I'm no 'great one' but my advice: before you start on your counter top try a smaller mosaic project to perfect your method. Stepping stones are a great learning project or maybe a mosaiced wall hanging to match your bathroom counter created on a square of 1/2 inch thick plywood.

Hi Mrs. Micki, welcome! IÂm with PeaÂ..I'm certainly not one of the "Great Ones" here,..BUT... if this is your FIRST EVER mosaic, I would also advise you to do something else, SMALLER, before you do your bathroom countertop. I just learned so much from each project that I did....and it would get you used to each step of the process  the nipping, the positioning, the grouting, etcÂ. Working with plates and the different thicknesses - it's a process that takes some time to get used to.

Although IÂve been amazed at some of the "first projects" some of the people here have done  absolutely amazing!

WELCOME, Ms. Micki! I've not done a countertop so not a big help on this project. As for resources, I recently bought a book at Barnes and Noble by Elizabeth Duvall about mosaicing with china. I am not home so don't have the title. I have worked mostly with glass so found her advise very helpful to select and work with china.

I hope you find mosaicing as exciting as most of us do.

Again, not a GO but did two bathroom countertops. One I ripped off the formica and did it on the under base. I think you're better off leaving the formica. One I did on cement backerboard. Both times I used tile which was all the same thickness. I think you can do it but I would strongly suggest you break all your china, lay it out and check for differences in thickness, those slight curves plates and saucers have and footers because I think you'll want the countertop to be level. I think that will be your biggest problem. Even with the tiles, I kept putting a level across different areas and the whole width. Course, this storeowner I know had a fire and used the china in her store that was broken to do her countertop where you make your purchases. It is not even at all and it is charming.
On an area that big, I spread mortar but I guess you could glue each piece down with GEII. I don't know if the mortar I used will work for formica, you might search this forum or the bath/kitchen forum for "formica" to see if anyone has any experience. Have you figured out what you will use for an edging? There are pretty cove tiles that might work if they are the right thickness. I cut and stained molding for mine. I try to not run my tiles right up to the edge so my molding will lay in tighter and evenly and I can grout any gaps. ladyronnie (I think) did an amazing bathroom countertop that you can look at here. I don't know of any book but this forum is invaluable for help.

oh, yeah....I meant to mention a book, too....I have several - I think maybe the most helpful one was The Encyclopedia of Mosaic Techniques by Emma Biggs. There's one by Sonja King that I really like, too.

What I did when I was first starting out was this - and I do this for just about all my interests - I go to the library and check out every book they have on the subject - then decide which ones I want to buy. Cause it really is nice to have a book or two to refer back to.

Mrs. Micki, your first move was the right one, to ask here! If I had done that when I tackled a huge first project, I would have known NOT to use plaster outside, even though I mixed it half with concrete for strength! It did dissolve, just like everyone here says it does! SOOO, you will get great answers here, and there are some that are NOW doing bathroom counters I believe! Good luck, post pictures of your progress! Jennie

Hi, welcome.... you might want to go back through the previous pages to see old posts cause there have been a few "GO" that have done bathroom counters.

chickeemama

Thanks so much for all the great advice.I did go through the past post and even looked on the suggested forum list-I think it's the FAQ thing.Okay guess I forgot to mention my mind is going due to the woman change to more mature woman thing/ Ha-Ha
The one post I found was of someone doing a sink and counter, but she was starting with bare wood.I don't want to strip off the formica,just want to go over it.
Do I need to rough up the counter so that I get a better gripping from the adhesive?
This is what I would like to do-
1) smash plates and saucers and use most of the pieces that about the same depth with different widths and lenghts.
2) arrange pieces to my liking,not sure if I want a pattern,that was not really what I was going for.
3)adhere pieces to the counter top
4) grout the work
5) put a painted or stained edge around countertop.
Now this is a step that I'm not sure is even needed,someone told me to pour a top coat of polyurathane(sorry for the spelling error) and to also make sure that I put a beading of waterproof caulking around the basin.
My search begins soon for the plates ,I will be looking at garage sales and outlet stores.
Once again thanks for all the help.
Would it be okay to post pictures as I find things and start mapping out my layout?Have a great night.Micki

I say GO FOR MICKI! (dang I got that song in my head now arrrr I WILL NOT TYPE IT....) LOL

I think your biggest issue/challenge will be the thicknesses. You may want to have craft sticks or something similar to use if you need to build up. Formica should be fine with a good scuffing with course sand paper. I would definately use GEII silicone as the adhesive.

If you do choose to coat it afterward, you want an epoxy system which Ronnie can tell ya how to do that.

Not a great one either... lol we're all newbies here!

Still a student myself, and getting ready to do one of my bathroom counters also. Have considered mixing the media like in all my work, so don't know yet what plan of action I'll take, but I wouldn't use polyurethane on top. I'm not gonna use the epoxy either. I'm going to use cement-based mortar for the adhesive. A mosaic to me is everything one can find to put into one - found objects, jewelry, rocks, plates, glass - whatever, and that's probably what I'll end up doing. Many years ago I saw a kitchen backsplash done in river rocks and always wanted to do mosaics because of that one house, and after all these years am finally mosaicing my heart out, and I like the mix of everything in a piece. Only difference in my plan and yours is - I'm going to set the sink on top of mine, and I've taken the old tiles off and put down hardibacker. You can mosaic over the scruffed up formica quite well - my husband tiled over it years ago. On my present kitchen tiled counter, I put a stained wood edge around the counter after bathing it in linseed oil/turp for several days. It is still impervious to water after about three years. Have fun - you're in for a very nice ride w/us. It's free mosaic classes here. WELCOME.

Hi Micki, and welcome! You have absolutely positively come to the right place for answers! I don't think anyone here would call THEMSELVES Great One, though the rest of us know who they are!!! :) I'm currently working on my fourth mosaic project EVER, so I don't qualify for sure!

That said, I did do a bathroom vanity, which it looks like you have seen. I would DEFINITELY take the advice to do something smaller first. I'm happy with mine, but I learned a lot in the process and would do some things differently next time.

I used stained glass and mirror for mine, which is of "more" even thickness than china would be, but even at that I wanted a VERY smooth countertop. I hadn't tumbled the glass, so even grouted I had some sharp edges that I didn't want to risk leaving. As nicethyme said, I epoxied mine, which worked out really well. (I would also DEFINITELY do a smaller epoxy project first! The counter was my FIRST, and it ain't perfect, but close enough. THAT was definitely a learning process!)

I'm happy to share anything else you might want to know.
And it is absolutely required that you post pics as you go along! :)

Veronica

Is your sink already in? If so, it already has the caulking around the basin. One I did already had the basin in and I just tiled and grouted right up to it - no problem after 3 years. I think I'd use grout, as somebody here told me about, that is meant for outside. On the one that I tiled and then the plumber put the sink in, it leaked under the sink. When he came back to fix it, he caulked all around the sink and got it on my tiles. The caulk should not show. I was p-----! Poly would probably make things worse instead of better. Definitely post pics!