Natural Stone is wonderful to use to create rustic, earthy mosaics but requires a little preparation before use.
It is crystalline in it's composition and so requires sealing to prevent discolouration from grout or thinset. Once sealed, the true colours of the stone show beautifully, particularly when sealed with wax.
There are a few ways in which you can seal stone, and the simplest is soaking in a 4:1 ratio of water and any pva glue. I let soak for between 15 - 30 minutes to allow the mix to soak right into the porous stone. Once soaked, take out of the mixture and lay on clingwrap or plastic, to dry.
Stone can also be sealed with beeswax, non-coloured furniture polish, or stone sealant.
Due to it's crystalline structure, stone is tricky to cut without the right tools, and takes a little practice to master. The traditional method of cutting is using a hammer and hardie, but our Rubi Wheeled Nippers are designed for cutting stone and porcelain, and our Rubi Side-biters are used for nibbling away to refine your required shape.
Grouting your natural stone mosaic is a personal choice, however a common way to create your design is to lay the stone directly into your bed of thinset.
If you'd like to view a detailed video on cutting stone with a hammer and hardie to create a mosaic using the direct method, this is a great tutorial:
You can see some wonderful creations made by Sunny from Stone Art in Ireland, and find further reading from his blog using the following link:
Photos subject to copyright and used with permission by Sunny at Stone Art, Ireland.