How to Create a Pique Assiette Mosaic

Spice42

Editor

posted on 17 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

14
views

Pique assiette mosaic is a form of mosaic that got its name (which, literally translated, means "thief of plates" in French) as a result of the beautiful mosaic art done by artist Raymond Isidore on his home in Chartres, France. He covered his entire home, inside and out (including furnishings) with bits of pottery that he found in the fields around his neighborhood. His neighbors, incensed at what he was doing, called him Pique assiette as a derogatory term and it stuck. It is also spelled "picassiette".
Raymond Isidore's Maison Picassiette

Steps

Assemble your materials in a comfortable, well-lit work area

Break your pottery with hammer and/or nippers. Nippers will provide a much safer and cleaner cut for your tile. If using a hammer, always wear safety glasses and use a towel or other cloth to cover the plate or tile while breaking it.

Use a new terra cotta pot. Never use an older, dirty one even if you have cleaned it, since there will continue to be both dirt residue and moisture in the terra cotta which will affect the curing of the adhesive.

Use a good non-oil based primer to seal the terra cotta both inside and out. This will keep moisture from being drawn out of the adhesive during the curing process.

Mix a small portion of polymer modified thinset mortar (not the speed setting kind as this will set too quickly). Mortar is the most reliable adhesive to use for outdoor areas or areas that are in contact with moisture. Mastic is not a good adhesive for this purpose as it does not adhere well over the long term. Never use any "pre-mixed" thin set product. It has a curing retardant in it in order to keep it from curing on the shelf and this means your mosaic will not cure properly in a decent amount of time.

Using a plastic knife or palette knife, spread the mortar over a small area of your pot. Only work in areas you can finish at one time. Alternately you can place a small amount of mortar on the back of each piece as you set it. Make sure you are using enough mortar to hold the piece down but not so much that it squishes up into the spaces between the tiles where the grout will go.

Place your crockery shards in a pleasing pattern. You may draw the pattern onto the pot ahead of time with a pencil and follow the lines.

Apply grout to cracks between crockery shards after the mortar has cured completely. This usually is after 72 hours.

Use a dry rag (lint free) or very slightly damp tile sponge (not a kitchen sponge) to gently clean off the grout from the tiles without pulling it out of the cracks.