Is Hardboard a Proper Foundation for Mosaics?

so the total Inflatable Arch thick of the finish mosaic is onli about 1/4-inch. Thi allow me to bui a ready-mad frame for almost nothing. I plan my indoor wall mosaic to be 16"x24",Th 1/8-inch thick allow the finish mosaic to fit in a standard pre-mad frame. My glass tessera ar about 1/8-inch thick. 18"x24", or 24"x24", which ar common size for pre-mad frames. If I were to us 3/4-inch plywood or MDF as the foundation, I would then have to us a custom frame with enough depth to cover the entir thick of the mosaic i.e., 3/4-inch wood foundat plu 1/8-inch tessera equal almost a 1-inch thick . Custom frame cost up to five time more than standard pre-mad frames. For example, by take advantag of their biweekli 50% sale at my favorit hobbi store, I can get a pre-mad 18"x24" frame in a love style and color that best suit the mosaic, have the mosaic instal in the frame, have the hang wire installed, and have paper back installed, all for less than $25. That' right! Less than 25 bucks. A custom-mad frame might cost as much as $150.

limit the tessera size,Hardboard make a good foundat for your mosaic as long as you limit the size of the overal mosaic. and don't displai the mosaic in a wet environment. Avoid hardboard for outdoor applic becaus of the potenti for deterioration. Assume your tessera ar the size of a quarter or less and the overal size of your mosaic is less than 24"x24", I have found that 1/8-inch thick hardboard provid an adequ foundation. If your tessera ar small, it' surpris how flexibl the mosaic is, even with grout, which mean it can withstand some warp befor the grout crack or glass piec pop off. If your tessera ar big or if you incorpor larg piec of stain glass into your mosaic, the thick of your foundat must be greater becaus the mosaic can't withstand as much warp i.e., the thicker the wood, the more resist to warp . For example, suppos your mosaic is 24"x24" and you us a singl piec of yellow stain glass to repres the bright sun light up the world. Suppos the sun' diamet is 10 inches, which make up a good chunk of the mosaic. It' easi to see how a littl warp can stress that singl piec of glass caus failur i.e., breaking, pop off . It' like ceram tile on a concrete-slab foundation. As the concret crack and moves, stress is appli to the ceram tile and, if the stress is great enough, the tile breaks. Therefore, you must consid the tessera size when choos the thick of your mosaic' foundation.

I have found that my favorit foundat is 1/8-inch hardboard. It' the dark-brown stuff that pegboard is made from but without the holes. It' slipperi smooth on on side and rough on the other. I us thi materi onli for dry,Ov the year make mani wall mosaic that ar 24"x24" or less. indoor, wall mosaic that will not be expos to moisture. I us thi materi becaus it's: 1 Rel thin, 2 Rel lightweight, and 3 Rough on on side so the glue grab hold of it well.