soil_soldier Thu, Jan 13, 05 at 15:26
I have always liked clay flower pots and I buy them at junk stores, yard sales, estate sales and yes I have even gotten a few from curbside trash. Needless to say, I have all sizes and would love to start doing mosaics. How clean do I need to get them before I begin my work? Is it necessary to scrub them with a brush and hot soapy water or is rinsing all they need?
I would like to have several completed so that when we finish constructing our greenhouse this spring, it will be alive with color!
thanks
the dirt digger (soon to be 'the colorful dirt digger')

barbara52 Thu, Jan 13, 05 at 16:43

Hello Soil Soldier,
To prepare your clay pots for mosaicking, try to get them as clean as possible, free from any dirt or moss, etc. A stiff brush is a good tool for this. It is very important also to make sure that they are completely DRY before you start adhering your mosaic pieces. If you are in a hurry, you can dry them in a very slow oven. Or, just let them sit and dry naturally over the course of a few days.
Pots are good projects for your first mosaics... they're relatively small and quick to do.
One caveat: IMO, it's best to put plastic inserts into your mosaicked pots, rather than to plant directly into them. This will avoid moisture from the soil penetrating into your clay and potentially compromising your grout.
Good luck and be sure to share pics of your work(s) in progress!

craftybb Thu, Jan 13, 05 at 17:25

I seal the inside of my pots with diluted Weldbond(4 parts water, 1 part weldbond). I believe their website says 5:1 for sealing but I figure 4x might work even better. Good Luck, b.b.

KimmyStar Thu, Jan 13, 05 at 20:30

I seal the pots with concrete/masonry/terra cotta sealer, twice. Then apply the glass, shards, tile with silicone.
I think that Annsb says that if you cut up plates/china, that the shards need to be sealed before you apply them to pot.
After grouting, I seal with TileLab Sealer.