La Mer Thinny-Penny U-Mix 5-Color 12mm Penny Round Assortment is a bundle of 5 cyan-teal 12mm penny tile colors (1/2-lb each) that you mix yourself to create a 2.5-lb assortment. Each 1/2-pound bag contains about 230+ pieces and covers about 1/3 of a square foot with a standard grout gap of 1/16 inch. That means the 2.5-lb assortment should contain about 1150+ pieces and cover about 1.66 square feet.
The numbers in the U-Mix assortment name indicate each color in the bundle. This assortment includes: 78-81 cyan tints and 85-87-88 teal tints.
MORJO™ Thinny-Pennies™ Penny Round Recycled Glass Tiles have a glossy finish, and solid opaque color throughout (not just on the tops or bottoms). Unlike glass gems, another common round tile, Thinny-Pennies™ have a flat and even surface rather than puffed. This makes them much easier to use with other types of glass tile and easier to grout.
La Mer Thinny-Penny U-Mix 5-Color 12mm Penny Round Assortment 2.5-lb
glass penny round tile bundle
tile size: ~1/2 inch (12mm) diameter
thickness: 1/8 nominal (4mm)
sales unit: 5x 1/2 bags of individual colors
yield: 2.5-lb assortment of approximately 1150+ tiles
material: glass
variety: recycled glass
shape: circle, penny, flat round
pigments: colorfast, UV resistant
durability: frost-proof, impervious to liquid
usage: suitable for indoor and outdoor use
Coverage
Each complete 2.5-lb tile assortment covers 1.66 of a square foot assuming a standard grout gap of 1/16 inch.
Compatibility
Like most of the glass tile we sell, flat penny rounds have a nominal industry-standard thickness of 1/8 inch (4mm). You can use these with other brands of recycled glass and even vitreous glass tile.
Cutting Recycled Glass Thinny-Pennies™
Recycled glass cuts like butter using the Mosaic Glass Cutters without creating a lot slivers or cutting waste.
Grouting Round Tile
Note that dry indoor mosaics do not require grouting, and so for those you can simply mount the tiles tightly together. On the other hand, wet and outdoor mosaics must have grout to prevent water from penetrating behind the tiles. For those, leaving a 1/16-inch gap allows enough grout to adhere between the tiles.
Making Mosaic Art with Penny U-Mixes
U-Mix assortments give artists the unique option to customize their color blend. Use penny tiles to create dotted patterns, curves, flower shapes, and round details. Arrange whole pennies or circular segments into swirls, waves and spirals.
Lakeside Thinny-Penny U-Mix 5-Color 12mm Penny Round Assortment is a bundle of 5 aquatic 12mm penny tile colors (1/2-lb each) that you mix yourself to create a 2.5-lb assortment. Each 1/2-pound bag contains about 230+ pieces and covers about 1/3 of a square foot with a standard grout gap of 1/16 inch. That means the 2.5-lb assortment should contain about 1150+ pieces and cover about 1.66 square feet.
The numbers in the U-Mix assortment name indicate each color in the bundle. This assortment includes: 36-golden cream, 78-81 teal tints, 92-spring pea green, and 118-leaf green deep.
MORJO™ Thinny-Pennies™ Penny Round Recycled Glass Tiles have a glossy finish, and solid opaque color throughout (not just on the tops or bottoms). Unlike glass gems, another common round tile, Thinny-Pennies™ have a flat and even surface rather than puffed. This makes them much easier to use with other types of glass tile and easier to grout.
yield: 2.5-lb assortment of approximately 1150+ tiles
material: glass
variety: recycled glass
shape: circle, penny, flat round
pigments: colorfast, UV resistant
durability: frost-proof, impervious to liquid
usage: suitable for indoor and outdoor use
Coverage
Each complete 2.5-lb tile assortment covers 1.66 of a square foot assuming a standard grout gap of 1/16 inch.
Compatibility
Like most of the glass tile we sell, flat penny rounds have a nominal industry-standard thickness of 1/8 inch (4mm). You can use these with other brands of recycled glass and even vitreous glass tile.
Cutting Recycled Glass Thinny-Pennies™
Recycled glass cuts like butter using the Mosaic Glass Cutters without creating a lot slivers or cutting waste.
Grouting Round Tile
Note that dry indoor mosaics do not require grouting, and so for those you can simply mount the tiles tightly together. On the other hand, wet and outdoor mosaics must have grout to prevent water from penetrating behind the tiles. For those, leaving a 1/16-inch gap allows enough grout to adhere between the tiles.
Making Mosaic Art with Penny U-Mixes
U-Mix assortments give artists the unique option to customize their color blend. Use penny tiles to create dotted patterns, curves, flower shapes, and round details. Arrange whole pennies or circular segments into swirls, waves and spirals.
Citrus Thinny-Penny U-Mix 5-Color 12mm Penny Round Assortment is a bundle of 5 citrus-theme 12mm penny tile colors (1/2-lb each) that you mix yourself to create a 2.5-lb assortment. Each 1/2-pound bag contains about 230+ pieces and covers about 1/3 of a square foot with a standard grout gap of 1/16 inch. That means the 2.5-lb assortment should contain about 1150+ pieces and cover about 1.66 square feet.
The numbers in the U-Mix assortment name indicate each color in the bundle. This assortment includes: 44-indian yellow, 45-yellow orange, 47-fiery orange, 91-light spring green, and 92-spring pea green.
MORJO™ Thinny-Pennies™ Penny Round Recycled Glass Tiles have a glossy finish, and solid opaque color throughout (not just on the tops or bottoms). Unlike glass gems, another common round tile, Thinny-Pennies™ have a flat and even surface rather than puffed. This makes them much easier to use with other types of glass tile and easier to grout.
yield: 2.5-lb assortment of approximately 1150+ tiles
material: glass
variety: recycled glass
shape: circle, penny, flat round
pigments: colorfast, UV resistant
durability: frost-proof, impervious to liquid
usage: suitable for indoor and outdoor use
Coverage
Each complete 2.5-lb tile assortment covers 1.66 of a square foot assuming a standard grout gap of 1/16 inch.
Compatibility
Like most of the glass tile we sell, flat penny rounds have a nominal industry-standard thickness of 1/8 inch (4mm). You can use these with other brands of recycled glass and even vitreous glass tile.
Cutting Recycled Glass Thinny-Pennies™
Recycled glass cuts like butter using the Mosaic Glass Cutters without creating a lot slivers or cutting waste.
Grouting Round Tile
Note that dry indoor mosaics do not require grouting, and so for those you can simply mount the tiles tightly together. On the other hand, wet and outdoor mosaics must have grout to prevent water from penetrating behind the tiles. For those, leaving a 1/16-inch gap allows enough grout to adhere between the tiles.
Making Mosaic Art with Penny U-Mixes
U-Mix assortments give artists the unique option to customize their color blend. Use penny tiles to create dotted patterns, curves, flower shapes, and round details. Arrange whole pennies or circular segments into swirls, waves and spirals.
Festival Thinny-Penny U-Mix 5-Color 12mm Penny Round Assortment is a bundle of 5 different 12mm penny tile colors (1/2-lb each) that you mix yourself to create a 2.5-lb assortment. Each 1/2-pound bag contains about 230+ pieces and covers about 1/3 of a square foot with a standard grout gap of 1/16 inch. That means the 2.5-lb assortment should contain about 1150+ pieces and cover about 1.66 square feet.
The numbers in the U-Mix assortment name indicate each color in the bundle. This assortment includes: 36-golden cream, 45-yellow orange, 47-fiery orange, 74-ultramarine, and 75-ultramarine dark.
MORJO™ Thinny-Pennies™ Penny Round Recycled Glass Tiles have a glossy finish, and solid opaque color throughout (not just on the tops or bottoms). Unlike glass gems, another common round tile, Thinny-Pennies™ have a flat and even surface rather than puffed. This makes them much easier to use with other types of glass tile and easier to grout.
Festival Thinny-Penny U-Mix 5-Color 12mm Penny Round Assortment 2.5-lb
glass penny round tile bundle
tile size: ~1/2 inch (12mm) diameter
thickness: 1/8 nominal (4mm)
sales unit: 5x 1/2 bags of individual colors
yield: 2.5-lb assortment of approximately 1150+ tiles
material: glass
variety: recycled glass
shape: circle, penny, flat round
pigments: colorfast, UV resistant
durability: frost-proof, impervious to liquid
usage: suitable for indoor and outdoor use
Coverage
Each complete 2.5-lb tile assortment covers 1.66 of a square foot assuming a standard grout gap of 1/16 inch.
Compatibility
Like most of the glass tile we sell, flat penny rounds have a nominal industry-standard thickness of 1/8 inch (4mm). You can use these with other brands of recycled glass and even vitreous glass tile.
Cutting Recycled Glass Thinny-Pennies™
Recycled glass cuts like butter using the Mosaic Glass Cutters without creating a lot slivers or cutting waste.
Grouting Round Tile
Note that dry indoor mosaics do not require grouting, and so for those you can simply mount the tiles tightly together. On the other hand, wet and outdoor mosaics must have grout to prevent water from penetrating behind the tiles. For those, leaving a 1/16-inch gap allows enough grout to adhere between the tiles.
Making Mosaic Art with Penny U-Mixes
U-Mix assortments give artists the unique option to customize their color blend. Use penny tiles to create dotted patterns, curves, flower shapes, and round details. Arrange whole pennies or circular segments into swirls, waves and spirals.
U-Mix 5-Separate-Color Penny Round Assortment 2.5-lb is 5 bags of 5 different individual colors (1/2 lb) that you mix yourself to create a 2.5-lb assortment. The 2-digit part number of each of these individual colors is listed in the the SKU of the assortment.
Each 1/2-pound bag is approximately 230+ pieces and covers about 1/3 of a square foot with a standard grout gap of 1/16 inch. That means the 2.5-lb assortment should contain about 1150+ pieces and cover about 1.66 square feet.
These are assortments of MORJO™ Thinny-Pennies™ Penny Round Recycled Glass Tiles. They have a glossy finish, and the glass has solid color throughout (and not just on the tops or bottoms.) They are opaque when mounted on an opaque surface.
The Thinny Pennies are the same thickness as regular glass mosaic tile (4mm or ~1/8 inch) and not fat like glass gems. This makes them much easier to use with other types of glass tile and easier to grout.
The recycled glass is a homogeneous material that cuts cleanly and predictably using the Wheel-bladed Mosaic Glass Cutter. They are hard and durable and UV-resistant and can be used for the exteriors of commercial buildings. The fusing process for making these tiles from powdered recycled glass is referred to as “warm glass” or “enamel glass” or “pate de verre.”
Rough Bottoms for Improved Bonding
The bottoms of these tiles are left intentionally rough from gritty mold release (chalk) for improved bond strength. In my experience, and rough, scratched, or etched glass is more effective than embossed ridges. Rough bottoms also have another important advantage over bottoms with embossed ridges: they can’t interfere with cutting.
yield: 2.5-lb assortment of approximately 1150+ tiles
material: glass
variety: recycled glass
pigments: colorfast, UV resistant
durability: frost-proof, impervious to liquid
usage: suitable for indoor and outdoor use
Coverage
Each sales unit of 2.5 pounds covers 1.66 of a square foot assuming a standard grout gap of 1/16 inch.
Grout Gap?
Note that dry indoor mosaics do not have to be grouted (and thus you can simply mount the tiles tightly together), but outdoor and wet mosaics must have grout to prevent water from penetrating behind the tiles. The best way to ensure that the gaps between the tiles is to leave a 1/16-inch gap instead of pressing them tightly together, and this point seems counter-intuitive to some people. Consider this: you can never mount them so closely together that water can’t penetrate it, but you can accidentally put them so close that grout doesn’t get adequately pressed into the crack during the grouting process.
Compatibility
These tiles have a nominal thickness of 1/8 inch (4mm), which is the same nominal thickness as most of the glass tile we sell. You can use these with other brands of recycled glass and even vitreous glass, although the graininess of some vitreous colors might not look good when combined with the homogeneous glassiness of recycled glass tiles.
Cutting Recycled Glass Thinny-Pennies™
Recycled glass cuts like butter using the Mosaic Glass Cutters without creating a lot slivers or cutting waste.
How To Make Mosaics
For more advice on designing your mosaic project or cutting and grouting tile, please see our Mosaic Frequently Asked Questions page or our How To Mosaic blog or our Mosaic Information Guide.
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Fine OUTLINERS Mosaic Sticks™ are an improved and much cheaper version of the Outliners Mosaic Sticks™ used for rendering small details, outlines, and lettering in mosaic artwork. These rods are cut from glass beadstock rods, so they have a hole in the middle for the string that was intended to go there. This makes the rods cut very easily. Sold by the QUARTER POUND, which is about 170+ total inches of sticks and broken stick pieces.
IMPROVED DIMENSIONS: These square beadstock glass rods are 3.7mm wide by 3.7mm thick, which is slightly less than the nominal 4mm thickness as most of the glass mosaic tile we sell. That makes the Next-Generation OUTLINERS™ more easily used for fine details. It also makes them sit a hair below the surface of the mosaic around it. This helps hide any potentially sharp ends of the rods. Care must be taken during grouting to wipe the grout off the face on any slightly recessed lines or areas.
Outliners™ are idea for outlining figures and drawing small letters and numerals in mosaic pictures made from glass tile. Now we have made them affordable!
Broken Pieces
The new OUTLINERS™ average 120mm in length, which is just under 4¾ inches, but the lengths ARE NOT precise. Some sticks may already broken when they arrive from the factory, at least in most batches.
Do not order if you need all unbroken sticks. Shipping and handling can cause some sticks to break due to the fragile nature of thin glass rods.
TIP: Short pieces can be mounted end to end without a grout gap to make one long piece visually.
FINE OUTLINERS Mosaic Sticks™
sold by the QUARTER POUND, which is approximately 170+ inches of total length.
square beadstock glass rods with string hole in center.
opaque glass
dimensions: 3.7mm wide x 3.7mm thick
length varies, approximately 120mm, some run around 118mm others run around 123mm.
some sticks may be broken; do not order if you need a uniform length
Coverage: 4 oz contains a combined length of a little over 12 linear feet.
All tile varies by manufacturer batch, and sometimes a color will go out of stock for an extended period if the manufacturer isn’t making it. Order enough for the entire project to make sure you have what you need.
Product Coverage
A bag of QUARTER POUND is roughly 170+ total inches of length.
Compatibility
Fine OUTLINERS are 3.7mm thick and were made to be used with glass mosaic tile 4mm thick, which is the nominal thickness of most of what we sell. That makes them sit a hair below the surface of the mosaic around it. This helps hide any potentially sharp ends of the rods. Care must be taken during grouting to wipe the grout off the face on any slightly recessed lines or areas.
People needing a perfectly smooth surface should probably avoid using these, but it is possible to use these in tables and coasters.
How To Make Mosaic Art
For more advice on designing your mosaic project or mounting, cutting, and grouting tile, please see our page of Mosaic Frequently Asked Questions or our Mosaic Information Guide, which lists instructional pages described by topic. We also post new articles about making mosaics at our How to Mosaic Blog.
Morjo™ Marble Mosaic Cutting Strips are natural marble and stone tiles for making mosaic icons, fine art murals, and architectural coverings. Professional mosaic artists in Europe use this material to make ancient reproductions and original art. They can mount flat, laid on edge, or nipped short and laid on end to expose the natural cleaved surface.
The sides of the strips have a honed and unpolished finish. The sample board and sealed sample product photos show the color intensity when using a stone enhancer sealer, available from most local building material stores. Do NOT order sealers online during winter months where they can freeze during shipment.
WARNING: The widths vary between 8mm and 12mm. The lengths vary as shown in the photos, roughly 3/4 inch to 2 inches. These are professional cutting strips, not finished tiles. Do not order if you need uniform lengths or an unvarying width.
Cutting Marble Mosaic Strips
Marble Mosaic Cutting Strips are the easiest to cut stone we have ever used, and the reason is simple: the 6mm thickness is ideal for cutting yet still thick enough for the stone to have cohesive strength. You can cut these with an ordinary Tile Nipper! Depending on your grip strength, you may want to use a Compound Tile Nipper for even easier cuts.
SCRAP RATE: The amount of cutting waste and unexpected breakage from marble cutting strips varies by the type of stone. Most varieties cut with minimal waste, but some have 5% or even 10% cutting scrap rates depending on how small you are cutting the pieces. Please do not order if your learning curve or budget cannot tolerate some scrap. This professional rendering material represents the best of what is available on the market.
A Marble File is extremely useful for shaping hard materials. It is much easier to file off a tiny amount than it is to try to cut off a tiny amount.
length: varies 12mm-15mm (~3/4 inch to ~2 inches).
coverage: depends whether mounting flat (6mm thick) or on edge.
recommended for dry locations where water cannot pool.
vulnerable to freeze damage like all porous materials.
should be sealed with a tile and grout sealer to minimize staining and freeze damage.
Marble & Stone Material Clarification
Many varieties of marble mosaic tile are not technically marble. Other varieties of stone provide colors not available in marble, but all our marble is dye-free natural stone with an unsealed honed finish. The bottom of the factory sample board includes a separate section of synthetic stone described as “Quartz Colors” that we do not sell.
Expect Product Variation in Marble
Marble mosaic cutting strips are made of natural stone and as such have natural variation in pattern and coloration between pieces. That being said, this manufacturer produces fairly consistent batches and professional artists select it for that reason.
Avoid Matching with Other Manufacturers
Avoid matching our stone by color name to stone from other brands. Just because two marble varieties have same name does not mean they were sourced at the same quarry. There are many natural varieties of travertines, emperadors, etc. Two different factories or quarries might use the same name for stones that look different from each other.
Always Gather All Project Material Before Installing
Be aware that all forms of mosaic tile can and do vary by manufacturer batch. Given that, you should never order your materials in stages or begin installing tile before you have all that you will need. Even the most expensive brands of Italian glass tile come with warnings to inspect and mix different boxes of their tile before you install it. This caveat certainly applies to natural stone!
Marble Cutting Strips Coverage
Coverage depends on whether you are mounting the pieces flat (6mm thick) or on edge, or nipping short pieces and positioning with the cleaved face up. Laying the pieces flat, a pound covers about 42 square inches or 0.29 square feet. That means you need 3.4 pounds to cover 1 square foot.
Compatibility
Marble strip thickness is just under 1/4″, which is about twice as thick as most molded glass mosaic tile. When people augment stone tile with glass, they usually use the traditional hand-cut mosaic glass known as smalti, which has a similar thickness to stone tiles.
IMPORTANT INSTALLATION TIP
Grout will stain unpolished and unsealed stone tile because it is porous. Stone tile has to be sealed with a tile and grout sealer BEFORE you grout it. However, you shouldn’t seal any surface where grout or glue needs to stick to the stone (the sides). Here is what we recommend for pre-sealing porous materials before grouting:
Glue or cement your mosaic tiles into place.
Use a rag dampened with sealer or a small artists paint brush to seal only the top faces of the tiles.
Take care not to drip sealer down between the tiles or down the sides of the tiles.
We use TileLab brand Grout and Tile Sealer for a normal seal. To slightly enhance/darken the stone colors (recommended), we use TileLab brand Stone Enhancer and Sealer. Both of these products are available at Home Depot. More expensive premium products are available. Scroll through product photos to see the difference in each variation with enhancer.
Using Marble Strips in Outdoor Mosaic Art
Most people think that stone is more durable than glass for outdoor mosaic art, but actually the reverse is true for several reasons:
Marble & Stone Hardness Varies
Not all stone is hard, and natural stone only comes in so many colors. To get the range of colors needed to make a mosaic, softer varieties of stone are sometimes all that is available for a particular color. One example is honey onyx (actually a calcite). This is especially true when you are discussing affordable types of stone. Sure, emeralds are a rich green, but they are also relatively rare, small and expensive.
Stone Tile Porosity and Freeze Damage
Glass is non-porous, and thus water cannot penetrate into it and then freeze and expand. But it can cause porous stone to crack and flack away. Keep in mind that the reason we have so many ancient Greek and Roman mosaics after millennia is that the Mediterranean climate is relatively warm and dry. It also helped that many of the ones we now have were buried for centuries.
Marble Tile is Chemically Vulnerable
Remember that not all marble mosaic tile is technically marble, and even if it were, marble isn’t that hard. It is also susceptible to chemical damage by naturally occurring substances. For example, decaying organic matter such as rotting leaves produces acid. Marble dissolves in acid. (You can actually listen to marble fizz when you pour vinegar on it). This is how the acid rain from automobile exhaust in European cities has melted ancient statues. Other varieties of stone are also vulnerable to organic acids and other natural substances.
How To Make Marble Mosaics Last
Marble mosaic cutting strips (and the other stone types described as marble) work best for indoor mosaics where water cannot pool on the surface. However, marble can hold up outdoors provided you seal it very well with a tile and grout sealer and check the seal every few years. (Make sure that water is still beading on the surface instead of soaking in). Sealing and periodic checking are advised with all outdoor mosaics because grout is porous and vulnerable to freeze damage.
Outdoor marble mosaics should be on vertical surfaces such as walls instead of horizontal surfaces such as bench seats or paths.
How To Make Mosaic Art
For more advice on making mosaic art, please see our page of Mosaic FAQ or our Mosaic Information Guide, which lists instructional pages described by topic. We also post new articles about making mosaics at our How to Mosaic Blog.
The Hasal Precision Stone Chopping Machine is a professional cutting system for making precision cuts in marble mosaic tile and hard porcelain. The machine’s upper blade is lowered by a screw mechanism that requires much less effort than handheld cutting tools, and cuts are made smoothly and efficiently. The cutting bed is graduated with guidelines and an adjustable stop for cutting pieces with exact measurement. The maximum thickness the machine can cut is 12mm (1/2 inch).
The cutting blades that come with the machine work very well for most all types of marble and stone, but the tungsten carbide blades (sold separately) are probably a good investment if you will be cutting a lot of basalt or hard porcelain. Replacement blades are available from us (sold separately), including special blades for cutting glass. The upper and lower blades are identical and interchangeable.
The machine is a benchtop device that works best when you bolt it to a work surface, but a small piece of plywood or board can be used instead to make a mobile unit that can easily transported from site to site. A common C-clamp can also be used if you want to quickly move the machine between different work tables.
Cosmetic Scratch Damage
The manufacturer shipped these units without wrapping the steel knobs that screw on the end of the crank handles, and so the knobs were allowed to bang and rub against the screw housing. The result is that the screw housing received some superficial scratches and gouges, and the black paint on the knobs was scratched a little too.
This superficial “damage” makes these brand new units look used, but the advantage is that the price is discounted, and the screw motion and cutting action are still smooth as silk!
Hasal Precision Stone Chopping Machine
maximum thickness that can be cut: 12mm (1/2 inch)
screw mechanism for smooth, efficient cuts.
comes with 2 replaceable blades.
upper and lower blades are identical and interchangeable.
2 mounting holes in base for bolting to work surface
weight: 8 lbs 4 oz
box dimensions are 8.5 x 7.5 x 4 inches
width of turning handles after attaching knobs: 9.5 inches
height of machine:
Safety and Cutting Tile
The smooth, efficient cuts made by this machine are MUCH safer than those made by handheld nippers, which snap when they cut and send pieces flying all the time. With these machines, you shouldn’t have pieces flying at all, or at least very rarely. That being said, you should still observe the basic safety rules for using a compressive cutting tools:
Always wear safety glasses with side shields when cutting.
Make sure that you don’t cut tile around people who are not wearing safety glasses. Flying chips could potentially hit their eyes as easily as yours.
Be aware that cutting tile of any type can produce sharp edges.
Crumbs from cutting can be extremely sharp. Never sweep off a work surface with your bare hand. Use a vacuum or counter brush.
How To Make Mosaics
For more advice on designing your mosaic project or mounting, cutting, and grouting tile, please see our page of Mosaic Frequently Asked Questions or our Mosaic Information Guide, which lists instructional pages described by topic. We also post new articles about making mosaics at our How to Mosaic Blog.
Mosaic Mounting Tape 3 inches x 108 feet is a transparent adhesive film used for face-mounting mosaic tile designs for rapid installation. This clear adhesive film bonds strongly enough to mosaic tile for the sheets to be handled and transported (including shipping), but it releases cleanly without residue. It is also water resistant. Note that the roll is 3 inches wide, but it can be used for 12-inch sheets and larger sheets merely by using multiple strips slightly overlapped. The tape is fully transparent so that patterns divided between multiple sheets can be aligned and grout joints matched. The tape comes in a continuous roll 108 feet long.
Mosaic Mounting Tape 3 inches
transparent adhesive film in a roll
3 inches x 108 feet
can be overlapped slightly for added width
total area equivalent: 27 square feet
water resistant adhesive
adhesive releases cleanly from all tile materials tested with no sticky residue.
Product Usage
Unlike fiberglass mesh, Mounting Tape sticks to the front FACES of the tile, which leaves the backs fully exposed for bonding with mortar or adhesives, thus increasing the strength and longevity of outdoor and wet mosaics. Mosaic designs can be laid out in a mosaic mounting grid, and then tape is pressed to the faces of the tiles, and the mosaic is lifted out of the grid for mounting.
If you aren’t using a tile mounting grid and are laying out tiles or pieces of tiles on top of a paper pattern, we recommend tacking clear contact paper sticky-side-up over the pattern. This moderate stickiness keeps the tiles from moving around as you lay them out. When you are finished placing the tiles, you press the Mosaic Mounting Tape on top of the mosaic and rub it gently to ensure adequate adhesion. Then you can cut the mosaic into sections (typically 1 ft x 1 ft), but the sections can be irregular in shape if needed, and the cuts can zig zag around tiles.
Clear Contact Paper Method
In the clear contact paper method, you tack or tape the contact paper upside-down over your paper pattern.
First, you use the clear contact paper’s mild stickiness to keep the tiles from moving around as you position them over the pattern.
Then you use the stronger stickiness of Mosaic Mounting Tape to lift the mosaic off the contact paper.
The Mosaic Mounting Tape is pressed onto the mosaic by pressing down gently but firmly NOT by rubbing forcefully a in a direction or spiral that might cause a tile to move in the pattern.
Large taped mosaics can be cut up into working strips or sheets with an ordinary box cutter. The cut lines can zigzag around tiles.
Each mosaic sheet or strip can then be pressed into mortar or glue and aligned.
Reverse Method
Another method for using the Mosaic Mouting Tape is to NOT use contact paper and place the tape itself over the pattern with the sticky side up, and the tiles face down onto the tape. This “reverse method” reverses the pattern from left to right when the taped mosaic is taken off the pattern and flipped over, and so most people avoid it in favor of the Clear Contact Paper Method
Removing Mosaic Mounting Tape
When the sections of the mosaic on tape are pressed into mortar or glue, make sure that the gaps between sheets is the same width as the grout gaps used in the sheets and that the sheets are properly aligned.
After the mortar or glue has hardened, the tape is removed from the mosaic by pulling back at 180 degrees not out at 90 degrees to get it started and then rolling up.
Storage
Like all adhesive tape, the Mounting Tape should be stored indoors in climate controlled air for extended life.
MORJO™ Thinny-Pennies™ are 20mm Penny Round Recycled Glass Tiles. They are sold loose by the 1/2 pound (approximately 70+ pieces), which covers slightly under 1/3 of a square foot (~42 square inches) with a standard grout gap of 1/16 inch. These tiles have a glossy finish, and the glass has solid color throughout (and not just on the tops or bottoms.) They are opaque when mounted on an opaque surface.
The Thinny Pennies are the same thickness as regular glass mosaic tile (4mm or ~1/8 inch) and not fat like glass gems. This makes them much easier to use with other types of glass tile and easier to grout.
The recycled glass is a homogeneous material that cuts cleanly and predictably using the Wheel-bladed Mosaic Glass Cutter. They are hard and durable and UV-resistant and can be used for the exteriors of commercial buildings. The fusing process for making these tiles from powdered recycled glass is referred to as “warm glass” or “enamel glass” or “pate de verre.”
Rough Bottoms for Improved Bonding
The bottoms of these tiles are left intentionally rough from gritty mold release (chalk) for improved bond strength. In my experience, and rough, scratched, or etched glass is more effective than embossed ridges. Rough bottoms also has another important advantage over embossed ridges: they don’t interfere with cutting.
Each 1/2-pound bag of about 70+ tiles covers just under 1/3 of a square foot (~42 square inches) assuming a standard grout gap of 1/16 inch.
Grout Gap?
Note that dry indoor mosaics do not have to be grouted (and thus you can simply mount the tiles tightly together), but outdoor and wet mosaics must have grout to prevent water from penetrating behind the tiles. The best way to ensure that the gaps between the tiles is to leave a 1/16-inch gap instead of pressing them tightly together, and this point seems counter-intuitive to some people. Consider this: you can never mount them so closely together that water can’t penetrate it, but you can accidentally put them so close that grout doesn’t get adequately pressed into the crack during the grouting process.
Compatibility
These tiles have a nominal thickness of 1/8 inch (4mm), which is the same nominal thickness as most of the glass tile we sell. You can use these with other brands of recycled glass and even vitreous glass, although the graininess of some vitreous colors might not look good when combined with the homogeneous glassiness of recycled glass tiles.
Cutting Recycled Glass Thinny-Pennies™
Recycled glass cuts like butter using the Mosaic Glass Cutters without creating a lot slivers or cutting waste.
