So hey! Let’s talk about how to INSTALL this Mason Jar Mosaic backsplash that just went up in our upstairs bath! If you missed Part 1, we discussed how to tint clear glass Mason jars (or any clear jars you have lying around), as well as breaking and sorting your ‘Tesserae’!
Now lets get down and dirty (LITERALLY) with some tile adhesive compound and goopy grout! Grouting a backsplash is a messy job, and there will be several occasions where you want to take a bath in turpentine, but JUST KEEP GOING! The end result is well worth it!
Mason Jar Mosaic Backsplash (contains aff links)
- 12 (1qt) Mason Jars or any plain old jars!
- Poly Blend Grout $10.99 (we already had)
- Tile Adhesive (Ker 909) $8.99
- Notched Trowel $8.37
- Pebo Vitrea 160 Glass Paint (in Turquoise) $7.84
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Total cost: $36.19
Our total cost: $25.20 (!!!)
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We started out with a tub of tile adhesive (we used Ker 909… $8.99 for the whole tub). For this size backsplash, we used less than half the tub. There’s no need to mix anything here… just dig your trowel in (or in our case a putty knife), and slap it on the wall. Stick with an area that’s about 1 square foot at a time, and smooth the adhesive on about 1/4” thick… like frosting a cake!
You’re supposed to use a notched trowel whenever installing a backsplash of any kind (unless you’re painting your backsplash!) because it creates ‘air pockets’ that supposedly help keep everything secure when dry. I believe this is legit, but it was a huge PAIN and I quit doing it after my first square foot. Just bein’ real! (Real LAZY!) But I’m giving you an image below, so that I can feel like I’m providing a thorough tutorial.
Because your broken mason jar pieces are rounded (some more than others), ‘butter’ on some adhesive to the back of each piece with a plastic butter knife before pressing it into place. When you stick it onto the wall, you should feel it press firmly into the goop. You’ll just know, trust me! If it’s not secure, pull it off and butter on some more adhesive.’
This was the most time consuming part of the process. I took a break after each square foot because my back hurt… but you can tackle it faster because you’re a spring chicken! You’ll get into a groove, and learn to be less messy as you work your way down the line.
When you press each tile into place, if there’s some tile adhesive that globs up between pieces, try to wipe it off with a clean finger and scrape it back into the bucket. You want there to be enough of a groove between ‘tiles’ that the grout will have somewhere to go. Make sense? This stuff dries like concrete, so you’ll save yourself some time later by trying to keep things as clean as possible.
The instructions on the tile adhesive say that you should wipe off excess compound from the face of your ‘tile’ immediately if you can (otherwise scrub it with mineral spirits after it’s dried). I found this to be difficult because the tile would move around when I was trying to wipe it, so I just tried to keep things as clean as possible and planned to wipe it down later with mineral spirits.
Here’s where my regrets about tinting the outside instead of the inside of the jars come into play. When I began wiping down the glass pieces with mineral spirits… IT STARTED REMOVING THE ‘PERMANENT’ GLASS DYE. It was at this point that I just about took a sledge hammer to the whole thing. Then I tried using a chisel (which is actually much easier), and it was still chipping off the tint! I’m not going to even show you a picture of what the tiles looked like, because this isn’t going to happen to you. Because you’re going to dye your jars on the inside. RIGHT?
My mason jar mosaic backsplash looks a little globbier than yours will, because I had to touch up my tiles with more glass tint. It’s not a big deal, because we’re going to seal the backsplash and it’ll be super durable and all. But I could just cry thinking about how that one simple step almost ruined everything. Moving along!
Now that your glass pieces are free of ickiness, and everything is good and hard (we waited a couple days), it’s time to mix up the grout! Make sure you use ‘non-sanded’ grout for this, so as not to scratch your glass pieces. Mix according to directions on the box.
Just scrrrrrape it on with the flat edge of your trowel or putty knife, making sure to push it down into those grooves real good!
We did half the backsplash at a time with this. After the grout was packed on real good, we immediately scraped off the excess with an old rubber spatula. This allows the grout to stay down in the grooves between the glass. At this point, you may notice areas that didn’t get enough grout… go ahead and slop some more in those spots!
Wait 10 minutes, and go at it with a big sponge, using a different part of the sponge for each wipe (otherwise your just smearing grout around). You’ll need to rinse your sponge A LOT in a bucket of water. And you’ll need to get fresh water every 4 or 5 times of rinsing your sponge. Be patient! Some of your ‘tiles’ will be completely buried in grout… scrub ‘em out! You’ll know where they are because there will be a blank spot!
You should be left with clean yet ‘hazy’ tiles. Let them sit this way for two hours.
Then come back and polish them with a cheesecloth or lint-free cloth.
You are DONE my friends! Stand back and check out your Mason Jar Mosaic BACKSPLASH! Not bad, eh? If there are any sharp corners sticking up that didn’t get smoothed over with grout, just take a fine-grit metal file to it, lickity split! Then apply white (or whatever color your grout is) silicone caulk where the backsplash meets the counters. We didn’t end up sealing our grout since it was in the bathroom… we weren’t worried about stains as much. But from what I read, it’s recommended to seal the grout for kitchens and flooring. I did a quick google search here and found tons of products for this!
The premise is simple for installing this backsplash, but it WILL take some time and elbow grease… so just gear up for it! Eat lots of snickerdoodles in advance so your body and mind are ready for it!
UPDATE! It’s been 3 years since we installed this mason jar mosaic backsplash, and it still looks awesome! We occasionally wipe it down with a washcloth without any problems, and we haven’t gotten scratched or cut at all!
As always, if you use our tutorial to install your own Mason Jar Mosaic Backsplash, be sure to send us pictures! We can’t wait to see yours! And feel free to comment below with any questions you might have!
~Bethany
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Be sure to check out our tutorial for building a butcher block counter!
THANKS for pinning!
*this post contains affiliate links
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Thanks for this inspiring tutorial! We took you basic idea and ran with it. In the end we did a « backsplash » that covers two walls in the kitchen. We used objects, like the key to husbands childhood home, my grandmother’s china and many more significant items as well as broken colored glass. My daughter extended the grey grout we used up over the window and etched in images of cedar, birch, ferns, pine , bittersweet etc. I just love it. We would never have been brave enough to take it on without you example. Thanks so much!
No wayyyy! I must see this! Can you email me a picture at beth@realitydaydream.com ?
But for our small bathroom backsplash, we used about 3 dozen 32 oz mason jars. We had quite a bit leftover, but it was nice to have excess because you’ll find yourself searching for a certain size/shape piece sometimes. Hope this helps! Send pics when you’re done!
Do you think. This would work for in the tub ? Trying for a diy budget friendly. I just love I can choose colors that would go with 50’s seafoam green tub, sink and toilet with out breaking our wallet.
Are you talking about the wall around a tub? Like the shower surround? That’s a lot of surface area and would take a lot of time. But it would be very cool! Please do note that there can be sharp edges that may need to be filed down.
I have wine bottles that I want to use outside on stepping stone can you do everything the same way? Also how is the glass not sharp and cutting your hands i noticed you did not use gloves? Thank You
Hey Beverly, I have no idea if this would be durable enough to use as stepping stones. And yes we totally cut our hands. We lived in the country at the time, and if you don’t have something, you just figure it out since it’s so long to drive in for supplies!
Love it!!!!! Did you end up not sealing the backsplash? I want to do this in my kitchen with the white grout, but I’m afraid it will eventually look so yucky. What do you recommend I seal it all with?
We didn’t, but if you’re doing this in the kitchen, I would definitely seal it.
Bethany,
I have. 2 cases of wine glasses from the tasting centers and would like to use them instead of Mason jar. Do you think it would work?
I would think so, yes!!
I really like this idea. Did you have to use an outlet extender so that the face plate would fit on to the outlet after tiling or we you able to reattach workout any issues?
We did use an outlet extender. It was pretty easy and we didn’t have any problems!
My brother suggested I might like this web site. He was once
entirely right. This put up truly made my day.
You can not imagine simply how much time I had spent for this info!
Thank you!
Do you think this would also work for seashells? Wanting to make a seashell backsplash for my garden rub.
Yes absolutely! And PLEASE send pics when you’re done!
beth@realitydaydream.com
Is it necessary to paint the glass?
If your glass is just clear without any tinting, you’ll just see the mastic through the glass and it might look really messy. But if you’re going for a white/clear look, you should go for it! Please send pics when you’re done!
Can this be used for a kitchen back splash?
Yes I would think so! It would be a lot of work to install, but would make an awesome statement. If you give it a go, be sure to send pics!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DIYRealityDaydream/
I have shattered glass from a sliding glass door that I wanted to tint lavender/purple and cover the top of a small cafe table. Is this the same method and supplies I would use?
Yes I would think so!
OMG! I wish I have seen this earlier. We just started to put a new backsplash on in our kitchen. Would have gone with this project.
So unique. Great job and thank you for sharing.
use a cake decorator bag to apply the grout around the pieces of glass. Smooth with pencil or pen and save yourself the cleanup time.
That’s so smart!
What do you mean by smoothing it out w a pencil? I am just learning
I love this!!! I’m going to use wine bottles to create this in the small area we have behind our new stove. I was able to find a grout sealer that can be applied over glass, I’ll post a picture of it completed and let anyone know if it worked for us. So excited and so thankful for how detailed your steps were!
Sarah, did it work?
What is the square footage of your backsplash? I want to make sure I have enough of everything:)
Thank you so much for sharing your back splash project, it turned out beautiful. I really like how you explain step by step in details with a sense of humor, good job!
I was wondering if those tile adhesive strips would work for this application. I’m thinking of doing my guest bathroom, but I doubt I’ll have the stamina to sit/stand while piecing onto a wall, especially overy my head. It would be easier to do the strips, then put them all up at once.
we used the adhesive tiles for our kitchen back splash as a quick fix until the big reno. they are awesome. go for it.
Hi! Do you think this would work in the shower? I would love to make one HUGE mosaic wall instead of using tile. What would I use to make it waterproof??
I just came across this as I was looking for an inexpensive backsplash. I am curious though, what did you use on top? It looks like a white ledge of some sort.
Oh my goodness, I don’t know how I’m missing comments. So sorry! Yes we put a white piece of trim over the top ledge to cover the uneven edge and make it appear more crisp and ‘finished’. We routed a groove under the trim so it would fit flush against the wal and still cover the top of the backsplash. Hope this helps!
I cannot wait to do this in my kitchen! I happened upon your pin on Pinterest & instantly fell in love! Any idea about how many jars you need per square foot of this project?? I am trying to collect jars.
Do you have an answer to this, as I am thinking about starting this project! 🙂
Kari, we just installed a trim piece (a transition strip I think) to cover up the rough edge at the top. Hope that answers your question! And let me know if you have any more! and definitely send us pics when you’re done. 🙂 Good luck!
I’m so sorry, somehow I’m missing comments! I would say about 3 quart jars per square foot of backsplash you’re doing. Hope this helps!
I’m so sorry, somehow I’m missing comments! I would say about 3 quart jars per square foot of backsplash you’re doing. Hope this helps. Send pics when you’re done!
Can you do this on a wooden surface? Neat DIY!
I don’t see why not! Send us pics when you’re done!!
Ball now make tinned jars if you need to buy them. You can buy green and blue.
Hi, I was wondering…do you think this would work as a fireplace surround?
In theory it should… I would just do some research on the caulk to make sure you get one that’s heat resistant. Hope this helps!
Right above the pic with you using the silicon scraper to remove the excess there is an unfinished sentence “If you notice an area that didn'”…. What is that statement? Thanks
Oh weird! I don’t know what happened to that sentence! I went back and fixed it. Here’s what I was trying to say:
At this point, you may notice areas that didn’t get enough grout… go ahead and slop some more in those spots!
Was thinking that if you used a rock tumbler you could make the edges softer and make sea glass. Would be very pretty as a backsplash in a bathroom or kitchen.
That is a great suggestion! If we do this again in our other bathroom we’re totally going to do that!
Google idea for a frosted look!
That auto filled, should be “good”.
omg love that idea..seaglass crazy right now! This whole project is so cool, thanks so much for sharing everyone!
This is AWESOME. Have been scouring Pinterest for backsplash ideas that are unique, stylish, inexpensive, and do-able. This is it! Thank you for this post!! Love it!
I am almost finished my back splash. So after it is dry, hazing removed and sharp edges filed— you say to seal with CLEAR Poly- it is not in your list of ingredients at total of project (end of your blog). Can you be more specific? I have never used anything but a grout sealer, so the clear Poly- what is it, and does it go ONLY on the grout lines? Thanks
We didn’t end up sealing our grout since it was in the bathroom… we weren’t worried about stains as much. But from what I read, it’s recommended to seal the grout for kitchens and flooring. I did a quick google search and found tons of products for this! https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=grout+sealer&tbm=shop
My question is for Lorraine Turner, did you use the mason jars & paint all different colors or something else? Your glass pieces seamed to be flat compared to the demo? Just curious, & what type pf paints did you use? I love all the colors. Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi, I am currently collecting mason jars to do this to my backsplash in my kitchen. It’s a whole wall behind my sink (No grease will be near it) How many bottles of coloring do you suggest I order? I have about 100 mason jars so far, and they were all free!! I want to order the same color as you so that I can expect the same results 🙂
Also, how do you think maybe mixing two different colors would come out? Like turquoise for some then the Lacquer Blue for others?
Yes I think mixing two different colors could be fun!
We used 5 different colors (1 has a frosted look!) and even mixed a couple when we needed “just a bit more paint”. It’s only about 1/3 – 1/2 way done, but it looks amazing so far!
CANNOT wait to see pics!! It’s going to be awesome!
I just used about 10 colors and combined it with broken stained glass:) I streaked in various shades while painting the mason jars and they look fantastic!
It’s hard to suggest an amount without knowing the square footage of your area. But for our small bathroom backsplash, we used about 3 dozen 32 oz mason jars. We had quite a bit leftover, but it was nice to have excess because you’ll find yourself searching for a certain size/shape piece sometimes. Hope this helps! Send pics when you’re done!
Awesome job! It’s came out great, thank you for sharing!
This is great, thank you for sharing! I have a question.. what is the easiest/safest way to break the mason jars into pieces?
HI Lynda! We laid out all our jars on a sheet, put a another sheet over them, and took a hammer to them! It was actually pretty fun. 🙂 We describe it more in the Part 1 post of our Mason Jar Backsplash… here’s the link!
https://realitydaydream.com/2013/05/mason-jar-mosaic-backsplash-tutorial.html
juntare botellas de vino verdes asi reciclare un poco mas y lo haré en las paredes de mi baño gracias por la idea
This literally made my jaw drop — wow! I’m going to dig now for a picture of the full kitchen so I can get see it with the rest of the space.
What a great Do-It-Yourself project. I wonder if you can tile over tile that is already there. Do you recommend removing the old first? he kids would love to get involved with something like this project. seems kid friendly enough.
Just curious how long you’ve had it up since finish date and if you would get cut wiping it down during cleaning!?!?!! Thinking about doing my kitchen.
It’s been about 8 months now, and it still looks great! Occasionally there are some water spots from splashing, but they wipe right off! I can’t say for sure how well it would work with grease if it were on a kitchen backsplash. I’ve seen some people that seal the grout with a water-based polyurethane, but that sounds like a very tedious task since you’d want to avoid getting it on the glass. Let me know if you give it a try, and how it works out for you!
Hello,
It looks awesome. To get a hold of a Mason jar in Australia is a least a few bucks each. Would Spaghetti Jars do for the whole project? Should I be looking out for thick glass jars?
Spaghetti jars would work perfectly! I used a combo of mason jars and spaghetti jars, and you can’t tell the difference between them. Good luck! Send pics when you’re done!
I want to do this with beer bottles in my kitchen
Cool! You SHOULD! It’s time consuming, but totally worth it. And sooooooo inexpensive! Pleeeeease send us pics when you’re done?
nevermind, just was the PIN IT at the end!
Holy crapola!! I love the color, but how did you not keep from getting your fingers sliced up? I tried tiling my bathroom with free tile scraps, necklaces, gun brass, shells, etc. but when I tried some broken china and glass plates, the curves were just very scary. No matter how careful I was, I still got cut. However, this is very cool! I am going to show my brother this…he will like it too!
Where have you been all my life? This is amazing! I have been looking for this idea for several years. Having lived in a rental house & not finding glass tiles that I liked or could afford, this would have been the answer. I have since moved & will definitely give this a try. Thank you so much & Happy New Year to you both!
That is amazing! Love it!
This may be a very elementary question, but after tinting, baking, and breaking the glass, will it be obvious which side is the inside and which side is the outside when placing the pieces onto the back splash? Would there be occasion where tinting inside and outside would be advised? Thanks again, great job!!!
If you were tinting a flat panel of glass, it would be difficult to tell which side is tinted. But since the mason jars are curved, it’s pretty easy to tell. I don’t think there’s a situation where you’d need to tint both sides.
Oh, you gorgeous things! I just followed a link from Nine Red, and I’m a little besotted already. I’ll be daydreaming about not being rubbish at DIY- thanks for the inspiration!
And bubbles…why do I have bubbles?! Getting tempted to throw these jar around the room.
Probably just me confusing myself, but I am struggling to work out why it would make a difference painting the inside?? Surely once it is broken up you won’t know which side is which?
Absolutely in love with this and am working up the enthusiasm to attempt this as a kitchen splash back as I can’t find anything in the shops that I like!
You can tell by the curvature of the glass which side is the inside or outside. If you were using a flat panel if glass, it would be hard to tell. Please send pics when you’re done!
*slaps forehead*
That makes sense…my tired brain couldn’t figure it out! Will let you know if I do get around to it!
I have bought the purple paint and thinner…have painted one jar and it now hasdrips and streaks. Not looking attractive.
How much thinner should I put into the paint? And how did you get yours so streak free?!!!!
Truthfully mine was pretty streaky too. If you mix your paint a little thicker you can avoid the drips a lot better. The beauty is that you’re going to break them into little pieces, so you won’t notice brush strokes and such nearly as much as you are right now. 🙂
I used a very soft round art type natural hair paint brush with a 1/4″ wide ferrule. As I painted mine under a britght light, I watched carefully as I painted. I went back over anything immediately that seemed streaky. I did not use any thinner. I think that would make streaking worse.
This is beautiful! I have been looking for a blue backsplash for months and haven’t found anything I like. What a simple idea! I would have never thought of this! You say it took you about 15 hours would you say you could finish this in a weekend? Thank you so much for the post! I’m trying to talk my husband into doing this 🙂
Rina Mosley
Hi Rena! I’m glad you like it! You should totally go for it! If you’re pretty dedicated, I would say you could totally finish it in a weekend… depending on how large your backsplash is. It also depends on your tile adhesive compound and how long is says to let it dry before grouting. If you decide to go for it, be sure to send pics! Good luck!
Wow, I love this. It looks beautiful!
Beth,
I have a couple of questions for you. But first let me say, I LOVE your tile backsplash! I want to do the same in our super boring kitchen. I have one green accent wall and need something catchy other places. I also have 45, yes 45, glass vases left over from our wedding last year just dying to be used (no pun intended.) I was wondering, do they make the dye in green, preferably dark like seaglass? What color grout would you recommend if the cabinets are brown and counters are tan? I should also mention, we are trying to sell the house so I want it to be something that others would like too.
Thanks for any advice or suggestions you can offer.
Yes they have lots of colors! Click this link and scroll to the bottom to see them all.
http://www.cheapjoes.com/catalog/product/view/id/26827/
MAKE SURE you dye the glass on the inside, and I would definitely read part 1 of my backsplash tutorial. 🙂 The whole thing is a lot of work, but it’s SO worth it! Be sure to send pics when you’re done!
https://realitydaydream.com/2013/05/mason-jar-mosaic-backsplash-tutorial.html
You can now buy pre-colored mason jars. I think it’s Ball brand but maybe Kerr too. They come in blue, green, and purple. They are sold in most stores that carry cases of mason jars. Lahr stores like Target should have them and I have even seen them in supermarkets
Much easier and superior than fussing with streaky paint.
I’ve seen those, and I’m so excited that they’re coming out with other colors again! This will definitely make this project easier!
I love the look of the pretty blue of the Mason jars. I too have some similar questions as it seems others have: 1) how was it working with the sharp glass? I’d be worried to slice myself open. 2) Would this at all be suitable for a kitchen backsplash? Do you think it would get stained easily?
I did cut myself ONCE while wiping of tile adhesive from between the glass pieces. But I knew going into it that it was bound to happen at some point. I’m actually surprised that it only happened once! 🙂 You could wear rubber gloves if you wanted. It really helped me when I was sorting the glass pieces, because I didn’t have to think about being careful. It would have gone a LOT slower otherwise.
As far as the kitchen backsplash… that would look AMAZING! And it would totally be suitable for a kitchen. The grout would be just as susceptible to staining as grout on a basic tiled backsplash. But plan on it taking MANY MANY hours. The whole time I was installing this small bathroom backsplash, I kept thinking to myself ‘I’m so glad this isn’t a whole kitchen backsplash’. I just want to be honest with you! If you know it’s going to be time consuming going into it, it may not be all that frustrating for you. I do hope you’ll send pics if you decide to try it!!
PLEASE!!!!!!!!! Use a rock tumbler to smooth the glass before painting the glass and doing this project!
This project is INCREDIBLE! I am in awe! I am dying to try it. Does anyone know if you can buy the paint locally at a craft store, or is it strictly online at the above link? I like to see colors in person. Thanks. Lisa M, Portland, OR.
Lisa, I called around (Hobby Lobby and Michaels) and they didn’t have any glass dye. I agree that it’s nice to be able to look at things in person. It’s worth making some phone calls though! 🙂
This is really cool–I would probably slice my fingers off with all the glass, but still really cool! 🙂
PLEASE!!!!!!!!! Use a rock tumbler to smooth the glass before painting the glass and doing this project!
I’m still so amazed with this project. It blew me away! You are amazing. This turned out SOOOOOOOOO good!
So, SO pretty. With that fabulous counter top? MMM-mmm…just fantastic. Wondering how it was working with sharp glass pieces. The grouting process seems like it would provide so many opportunities to accidentally rub along a sharp glass edge. Anyway, thanks for sharing. Super job!
You bring up a good point. And I knew when I started this project that I needed to be ok with cutting myself once or twice. I did slice into my index finger on ONE occasion while wiping of tile adhesive from between the pieces of glass. But that was the only incident! Not bad! Wearing rubber gloves while sorting all the little glass pieces really helped too, so I probably should have been wearing those while applying the tile adhesive. OH WELL! 🙂
This is crazy stupid! How many times will you get cut while wiping down the counter, the backsplash, or turning on the faucet????? And think of the children getting near it!
PLEASE! Purchase an inexpensive rock tumbler and tumble the glass pieces for two days in water and sand to smooth the sharp edges before painting on the color! Then you can complete the project AND stop worrying about cuts for the duration and life of the backsplash!
Looks great!! I’m going to be doing something similar…only for an outside project. I will be blogging about it someday, maybe, lol…
Send pics when you’re done Terri! I can’t wait to see it!
I am SO glad to see you doing turquoise things again! I mean…I love your blog and read it regardless, but originally started reading because or your love for orange and turquoise just like mine : )
ALSO…love your little tally/breakdown at the bottom and difficulty rating. AWESOME!
Wow, one piece at a time? No wonder you have back problems! I bought fiberglass mesh – the stuff the professional tiles come on – glued all my little tile bits to that and then stuck it to the wall in large 18″ sheets, then grouted.
I love the idea of the broken glass — makes me wonder if you can just use anything… plates, pottery etc…??
Totally Judith! You can use just about ANYTHING in your mosaic. Broken pottery would be really beautiful. You better send pics if you end up trying that!!!
Judith,
What type of glue did you use on the mesh to attach the pieces?, that seems like a really great way to do this a bit “easier” than one piece of glass at a time.
You bet I pinned that bad boy. We’ve got some down time between closing on our house and our official move in day… I think this would be a great project for the kitchen! I’m off to find some mason jars to paint! Thanks for sharing!
This is so good!
I am just so amazed by this…like my jaw hits the ground amazed. Don’t be surprised if I just come up and hug you at Haven…it’s your backsplash’s fault 🙂