4 Lay a second line of pebbles alongside the key line. Try to choose pebbles that fit snugly between where the first row of pebbles touch. Pack the pebbles as tightly as you can. You will find that the process of inserting the pebbles gets progressively easier as they begin to prop each other up. You can check that the depth of the sand is consistent by using a cocktail stick as a simple depth gauge. You will find that you can work surprisingly quickly, covering a large surface area in a relatively short space of time.
5 Continue mosaicing the knot. Try to blend in grey pebbles with the black ones so that you achieve some shading. This is especially important where the curves cross over and under each other. Wetting the mosaic will make it easier for you to judge the subtle differences in the shade of the pebbles. Mosaic in the dark centres with black pebbles and, working inwards, fill in the remaining loop with brown pebbles. Mosaic the outside edge with dark pebbles.
6 Continue to mosaic the border. We managed to get two rows of brown and one row of dark grey before touching the knot. Fill in any gaps with thin pebbles of the same colour. Then complete the mosaic by filling in the small triangular areas with brown pebbles.
7 Mix a 1 litre (1 1/4 pints) solution of cements and water only, to the consistency of thick cream. Pour slowly and evenly over the pebbles. This is to fill any small gaps that the sand and cement would be too think to flow into. Leave the cement solution to dry to the consistency of putty. (About an hour or so depending upon the temperature.) This will also help to hold the pebbles in place when the heavy and cement mixture is poured on top of them.
8 Thoroughly mix together the sand and cement 3:1 at the dry stage before adding any water. Make a volcano and slowly add the water, mixing thoroughly with a shovel. The final sand and cement in small quantities to the mould using a trowel so as not to disturb the pebbles. Level out the surface with the trowel. Leave to harden. The concrete will take about three weeks to fully harden. After a week it is set hard enough for you to unscrew the walls of the mould and knock them away from the slab with a hammer.
9 With a strong friend to help you, carefully turn the slab over onto its back. Remove the wooden board - this should come away easily because it was waxed - and brush away the sand. This is the most exciting part as it is a bit like archaeology as you brush away the sand to reveal what lies beneath the surface.
Finally, wash and scrub the mosaic with a scrubbing brush. If the cement has 'seeped' through onto any of the pebbles, you could scrape off the offending cement with a chisel. However, don't worry too much about this, once in situ, the overall effect will be wonderful - especially when it rains!
Roman Paving slab
This geometric paving slab is based on an ancient design. The Roman loved interlacing patterns, and this one can often be seen as part of a border or elsewhere on a large Roman mosaic floor.
This mosaic is made indirect, in other words laid in reverse and fixed onto paper with awater-soluble glue. By using a simple wooden mould to contain the sand and cement, a paving slab can be made. The sand and cement, once hardened (this takes at least a week), is ideal for any patio or garden.Size 46 cm (18 in) square
Design: Martin cheek based on a traditional roman design
makers: Alan welcome and martin cheek
YOU WILL NEED
Brown parcel paper
Roll of gummed brown tape
MDF board measuring 80 * 60 cm (31 * 24 in), waxed
Tracing paper
Pencil
Carbon paper
Template
Colouring pencils
Cinca ceramic tiles as shown opposite
safety spectacles
Wallpaper paste
No. 8 paintbrush
PVA wood adhesive
one 2.5 m (8 ft) length of 5 * 2.5 cm (2 * 1 in) timber
Cupful vaseline and white spirit mixed together in equal parts
12 mm (1/2 in) paintbrush
Four 5 cm (2 in) no. 8 screws
Drill
2.5 mm (1/16 in) drill bit
Screwdriver
Toothbrush
Cup full of the silver sand
Trowel
Chicken wire
Wire cutters
Rubber gloves
Building sand and cement
Hammer
Grey grout
Squeegee
Cloths and sponges
Bowl of water
Liquid floor cleaner
1 dark grey (24 litres)
2 pale grey (23 litres)
3 dark yellow (24 tiles)
4 pearl (95 tiles)
5 rose (23 tiles)
6 pale yellow (2 tiles)
7 gold (75 tiles)
8 brown (24 tiles)
9 black (273 tiles)
1 Stretch some brown parcel paper onto a waxed MDF board. Draw the design to size on tracing paper. The design is symmetrical about two axis,so you onlyneed to trace a quarter of the full design. Transfer the design to the paper as templates. By drawing a horizontal and vertical line through the centre, the design can be traced down onto the paper in four stages, turning the tracing through 90 degrees at each stage. Then colour in the design can be traced down onto the paper in four stages, turning the tracing through 90 degrees at each stage. Then colour in the design using colouring pencils as close in colour as you can get to the Cinca tiles. This may seem unnecessary, but it allows you to concentrate on the mosaicing without having to constantly worry about whether you are using the right colour.
2 Begin by gluing down a pearl tessera in the middle of the design. Remember that the finished surface of the mosaic will be one that touches the paper. Cinca tiles don't have a right and wrong side so you can flip them over if you wish. Add the four black lines that spin off this central tessera. Place down complete half tiles where you can; where this is not possible, cut down one tessera and place it in the middle of the line, where it will not be so obvious. Leave a small gap of 1 mm(1/16 in) between each tessera. When grouted, these gaps will delineate the tesserae and emphasize the geometric quality of the design.
5 Continue mosaicing the knot. Try to blend in grey pebbles with the black ones so that you achieve some shading. This is especially important where the curves cross over and under each other. Wetting the mosaic will make it easier for you to judge the subtle differences in the shade of the pebbles. Mosaic in the dark centres with black pebbles and, working inwards, fill in the remaining loop with brown pebbles. Mosaic the outside edge with dark pebbles.
6 Continue to mosaic the border. We managed to get two rows of brown and one row of dark grey before touching the knot. Fill in any gaps with thin pebbles of the same colour. Then complete the mosaic by filling in the small triangular areas with brown pebbles.
7 Mix a 1 litre (1 1/4 pints) solution of cements and water only, to the consistency of thick cream. Pour slowly and evenly over the pebbles. This is to fill any small gaps that the sand and cement would be too think to flow into. Leave the cement solution to dry to the consistency of putty. (About an hour or so depending upon the temperature.) This will also help to hold the pebbles in place when the heavy and cement mixture is poured on top of them.
8 Thoroughly mix together the sand and cement 3:1 at the dry stage before adding any water. Make a volcano and slowly add the water, mixing thoroughly with a shovel. The final sand and cement in small quantities to the mould using a trowel so as not to disturb the pebbles. Level out the surface with the trowel. Leave to harden. The concrete will take about three weeks to fully harden. After a week it is set hard enough for you to unscrew the walls of the mould and knock them away from the slab with a hammer.
9 With a strong friend to help you, carefully turn the slab over onto its back. Remove the wooden board - this should come away easily because it was waxed - and brush away the sand. This is the most exciting part as it is a bit like archaeology as you brush away the sand to reveal what lies beneath the surface.
Finally, wash and scrub the mosaic with a scrubbing brush. If the cement has 'seeped' through onto any of the pebbles, you could scrape off the offending cement with a chisel. However, don't worry too much about this, once in situ, the overall effect will be wonderful - especially when it rains!
Roman Paving slab
This geometric paving slab is based on an ancient design. The Roman loved interlacing patterns, and this one can often be seen as part of a border or elsewhere on a large Roman mosaic floor.
This mosaic is made indirect, in other words laid in reverse and fixed onto paper with awater-soluble glue. By using a simple wooden mould to contain the sand and cement, a paving slab can be made. The sand and cement, once hardened (this takes at least a week), is ideal for any patio or garden.Size 46 cm (18 in) square
Design: Martin cheek based on a traditional roman design
makers: Alan welcome and martin cheek
YOU WILL NEED
Brown parcel paper
Roll of gummed brown tape
MDF board measuring 80 * 60 cm (31 * 24 in), waxed
Tracing paper
Pencil
Carbon paper
Template
Colouring pencils
Cinca ceramic tiles as shown opposite
safety spectacles
Wallpaper paste
No. 8 paintbrush
PVA wood adhesive
one 2.5 m (8 ft) length of 5 * 2.5 cm (2 * 1 in) timber
Cupful vaseline and white spirit mixed together in equal parts
12 mm (1/2 in) paintbrush
Four 5 cm (2 in) no. 8 screws
Drill
2.5 mm (1/16 in) drill bit
Screwdriver
Toothbrush
Cup full of the silver sand
Trowel
Chicken wire
Wire cutters
Rubber gloves
Building sand and cement
Hammer
Grey grout
Squeegee
Cloths and sponges
Bowl of water
Liquid floor cleaner
1 dark grey (24 litres)
2 pale grey (23 litres)
3 dark yellow (24 tiles)
4 pearl (95 tiles)
5 rose (23 tiles)
6 pale yellow (2 tiles)
7 gold (75 tiles)
8 brown (24 tiles)
9 black (273 tiles)
1 Stretch some brown parcel paper onto a waxed MDF board. Draw the design to size on tracing paper. The design is symmetrical about two axis,so you onlyneed to trace a quarter of the full design. Transfer the design to the paper as templates. By drawing a horizontal and vertical line through the centre, the design can be traced down onto the paper in four stages, turning the tracing through 90 degrees at each stage. Then colour in the design can be traced down onto the paper in four stages, turning the tracing through 90 degrees at each stage. Then colour in the design using colouring pencils as close in colour as you can get to the Cinca tiles. This may seem unnecessary, but it allows you to concentrate on the mosaicing without having to constantly worry about whether you are using the right colour.
2 Begin by gluing down a pearl tessera in the middle of the design. Remember that the finished surface of the mosaic will be one that touches the paper. Cinca tiles don't have a right and wrong side so you can flip them over if you wish. Add the four black lines that spin off this central tessera. Place down complete half tiles where you can; where this is not possible, cut down one tessera and place it in the middle of the line, where it will not be so obvious. Leave a small gap of 1 mm(1/16 in) between each tessera. When grouted, these gaps will delineate the tesserae and emphasize the geometric quality of the design.
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