How to Make an HGTV Mosaic Bird Bath Pedestal

Paint the birdbath pedestal with white acrylic paint. Follow the manufacturer's directions regarding application methods and drying times.

Draw your design directly onto the pedestal after it is dry. You do not need to do this if you plan on creating a freestyle design.

Gather the tesserae you wish to use on your birdbath pedestal. You may with to leave some of the materials intact, such as glass pebbles, while you may alter their size of others by breaking or cutting them.

Put on safety goggles and gloves before you cut or smash large materials into the desired size. Different tesserae require different breaking methods. For example, china pieces can be placed in an old pillowcase and hit with a hammer while glass tiles can be cut with glass nippers.

Separate the mosaic pieces based on their color; place each color into its own container.

Spread a 1/8-inch-thick layer of thinset onto a small area of the bird bath pedestal with a small combed spatula. Only apply as much thinset as you will be able to cover with mosaic pieces before the manufacturer's stated drying time elapses.

Press the tesserae into the thinset, following the design you've drawn on the pedestal or, if you are creating a freehand design, in your preferred pattern. Do not let the pieces touch, as you want to maintain spaces between them for the grout.

Continue applying the thinset and tesserae to the pedestal until it is fully covered. This may take several hours, or even days, to complete. Should you need to stop working for an extended period of time, remove any undecorated thinset from the pedestal with a rag. Re-apply the thinset when you begin working again.

Seal the faces of porous tesserae, such as pebbles, with grout and tile sealer. Follow the manufacturer's directions as to application and drying times. This will prevent the grout from staining the porous tesserae.

Mix up a batch of grout according to the manufacturer's directions and safety precautions.

Put on latex gloves and, using your hands, apply the grout to the pedestal. Gently push the grout into the spaces between the tiles. Work from one end of the pedestal to the other until you have covered the entire pedestal in grout.

Let the grout partially set according to the manufacturer's instructions, then wipe any excess grout from the surface of your mosaic with a damp sponge. Wipe the grout lines until they are even with the different mosaic materials and the surface of the tesserae is are free from as much grout as possible. This needs to be done before the grout is completely dry.

Repeatedly rinse out the sponge in a bucket of water while working.

Buff any haze from the tesserae with a clean dry rag or crunched up newspaper before the grout has dried completely. Be careful not to damage your grout lines.

Allow the pedestal to dry completely.

Set the pedestal in the garden and watch the birds bathe.