How to Make Tabletops With China Pieces

Breaking a treasured piece of china doesn't have to be a total disaster. In fact, you can transform your mistake into a functional work of art, by making a mosaic tabletop out of the pieces. Imagine having a table made from pieces of the bridal china set you no longer use, or from some meaningful dishes you had as a child. Tabletops made from china pieces will give you years of memorable and functional use.

Side table or coffee table
Large sheet of paper
Pencil
Broken china pieces
Coarse-grit sandpaper
Pre-mixed tile adhesive
Putty knife or trowel
Grout
Sponge

Instructions

- 1
  Clean the tabletop of all debris, dirt and grease.
- 2
  Draw an outline on the piece of paper that is the same size and shape as the tabletop. This paper will serve as the pattern for your mosaic.
- 3
  Scuff the bottom of the each china piece with sandpaper, so the pieces will have a rough surface for proper adhesion.
- 4
  Arrange china pieces on the paper -- exactly as you want them to appear on your tabletop -- leaving a small space between each piece for grout. Your design can look like an image, or simply be an aesthetically pleasing arrangement of individual pieces.
- 5
  Spread pre-mixed tile adhesive on the clean tabletop about one-quarter of an inch thick, using a putty knife or trowel. The adhesive doesn't have to be smooth. The rougher it is, the better your china pieces will adhere.
- 6
  
  Your mosaic can make a simple pattern or a complex image.
  
  Transfer the china pieces from the paper pattern onto the tabletop -- one by one -- pressing each piece evenly and firmly onto the adhesive layer. Press thin pieces more lightly than thick pieces, so that the top of your mosaic will be relatively even.
- 7
  Let adhesive dry the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer.
- 8
  Spread grout over the mosaic using a putty knife or trowel, filling all the gaps between china pieces. Scrape off as much excess as possible.
- 9
  Wipe off the excess grout, from the top of the mosaic, with a wet sponge until clean. Take care not to wipe away the grout between the china pieces. Rinse the sponge often as you do this, so you're not wiping dirty grout water over your mosaic.
- 10
  Allow the grout to dry at least 24 hours.

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