ID Mommy Projects: Marble Mosaic Table Top

This summer I found a long, skinny table for $5 at a garage sale that I thought might come in handy on our deck to hold random stuff or even to use as an outdoor buffet for parties.  I thought I'd make it a little more fun and do a mosaic on the top with some of those flattened glass marbles you can get at craft stores. 

I got all of these marbles at thrift stores, so they were even cheaper.  They frequently turn up in thrift stores as people donate the left-over pieces from a project they've done, so I have collected quite a range of colors.  I used Eco Glue to attach them....the same glue that I use when making my Junk Mail Gems magnets.  But, any glue labeled for mosaic or other glass projects should work fine.

The table covered in marbles

 Once they dry well you can grout over the top.  I used this brown grout just because we had it left-over from a tile project in our previous house.  Just pour some in a bucket and add enough water to get it to a thick frosting-like consistency. I'm using a tile float to apply it here.  You want to make sure you get it deep into all the crevices between the marbles, and a good coating on the edges.  I find that using my bare hands works best to get the edges covered the way I want.

applying the grout

Grout is on...letting it dry a tad

Sorry, not sure why this is upside down.  But after you let it dry for a few minutes, gently wipe it with a damp sponge.

Just keep gently wiping it periodically every 10-15 minutes or so as the grout dries, removing more and more of the haze from the glass.  Once the grout is dry and hard, wipe it down again with the sponge and then buff off any remaining grout haze off the glass with a dry towel.

 Here it is all done!  It's also a good idea to brush over the whole thing with a grout sealer.  I put it off a little too long and my grout cracked a little...live and learn!