it said over & over (same thing, only different variations) seems to make it sink in more.
Now all I have to do is wait for the dream to come (stupid personal thing: I've "learned" several things over the years from dreaming I'm actually doing it- one I specifically recall is driving a stick-shift...ok, totally OT, but once I actually can envision myself doing it, that must be key for me. HA! I'm a goober, I know.)

That's not stupid. I've worked through lots of my landscape designs through my dreams...and now mosaics.
In fact just this weekend I told my DH how I was going to do
the kitchen backsplash. And we weren't even planning it
for anytime soon.

I have no advice but got lots of compassion to send your way....
that's more than I can even think of taking on, right now.
heck, on my refrig, I have a picture of a kitchen, which has the same exact layout...
and all it has done different, is that if I took off all of the cabinets and put up the chrome open shelving from Costco, that would be the picture I have saved.
no mosaic, no other cabinets, nothing fancy...just streamlined.
oh, and a beautiful wood counter top and stainless steel sink...
forgot about those...

that's my dream kitchen.

Becky

MM, Sivamae, did an excellent job with instructions for grouting. I do save some leftover grout in an old butter tub or yogurt container just in case I have to make repairs the next day. It's not real soft but I can usually soften it up with some water to get enough to fix up spots.
The only thought I would add to Silvmae, is that since you have a large project, don't try to mix grout to make your color, use a pre color package and stick with it. It can be risky to mix color for grout and try to match it another day.
If you have a clay pot outside, stick some of your leftover dish pieces on it and use that for your practice piece to grout. You will certainly learn from it. Your grouting will be a little more challenge since you have a variety of textures.

MM I do understand your fears. I felt the same way the first time I grouted. I read and read and freaked myself out over and over.

I use the dryer grout, cookie dough thickness, method and a rag cut from towels to wipe the excess grout off. I tried the sponge and water and I seem to wipe too much away that way. Every one has their own way and no way is wrong. I think it is what works for you.

One thing I found is if you have any gold on your plates scrubbing too hard with the sanded grout either pushing it into the grout lines or wiping it off will take the gold off. I do not remember seeing any in your backsplash. Just tossing this in for future.

And now I love grouting!!

Chris

Only thing I can add to the good instructions, if you're worried about color, put down a few different colors of grout (on d3bbi's clay pot idea?), light in beige and gray, little darker, etc. Now that you are officially addicted, not only do you "need" lots of glass, china, stuff, you have to have lots of grout colors! I wouldn't think dark for your piece or your pebbles and buttons would get lost, right? Then, stick a sample of your pieces on. Be sure to let it dry before you decide since it dries a little lighter. One thing I found out in mixing my own colors, just a little more water in one batch does make it come out slightly lighter.

silvamae wrote an excellent set of directions about grouting:
Your goal is to make the grout flow under all the tesserae and fill all the gaps.

I have to disagree slightly here. The goal should not be to get grout under the tesserae. That would weaken the adhesive bond and in glass on glass work is called grout bleed.

Grout's function is to fill gaps between tesserae and keep out the elements (water, snow, etc.). Grout has no adhesive qualities so it is not a glue or bonding agent (although getting unsanded grout off some things makes one re-think this statement ).

Just wanted to clear that up for anyone new to grouting.

diy- a most excellent idea! I've got a pile of those 10-cent TC plates from KMart, and I'm on it!!! I didn't wanna junp in and "break" the project by messing up the grout choice.

Thanks, mosaicwench1, I wasn't clear. What I was trying to convey was: the goal is to not leave air pockets, I guess. Under the tesserae should be glue. But when the tesserae is curved, as in a piece of plate rim, there will be an area where the glue cannot bridge the gap. So the grout should flow in there. Of course, if the tesserae is transparent and the grout flows under the edges, it is unsightly. So the goal there is to make sure the glue is sufficient all the way around the tesserae to adhere it to the base, so the grout cannot get under it. (Hope that makes sense.)

i don't mind grouting as much as i used to. there's something almost gratifying about dirtying everything up and then cleaning it off again. PLUS - mosaics look sooo different once that grout is on and that makes the mess worth it. i use charcoal coloured grout for everything and use my hands to spread it around evenly - it dries out the skin - makes my nails look like i haven't washed in weeks - but i find it a million times easier to do it that way.