Tips for Recycled Mosaic Projects - Combining Old and New
Mosaic art is an excellent way to blend old and new materials, creating unique and eco-friendly artworks. Recycle, reuse, and repurpose items. Use leftover tiles from renovations and combine them with other mosaic materials. However, make sure to check the frost resistance of the renovation tiles if you plan to use them outdoors in varying weather conditions to prevent them from breaking in the frost. You can use various items for mosaic projects, such as broken dishes, old beads, keys, coins, stones, buttons, and porcelain figurines with the following tips! Below are many ideas and tips for recycled mosaic projects.
1. Mosaic Mirrors
Create beautiful mosaic mirrors and frames by gluing mosaic pieces onto a dull or damaged mirror frame. If the mirror has a small crack, cover it with a mosaic dragonfly or flower to hide it. Did your mirror break? Use the pieces in mosaic projects, but handle them carefully as they can be sharp. We recommend using Olba glue for mirror pieces as it does not corrode the reflective backing of the mirror.
2. Garden Decorations
Create personalized decorations by using extra concrete slabs, bricks, stones, or garden statues as bases for mosaic projects. For example, craft a house number sign from a large concrete slab and place it in your yard. The house number sign in the picture uses Goldlink glass mosaic 20 mm, glass mosaic 10 mm, and Millefiori.
3. Mosaic Lanterns and Candle Holders
Cover candle holders, lanterns, and bottles with glass mosaic. Remember fire safety and only use base materials suitable for live flames. LED candles and light strings are a safe alternative as they do not heat up during use. You can cover beautifully shaped bottles with translucent glass mosaic to create stunning light bottles. See recommended materials here. Watch the lanterns making video and the glass bottles tutorial.
4. Covering Pots
Cover chipped and worn-out flower pots with mosaic pieces and give them a new life.
A large pot with a broken piece was covered with mosaic, and now you wouldn't guess it was slightly damaged. The blue pot uses broken dishes. Note how cup handles, spouts, and sugar bowl lids are utilized and glued to the pot. Dish pieces are easy to cut and shape with mosaic nippers. The last two pictures show the same pot from different sides and with different flowers. The pot is gradient-colored, with a new color starting on each side. This way, the pot suits flowers of various colors!
5. Mosaic Window
Create stunning mosaic artworks on an old window and use it as a decoration or room divider. Use translucent glass mosaic.
6. Reusing CDs and DVDs
Repurpose unwanted discs by cutting them into mosaic pieces or using them as bases for sun catchers or bird scarers in the garden. Glue various sizes of glass beads onto the discs in mandala patterns. You can also drill holes in the discs and connect them with fishing line to create a garden mobile. By gluing two discs together with the image sides facing each other, the beautiful reflective side remains visible to viewers. Check out our glass gems selection. Click on Ellipses and Petals.
7. Plates and Trays
Cut damaged and broken dishes into mosaic pieces. Cover a mismatched, unnecessary large plate to make a serving dish or fruit bowl. You can also cover a worn-out tray with mosaic in colors that match your decor. Make a beautiful wall storage plate for small items like keys. The tray below is covered with Soft Glass mosaic in gold and black. Grouted with black grout mixed with gold glitter. The same materials were also used for matching coasters shown in section 10.
8. Old Furniture
Cover a damaged table or chair with mosaic pieces and give it a new, personalized look. Click to read more about mosaic tables.
9. Old Photo Frames
Do you have many different-looking photo frames? Make them match by painting and covering them with mosaic, an easy craft project for kids too. Make an info board for the cottage, showing the address and coordinates in case of an emergency. See 10 mm glass mosaics here.
10. Glass Jars and Cans
Repurpose glass jars and metal cans for mosaic projects, creating small decorations for home or garden. Glass jars are suitable for LED light lanterns or flower vases, and cans for storage containers for pens and other small items.
Utilize metal jar lids as coasters. In the pictures below, Soft Glass mosaic in gold and black is glued inside the metal lids of glass jars. Grouted with black grout mixed with gold glitter. A glass jar has been made into an impressive flower vase using Petals, Mini Gems and Soft Glass in between, grouted with black grout.
11. Broken Jewelry
Incorporate your broken jewelry into a mosaic project. Make a mosaic portrait and glue the jewelry as a necklace or earrings. A broken bead necklace can also beautifully frame a mosaic portrait.
12. Lampshade
Cover a dull lampshade with mosaic pieces, buttons, and shells to give it a new look. Ensure that you only use materials that withstand heat if you still use incandescent bulbs.
14. Old Cutting Board
Use a sturdy, worn-out wooden cutting board as a base for an indoor mosaic artwork. A wooden cutting board also withstands heat under glass mosaic, making it a good base for a trivet.
This fish was made on a worn-out cutting board, a fun decoration for a cottage. The fish is made from 20 mm glass mosaic cut with mosaic nippers.
15. Bowling Ball
Create a durable mosaic ball using an old bowling ball. You can leave one finger hole uncovered and insert a metal or strong wooden rod to stand the ball in a flower bed.
16. Outdoor Light Cover as Mosaic Base
Use an old outdoor light cover as a mosaic base. Clean it and glue the pieces with a good initial adhesion Silicone, Olba, or Mosaic glue. Cover with translucent glass mosaic and place an LED light inside.
