How to Make a Cracked Tile Bar Top

Any surface can be tiled over, as long as it is stiff and rigid, like wood is. Ceramic tile can be laid over formica, laminate, hardwood or even plastic, if it's rigid enough. Cover the top of your bar with cracked ceramic tiles in a random pattern, or create a picture, like a true mosaic. After you've created your design, use a grout in a color that contrasts with the tiles; it will make the design stand out much more than plain white grout.

Safety glasses or goggles
Utility knife
White craft glue
3- to 4-inch paintbrush
Towel
Hammer
Thin set mortar
Mortar trowel
Grout
Grout trowel
Sponge
Quarter round wood molding
Wood finishing nails

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare the surface of the bar for applying the cracked tiles. Score the wood surface with a utility knife in a grid pattern, making the lines 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart in all directions. This will give the adhesive something to grab onto, which will help keep the tiles from coming off.
- 2
  Brush white glue over the prepared surface using a 3- to 4-inch paintbrush. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.
- 3
  Wrap several ceramic or stone tiles in a towel. Smash the towel with a hammer to break up the tiles into smaller pieces.
- 4
  Lay the tiles out in a “dry run” without gluing them down. Start in the center of the bar top and fit the pieces together, leaving approximately 1/8 inch spacing between them for the grout. When all of the pieces have been laid out and the design pleases you, begin to glue the tiles down.
- 5
  Glue down the tiles using thin set mortar. Carefully remove the tiles from one area of the top and set them in a temporary holding area, maintaining their relative positions to each other. Apply thin set mortar to the area vacated by these tiles and then set the tiles into the thin set. Allow the set tiles and the thin set mortar adhesive to dry for at least 24 hours before continuing.
- 6
  Mix grout following label directions. Scoop up a blob of grout using a grout trowel and place it on the bar top. Push the grout into the spaces between the tiles with the grout trowel. Use the edge of the trowel to scrape excess grout off the tiles.
- 7
  Sponge the excess grout off the face of the tiles using a damp sponge. Do not try to wipe off all the grout in the first pass. Rinse the sponge out frequently and make many passes over the tiles until no grout residue remains. Do not dig into the grout between the tiles, as it will compromise the grout application and may cause it to crack later. Let the grout harden for 24 to 48 hours before applying the trim.
- 8
  Apply quarter round wood molding to trim the front facing edge of the bar top using wood finishing nails. The molding will also serve as a border for the cracked tiles.

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