I am obsessed with all things green olive right now, so when I found this IKEA side table at Vinnies I knew it was fate and it was time to combine my love of olives with my love for mosaics with this olive mosaic side table!
Last year I made this floral mosaic side table which has been one of my favourite projects so as soon as I saw another one of the side tables, I knew it would be perfect for another mosaic project. And guys this was my first time in a long time cutting the tiles for a mosaic project like this and I’m thrilled with the outcome. It was a little bit of a learning curve but I’m excited to all of the possibilities for future projects with cutting my own tiles. This has easily become one of my favourite thrifted DIYs!
Materials
- IKEA Gladom side table (I thrifted mine at Vinnie’s!)
- Johnson Tiles in White Gloss, Amazon and Red
- Mosaic Glass cutter
- PVA Glue
- Grout powder
- Squeegee and sponge
How to Make an Olive Mosaic Side Table
1
Because I thrifted a black side table, my first step was to spray paint the table white to match the background tiles. Then I sketched out my design with my green stuffed olives first on paper to check the size of my design and then I transferred it onto the tray using permanent pen.
2
Then it was time to cut the tiles! Using my mosaic glass cutters, I cut the larger tiles into smaller square pieces in a variety of shapes and sizes. Fragments of the tiles can be sharp so make sure you wear some eye protection!
3
Then it was time to place the tile pieces onto the template I drew onto the tray. I then kept cutting different pieces of tile smaller or to certain shapes so that they fit nicely together.
4
Once the olive shapes were finished, it was time to start gluing all those tile pieces down. For the olive, I picked up each piece and put some glue underneath before placing it back down. But for the background I actually smeared a heap of PVA glue on the tray itself and then placed the tiles down straight onto the glue.
5
Once the entire background was filled in with white tiles, I let the glue completely dry.
6
Then it was time to make the grout mixture. I poured the powder in to a bowl and added small amounts of water whilst mixing until it became the consistency of toothpaste. (Make sure to follow the safety instructions when making the grout!). Once the mixture was ready, I applied the grout to my piece, using a squeegee to put the grout on the tiles and smooth it out, ensuring all of the gaps are filled up.
7
After this, I waited for the grout to dry slightly and then used the damp sponge to wipe away the excess grout from the top of the tiles. You may have to do this a few times! Finally, I allowed the grout to completely dry for 1 hour and used a slightly dampened cloth to polish the surface. You have to be careful as the the edges of the tiles can be a bit sharp
Voila
This project is in collaboration with Vinnies.
