Mosaic Bird Baths| World of Birdhouses

MOSAIC BIRD BATHS

PROS:

Mosaic bird baths can be very decorative.
Can be a DIY project.
Bird bath accessories usually can be added to make the bird bath more efficient.
The bowl has a graduale slop towards the middle which makes birds feel more comfortable
Mosaic bird baths are usually lite.
Easy to move around in your yard.
The bowl can usually be removed from the stand for cleaning.

CONS:

Can be difficult to clean
Cannot be used year round. Known to crack during the cold winter months.
Since they can be very lite, they can be easy to tip over in the wind.
Can be damaged in the cold winter months if left out.
Needs to be stored during colder months.
No water movement.

MOSAIC

Mosaic Bird Baths are designed out of materials assembled together. Mosaic is known as being small, flat, roughly square pieces of stone, tile, plastic or glass of different colors, known as tesserae. On bird baths, the little pieces of tesserae are glued to a base that can be made out of ceramic, plastic, or concrete.

DIY

To make your own mosaic bird bath you will need a few materials and tools.

1. You will have to choose your pieces of teaserae; shape, color and design.

STONE (Porous)
TILE (Porous & Non-Porous)
PLASTIC (Non-Porous)
GLASS (Non-Porous)

TIP: Since the tesserae will be submerged under water, you may want to consider tesserae that is non-porous if your worried about colder temperatures. Porous tesserae allows water to get inside and can crack under freezing temperatures.

2. Next, choose a dish you will be using to glue the tesserae to. If you are using a dish that is porous, you will have to use a sealer. Sealing will prevent the adhesive and grout from drying out.

TERRACOTTA (Porous)
PLASTIC (Non-Porous)
CEMENT (Porous)

You can also turn your existing bird bath into a mosaic bird bath too.

Once you have chosen your tile and sealed the base (if required). You can now create your design. Place the tile on the base and make sure you do not glue anything yet, until your satisfied with the design you have created. Once you are satisfied, glue each piece of tile to the base and the inside wall of of the base. You may have to wait 24 hrs for the glue to dry before applying the grout.

Take some grout and place some in the bird bath you are creating and spread it all over, in between the cracks and also on the tile itself. You can use your hands wearing gloves or use a small grout float. Depending on the color of the grout you are using, you may not be able to see the tiles you have glued to your base. Once you have spread the grout through out the bird bath, take a damp sponge and wipe the grout up. Doing this will clean the grout off of the tiles that you have glued but will leave the grout that is between your glued tiles for a smooth finish. Allow the grout to dry according to the manufacture recommendations on the package.

Once the grout is completely dry, which can take up to 72 hrs. The last step is to apply a sealer. Use a sealer that is non-toxic such as the one in the picture. Let the sealer dry and now you can start to enjoy the bird bath you have created. Adding bird bath accessories can make your bird bath more appealing for the birds to discover.