Has Anyone Tried Doing Mosaics On Pal Tiya Premium?
Yes we have had artists push mosaics, shells and glass into the product. Due to the microscopic shrinkage, these hold very well and look amazing! The shrinkage once cured is less than one-thousandth or 0.087%. Essentially microscopic.
We have a whole page here which tells you all you need to know, or read on.
Surface Prep
When making your sculpture from Pal Tiya Premium with mosaic in mind make sure your surface is well prepped. Any large lumps or bumps in the wrong place may affect the level when you come to place your tiles on it. Any deep furrows will make the tiles dip creating an uneven surface. Of course, this may be intentional depending on your design, but please keep in mind if you want a smooth level surface finish.
Once your foil armature is complete go over it with the back of a spoon and smooth the whole thing. Then make sure your Pal Tiya Premium is pressed really well into the foil.
For sculptures under 1 foot tall you do not require a scratch coat but if your sculpture is larger than this we advise to put a scratch coat layer on and then do a detailed layer the following day/s.
You can draw your intended mosaic design directly onto your cured and dry sculpture with a pencil. It can help to have your design sketched out so you have a template to follow as you work.
GLUES
The adhesive that you can use for applying glass, tile or mirror onto a completed piece is silicone. The base is weatherproof so make sure whatever adhesive you use is too.
Thinset by Laticrete for example is also a good choice.
Always use an exterior grade adhesive if your sculpture is designed for the outdoors. Mosaic artists often use Weldbond (PVA) for interior artwork but it is water soluble and your tiles would pop off eventually if outdoors exposed to the elements.
Same applies to grout.
GROUT
When you have finished your mosaic allow to cure overnight. Mapei grout is a good choice. Mix to the consistency of peanut butter and work it into all the crevices.
Wipe over with a damp sponge/rag then leave to cure. You can polish the grout haze off later with a soft cloth.
RE-USABLE CORES
Please check out this video on how to re-use a tinfoil core again and again if you wish to recreate the same piece multiple times!
Application whilst Clay like
Alternatively you can push crystals, glass, mosaic, shells etc into Pal Tiya Premium whilst it is still soft (on application) and scrape any excess off the tiles before curing.
HAVE FUN!