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Ideas for the Home

You are here: Home / Craft Ideas / Mosaic Pots Trio: How To Make Broken China Mosaics

By Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil on June 10, 2018 32 Comments

Mosaic Pots Trio: How To Make Broken China Mosaics

Craft Ideas

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Learn how to make broken china mosaics using old plates with flowers and patterns. This step-by-step craft tutorial shows how to create pots for succulents.

Hello Kenarry readers! We are Jennifer and Kitty from Running With Sisters, and we are super excited to share one of our favorite crafts – making mosaics with broken china!

We love to mosaic. It really feels like we’ve made something when we’re through. And our favorite thing to mosaic with is broken china. For us, it combines crafting and flea market shopping! Dream date!

RunningWithSisters.com Glue broken china tiles onto painted terra cotta pot to make a broken china mosaic pots.

Where to Buy Broken China for Mosaics

The best place to look is the flea market!

The last time we went to the flea market we stocked up on old china plates. We looked for pretty plates with flowers and patterns around the outside edge and on the bottom. Teacups and plates are cute, but they can be too curved to make nice flat tiles. While we were shopping, we also found some inexpensive knick-knacks topped with little roses. They look like birthday cake flowers made out of china. We thought they’d be cute embedded in our mosaic!

China Plates and Knick Knacks From The Flea Market

If you’ve never done it before, china mosaic might seem daunting. How do you cut plates? What kind of grout do you use? Well, once you see how it’s done, it’s not that hard. And the finished mosaics are amazing! So here’s how we did it. (And remember if you have any questions while you’re working on your pots, just ask us in the comment form. We’re here to help!)

How To Make China Mosaic Pots

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links for products or services we think you’ll like. This means if you make a purchase from one of these links, Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® will make a small commission at no additional cost to you so we can keep the great ideas for the home coming your way. All opinions expressed are derived from personal experience.

Materials

  • 3 terra cotta pots, 4″ diameter
  • Spray paint, white
  • 5-7 china plates
  • China knick-knacks with 3 roses
  • 1 lb. sanded grout, white
  • 8 oz. mosaic grout sealer
  • Permanent craft adhesive glue (choose a viscous and fast-drying glue)

Tools & Materials for Breaking China and Chiseling Roses

  • Chisel
  • Hammer
  • Tile nippers or wheel cutters (these are made and sold for mosaic crafting)*
  • Large resealable zipper storage bags
  • Protective leather gloves
  • Safety glasses
  • Bubble wrap
  • Rag

*We have both tools and use the nippers to get big cuts and the wheel cutters for more precise cutting.

Other Tools

  • Latex or nitrile gloves
  • Dropcloth
  • Disposable mixing container
  • Wooden stir stick
  • Sponge
  • Putty knife
  • Paper towels
  • Face mask (optional)
  • Cup for water
  • Pail for rinsing sponge
  • Paintbrush

Here’s What To Do

Cut the china plate into mosaic tiles with nippers or wheel cutters.

1. Break The China
To do this, wear your leather gloves and glasses and place a plate inside a zipper bag. (This will catch and contain any sharp little chards.) Use the nippers or wheel cutters inside the bag. Grip the edge of the plate with the nipper blades perpendicular to the edge of the plate. The nippers only need to nip ¼” to ½” into the plate. Squeeze the nippers onto the china. They will create a crack and break the china into two pieces.

Here’s a little video we made to show how to cut a china plate with both tile cutters and wheel nippers. (We were making a different project, but the cutting technique is the same.)


Repeat the cutting process to cut the larger pieces into smaller tiles. We aimed for tiles around ½” square (although none ended up square, of course!). We ended up using about 90-100 cut tiles per pot. So we cut a lot!

Chisel china roses off flea market knick knacks to use in mosaics.

2. Chisel The Roses
To chisel the roses off your knick-knacks, make a bed of bubble wrap and cover it with a rag. Wear your safety gloves and glasses. Nestle the knick-knack into the towel. Set the chisel edge under the rose. Strike the end of the chisel with the hammer. It may take more than one blow. (We broke the petals of one of our roses, but we just glued them back on when we put it on the mosaic. No one will know!)

Glue broken china tiles into mosaic on pot.

3. Arrange and Glue The China Pieces
Paint the pots (including the inside lip) and let them dry. This next part is like doing a puzzle, so we like to start by laying out all our tiles on the table face up.

Start by gluing a rose to the front of a pot. Next select tiles to tuck under the rose and attach them with a dab of glue on the back of each tile. Leave about 1/8″ between each tile for the grout. Choose straight edge tiles for the bottom and top of the mosaic. Fill in the spaces by scanning your table full of tiles for just the right shape. If you can’t find it, use your tile cutters to create the perfect tile (just be sure to put your safety gloves and glasses back on!). Repeat to mosaic the other two pots.

Mix powdered grout with water.

4. Mix The Grout
Wear a mask if desired and don your latex-type gloves. Mix half the grout package according to the directions on the label. (Ours took one part water to seven parts grout, so we used a little more than one ounce of water for half the 16-ounce bag.) Add less water than you need at first. Stir and add more water if the mixture is too dry. Mix until the grout is the consistency of natural peanut butter. The grout stays workable for about 15 minutes, so be ready to grout the mosaic before you mix the grout.

Spread grout over tiles on mosaic.

5. Spread The Grout
Spread the grout onto the surface of the mosaic pot right over the china pieces. Use a damp sponge or putty knife to spread the grout around all the china pieces and roses. (Confession. We also use our gloved fingers to spread the grout. But we are super careful since there are a lot of sharp edges on broken china tiles!) Make sure the top edge and bottom edge of the mosaic are grouted.

Sponge grout off tiles.

As you are finishing, go over the pot with a damp sponge lightly cleaning the grout off the tiles without removing the grout from between the tiles. Clean the lip of the pot with a damp sponge to remove any grout before it sets up. Repeat to grout each pot, mixing up more grout as needed. Let dry for 30 minutes.

6. Buff The Tiles
After 30 minutes, use a paper towel or damp sponge to wipe the grout haze off the china pieces. Be careful not to remove the grout from between the tiles. Wait another 30 minutes and buff the haze again. Repeat if necessary.

7. Seal The Mosaic
Let the grout dry for 24 hours, then seal the surface of the tiles and grout with grout sealer and a paintbrush. Let dry. (Sealant makes the mosaic water resistant, but not waterproof.) Now plant a trio of succulents and sit back and enjoy your little garden!

How do you smooth the edges of the broken china?

Since we published this article, we kept getting asked about smoothing out the edges of the broken china. Yes, you really do have to be careful when you use broken china – it is sharp! But you don’t have to smooth them out before you put them on the flower pots.

Just make sure you are using enough grout. The grout covers the sharp edges and creates a smooth feeling around the pot.

RunningWithSisters.com Glue broken china tiles onto painted terra cotta pot to make a broken china mosaic pots.We hope you have fun doing your mosaics. And we’d love to hear from you! Let us know how your pots turned out! And if you’ve done mosaic projects before, we’d love to hear about that, too! What did you mosaic? Please share with us below!

Happy Crafting,
Jennifer & Kitty

More Craft Tutorials

Want to see more crafts from the O’Neil Sisters? You might like…

Flea Style Birdhouse

Flea-Style-Birdhouse

Mosaic Garden Bench

Mosaic-Garden-Bench

Etched Window Garden Screen

The-Butterfly-Effect-Garden-Window-Screen

What’s Next?

While you’re here, be sure to check out other craft projects on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® –

  • How to Make Coasters from Ceramic Tiles
  • Recycled Magazine Art: How to Create a Ceramic Mosaic Look with Paper
  • Kintsugi Tile Coasters: How to Make This Trendy Craft
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Craft Ideas

About Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil

Jennifer and Kitty O’Neil are sisters and authors of several books including Steampunk Chic: Vintage Flair From Recycled Finds. Their crafting, decorating, and jewelry designs have appeared in Woman’s World, Craft Ideas, and Create and Decorate magazines and on the web sites of Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, and HGTV. Their detailed craft videos can be found on Curious.com and on their YouTube channel, which has over 2.2 million views. The O’Neil Sisters share their enthusiasm and their fresh approach to crafting and decorating on their blog, RunningWithSisters.com.

The O'Neil Sisters shared their great ideas on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® from June 2015 - May 2019. Follow the O’Neil Sisters on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Summer Himes says

    June 10, 2015 at 8:05 am

    Thank you so much. I have always wanted to do this but didn’t know how to use the nippers. The video was great about how to cut the rose out and keep it together at the same time. You did a fantastic job.

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      June 10, 2015 at 8:08 am

      You’re so welcome, Summer! The O’Neil Sisters did a great job explaining it step-by-step.

      Reply
    • Jennifer and Kitty says

      June 12, 2015 at 1:34 pm

      Thanks for the kind words, ladies! The nippers are really fun to use once you try them. They make cutting the china so easy!

      Reply
    • Michelle says

      March 6, 2020 at 12:41 pm

      Does it have to be ” china” plates? Can you use regular dollar store plates?

      Reply
      • Carrie Ypma says

        March 10, 2020 at 10:12 pm

        That is a great question, Michelle! We have never tried plates from the Dollar Store for mosaics before, and we’re not sure how they would break. But for only a dollar a plate, it sure would be worth a try! Will you let us all know how it goes?! Hope it works well and that your project turns out great!
        Jennifer & Kitty

        Reply
  2. Theresa @DearCreatives says

    June 10, 2015 at 6:58 pm

    I haven’t done mosaic in a long time but, going to pin this for when I’m ready to try it again. Feel free to share it at the party!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      June 10, 2015 at 9:50 pm

      Thanks for pinning, Theresa! We appreciate it! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Amanda @ Dwelling in Happiness says

    June 11, 2015 at 12:03 am

    Ooohhh my goodness Carrie, I LOVE these!! So unique and gorgeous!! I have a ton of random china that was given to me that I have no idea what to do with, and this would be perfect! 🙂

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      June 11, 2015 at 10:10 pm

      This would be a GREAT way to use all those mix and match china pieces, Amanda! I can’t wait to see how your DIY mosaics turn out. DO send or post pictures and let me know so I can see them, okay?

      Reply
  4. Sondra Lyn says

    June 11, 2015 at 11:22 pm

    Oh, my goodness… I love these! Well done, ladies!

    Reply
  5. Diana says

    April 15, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    I’m so excited about making my first mosaic flower pots. Thank you so much for your excellent directions and videos. I do have a question, as a sealer can I use Mod Podge? Somewhere in all my readings I saw you could, but for the life of me I can not find it. Thank you again for your beautiful work!
    Diana

    Reply
    • Jennifer and Kitty says

      April 15, 2016 at 8:42 pm

      Hi Diana,
      We’re so excited that you want to make the pots! We love ModPodge and have used ModPodge Outdoors to seal birdhouses and other outdoor projects, but we haven’t tried it on grouted mosaics. We think it should work, but you may have to water it down a bit. The grout sealer is watery like milk and ModPodge Outdoors is thicker like a paste. Maybe test an area first to see how it goes. And please come back and let us know if it works!
      Happy Crafting,
      Jennifer & Kitty

      Reply
  6. clara murphy says

    February 24, 2017 at 2:48 pm

    do have instructions for Mosiacs for a small table

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      February 25, 2017 at 2:59 pm

      Hi Clara, thank you for reaching out to us. There are several mosaic tutorials here on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®. You’ll find a full list of all of them here. For each of the mosaic projects the technique is very similar and would work well on a small table. The O’Neil Sisters have a few additional posts that specifically focus on tables that you might want to check out as well —

      How to Mosaic a Table
      Smashing Tile Table

      Good luck with your mosaic project! We’d love to see photos when you’re finished.

      Best wishes,
      Carrie

      Reply
  7. Christi says

    March 7, 2017 at 12:21 pm

    Awesome instructional video! I have been on the search for china plates and flowers, but wasn’t sure how to attack nipping everything. Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      March 7, 2017 at 9:04 pm

      The O’Neil Sisters did a fantastic job explaining how to nip everything, didn’t they? The video makes it look doable so long as you have the right tools. Thanks, Christi!

      Reply
  8. Geraldine Gravel says

    January 21, 2018 at 10:11 pm

    Oh my gosh I really love this site. I stumbled upon it by accident and the creativity abounds. I consider myself an artist but sometimes I need a nudge you all give me inspiration when Im stuck. Been doing some biologics chemo and it takes its toll on my creative spirit lately, thank you for the wonderful colors and the happy feeling of your site, really took me out of a funky day .

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      January 22, 2018 at 12:20 pm

      Hi Geraldine — we’re so thrilled you found our site and that it was able to lift your spirits! Happy crafting and hoping you feel better soon.

      Reply
  9. Deb File says

    September 2, 2018 at 6:12 pm

    Hi, I am enjoying reading your blog. I am working on a project using pottery shards and shells. The shards are thicker than the shells, and I am trying to figure out a way to “raise”the shells so they are at least at a similar level and not partially buried by the grout. Do you have any suggestions? I would really appreciate your input. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil says

      September 4, 2018 at 6:23 pm

      Hi Deb — So sorry for the delayed response! We were celebrating the holiday weekend with family. You ask a great question! It definitely would help to have all the embedments — the shells and shards — the same level when you go to grout. Depending on the type of shells you’re using and how much you need them raised up, you could apply a thicker dollop of glue behind the shells. Or you could glue each shell onto something else, like a small mosaic tile, to lift it up to the height of the shards. You could then glue the shell-topped tile to your substrate. Once you apply the grout around the shell, the item you glued the shell to should be hidden. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  10. Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil says

    March 10, 2020 at 1:22 pm

    That is a great question, Michelle! We have never tried plates from the Dollar Store for mosaics before, and we’re not sure how they would break. But for only a dollar a plate, it sure would be worth a try! Will you let us all know how it goes?! Hope it works well and that your project turns out great!
    Jennifer & Kitty

    Reply

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Carrie Ypma from Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®Hello, I'm Carrie! Welcome to Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® where we want to help you create a home you love. We're glad you're here! Read more...

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