Mosaic Table

We found an old vinyl-topped table to repurpose for this project. In step two you will see that we affixed a new top to our table. Therefore, in this step you'll need to re-surface the original top to achieve a level surface. To get started, remove any old finish to the tabletop. In our case, we used the Rigid Scraper Blade MM600 on our Multi-Max MM20 tool to remove the weathered vinyl covering. If you are removing a similar surface, set your Multi-Max tool to a high speed, work the blade side to side underneath the vinyl. Occasionally lift the blade to pry the covering from the tabletop.

Next, we measured and marked a line of cut of our new circular tabletop in 1/4" cement board. Cement board makes the perfect surface for laying tile and is resistant to mold and warping when exposed to rain outside. Often cement board is sold in 3x5' sheets. Therefore, we first cut down our sheet close to our circular line of cut using the Dremel Saw-Max and the SM520 Masonry Cutting Blade. With your cement board clamped to your work surface, turn the tool on, slowly following one of the pre-marked lines on the board. You'll notice how easy it is to follow the cut line through the notch at the front of the tool. We chose a circular tabletop shape so we have an extra "trimming" step (see step 3). However, if you choose a shape with all straight angles, mark your line of cut and cut along each straight line with the Saw-Max tool.

Next, center the sized-down board on your tabletop and secure with galvanized screws (we used 1-1/2" screws). If your tabletop is circular as ours is, trim the excess cement board around the edge of the table using your Moto-Saw and the Side Cutting Blade. In the handheld position, set your tool speed to 6 and, trace along your marked cut. Remember to let the speed of the tool do the work and do not force the blade through the cement board.

Begin laying out your design on top of your cement board to determine your desired pattern. We used four sheets of 12x12" mesh-mounted tile for our table. Depending on the complexity of your pattern, you'll notice there may be some gaps to fill and tile cutting to do. Later on, we'll show you how to make any necessary cuts using the NEW Dremel 4200 tool. After you have determined your pattern, remove your tile and, using a grout float, apply adhesive to the top (and sides) of your cement board.

If you choose a pattern similar to ours, we recommend laying tile along the edges and outer circumference of the tabletop first, then begin filling in the center.

As you begin laying out tiles to fill in any existing gaps, mark cut lines along the tiles. Cutting small ceramic tile is easy with a Dremel Rotary Tool and an EZ545 cutting wheel. Here, we used the NEW 4200. Clamp your tile to your workbench and with your tool set to a mid-to high speed, cut along your line of cut. Remember to let the speed of the tool do the work and do not force the wheel through the tile, as chipping may occur.

Once you have your tiles all in place in the adhesive, allow to set overnight. Once tiles are set, use a grout float to fill in all of the seams in between tiles. Allow the grout to set up then wipe the surface clean.