DIY Outdoor Table Patio Project

Transform your outdoor patio table into a mosaic work of art with tiles and thinset mortar. This DIY craft project works with wooden or metal outdoor tables. You can arrange the tiles to illustrate an image, or create a colorful, freeform design.

Materials

Mosaic tiles are small, flat and shaped in squares, circles, semi-circles, stars and a variety of other designs. You can find mosaic tiles measuring 2-inches square or less at your local home improvement store. These tiles are primarily made from glass, ceramic and porcelain and used to decorate walls or floors. They are attached to a mesh backing in 1-foot square sizes. You can use these tiles to create a tiled patio table top, or separate the individual tiles to create a mosaic design.

Mosaic tiles from the craft store are often 1-inch square or less and made from ceramic or porcelain. These tiles are loose and are often packaged in a colorful mixture. You can also order small, individual mosaic tiles from online resources in specific color palates, shapes and quantities.

The other materials you will need to make an outdoor mosaic are thinset mortar and exterior grout. Its easier to spread thinset with a trowel and grout with a grout float.

If your patio table is made from metal or if the wood is thin, you can add concrete backer board on the tabletop before you add the tiles. The concrete backer board provides more stability to your project. You can attach the backer board to the patio table with waterproof construction adhesive.

Process

Prepare the surface of your tabletop by attaching the concrete backer board, if needed. Otherwise, remove any debris from the metal or the wood surface. If you are making a mosaic image, trace the outline of your design onto the table or the concrete board.

Its a good idea to work in small sections at a time as you create your mosaic; apply a thin layer of thinset to an area and then place the tiles. You can leave up to 1/4-inch of space between each tile; dont worry if the spacing is not uniform. If you need to cut a tile to fit the space, tile nippers will snap as much or as little as you need.

When the tabletop and edges are covered with your tile design, press grout into the crevices between the tiles. Its easier to use your fingers to apply the grout on the table edges. Make sure that you remove all of the grout residue from the face of the tiles before it dries. Dried grout residue can cause a cloudy appearance. Warm water and a sponge will remove the grout while its wet.