Glass - Glass makes an excellent, stable, and weather-resistant surface to work on. If you are using translucent materials, you can create beautiful sun catchers, votives, and even cover light fixtures. Stained Glass is the perfect tesserae when working with a glass substrate, creating the look of stained glass without the lead, solder, and fumes. Old windows, tabletops, votives, and bottles all make great bases for mosaics.
Tempered Glass is a good choice for glass-on-glass mosaics. Tempered Glass is used in countless industrial applications, such as shower doors and refrigerator shelves. Through thermal treatments, the glass is “tempered” to increase strength. Broken, or smashed Tempered Glass can be used in many unique ways if mosaic and mixed media artworks, this video will enlighten you!
Bubbles - If you are creating a window or any glass-on-glass project that uses translucent or transparent glass, you will often find that air bubbles get trapped between your tesserae and the glass. This is an ongoing frustration for many artists, and no matter what adhesive you use, it can be a problem. We have some tips for how to avoid these in a separate post.
Plexiglass - Plexiglass is a shatter-resistant alternative to glass, and like glass, it allows light to pass through. Make sure you choose an appropriate thickness for your project, and keep in mind that plexiglass can dull over time.
Adhesives for working with glass - Weldbond, Lexel, or Mac Glue all work great when adhering glass on glass.
WeldBond - When applied, it goes on white. It dries to clear and can sometimes take weeks if your tesserae are large (over 3/4"). To speed drying, put it in a sunny location or over a heat vent. it is best used with tesserae no larger than 3/4", especially when you are looking for a clear, transparent bubble-free project. We do not recommend WeldBond for projects intended for exterior display.
Lexel & Silicone - Lexel is a tough elastic sealant/adhesive that can be used both indoors and outdoors. The transparent version is 19 times clearer than silicone, without the fumes, and can be used both indoors and outdoors. It is the perfect adhesive for applying mosaic to glass top garden tables and other outdoor projects that will be exposed to varying weather conditions.
Other silicone products may be used. I prefer Lexel because of its lack of fumes.
Lexel and other silicone adhesives are thicker than Weldbond. When used in mosaic applications, it is prone to trapping bubbles beneath the tesserae. If you are looking for a translucent bubble-free result, using it will be a bit more of a challenge.
