Learning the Hard Way
I have a tendency to dive into things headfirst with extremes of enthusiasm. No dangling a toe in the water to test the temperature first. This often means learning the hard way and making mistakes that could have been avoided h
ad I a bit more method to my madness--like taking time for more thorough, up-front research. Normally, I am a real P.I. when the need to know presents itself. No, my problem typically arises from a joyous desire, buoyed by self-delusional confidence (how hard can it be?), to leap first and figure out exactly where I'm landing later. My garden bench, which by shear luck was built on the appropriate substrate with the right adhesive, should be part of the landscape long after I'm gone, when the house h
as decayed, and the weeds reclaimed the land. My attempt to add a bit of color to my Dream Weaver rose trellis didn't fair as well. About the time I finished the bench, I got it into my mind t
hat the trellis could use some sprucing up. So, one fine summer day, I got out the thinset, piled my goodies on the ground, sat down, and went to work laying tesserae directly on the surface of the wood. Pleased with the end result, it wasn't until months later, after accumulating more mosaic books and subsequent knowledge, that I realized I was likely in for disaster.
ad I a bit more method to my madness--like taking time for more thorough, up-front research. Normally, I am a real P.I. when the need to know presents itself. No, my problem typically arises from a joyous desire, buoyed by self-delusional confidence (how hard can it be?), to leap first and figure out exactly where I'm landing later. My garden bench, which by shear luck was built on the appropriate substrate with the right adhesive, should be part of the landscape long after I'm gone, when the house h
as decayed, and the weeds reclaimed the land. My attempt to add a bit of color to my Dream Weaver rose trellis didn't fair as well. About the time I finished the bench, I got it into my mind t
hat the trellis could use some sprucing up. So, one fine summer day, I got out the thinset, piled my goodies on the ground, sat down, and went to work laying tesserae directly on the surface of the wood. Pleased with the end result, it wasn't until months later, after accumulating more mosaic books and subsequent knowledge, that I realized I was likely in for disaster.Mosaicing to a wood substrate meant for outside use or display, even when properly primed with Kilnz or bonderizer, is asking for trouble. Amazingly enough, for several years, both sides of the trellis looked lovely in our garden. I got to thinking perhaps I was going to be lucky, maybe even beat the odds, but seasons passed and tiny cracks began forming. Then one winter day, after a particularly rare stretch of freezing nights, I walked outside to discover the tragic crash. All those hours of work back to pieces on the ground.
A stepping stone I made for my mother's Colorado garden suffered a similar fate thanks to the elements. The cement stone was a good surface choice, but the Mastic adhesive I decided to try (never appropriate for outdoor applications), deteriorated from the moisture and cold, and the tiles have popped off over the years.
Substrate preparation is critical to any mosaic's longevity. First and foremost rule for mosaics in the garden--adhere tesserae to a cement surface using cement based adhesives, thinset or mortar. Do it differently, and be prepared for tears when time and temperature teach you a lesson the hard way.
Comments