
Always wear safety glasses when using nippers, and sand sharp cut edges with Fine-Grit Sandpaper ($3, The Home Depot). When you're ready to begin tiling, you'll need a few tools: Tile Nippers ($16, Michaels) make cutting glass or ceramic tiles a breeze. Online estimators can help determine how many tiles you will need for a project, but it may also be helpful to plan your design on a piece of paper cut to the same size and shape as the surface you'll be covering. The first step to laying down a mosaic is finding out how many tiles you need. Most mosaic projects can be completed in a few hours, and will need to dry for 24 hours before use.

Use these easy instructions to create a mosaic pattern on any surface you choose. Here's the nitty-gritty on materials, tools, and tips to get started. These tips and projects are for indoor use, but you can easily transform them into outdoor projects with a topcoat of weather-resistant sealer. Tiles come in different materials, shapes, sizes, and colors (plus, grouting isn't nearly as complicated as it seems!) so it's easy to completely customize your look. We'll walk you through the basics so you can decorate your own furniture or accessories with bright colors and patterns you create yourself.

It can be intimidating upon first glance, but making your own mosaic projects is actually fairly straightforward and the finished results are stunning.

A mosaic is simply a pattern made up of small pieces of tile, glass, or other materials, usually secured with grout.
