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  • Writer's pictureMixed Media Mel

Create Your Own Marvelous Mosaic Flower Pot (upcycle from broken!)

Before I even begin to tell you about this craft can we talk about this COLOR COMBINATION! I am absolutely swooning over this coral cobalt combo and I want to shout it from the rooftop!!! Anyway, I had a broken pot.


I order a lot of terra cotta pots both for my gardening obsession as well as flower pot painting parties for Hot Pots. I order in bulk and unfortunately they are not always packaged well so there is often breakage. If it’s a lost cause I try to repurpose by breaking it MORE and using for mosaics or fairy gardens but this guy I felt like I could save! It was cracked on the rim with a piece missing, but I found the missing piece in the packaging and decided to perform surgery. Once I got the piece to fit back in perfectly I used E600 glue to fix it. Any similar super glue would work but E600 is my unicorn.


After letting the glue cure completely I used an outdoor spray paint (coral!) to paint the inside and outside of the pot. I also used a strip of painters tape around the rim of the pot before painting so that the tiles would stick better. When I am using terra cotta pots that will be outdoor planters, I typically paint or seal the inside and outside. Terra cotta is very porous and will absorb a lot of water. This could cause paint cracking and bubbling as well as mold if kept outside, so it’s best to seal inside and out.


I decided to do a mosaic around the rim of the pot to ensure that it stayed together as well as hide the crack a little better. I had some blue toned tiles leftover from another project but I wasn’t sure if they would match the coral but boy was I wrong!! After I decided I liked the color combination I started to set out the tiles. Anytime you are doing any type of mosaic I strongly recommend laying out your entire design before actually gluing anything on. I have learned this the hard way more than once, so just take my word for it y’all. After I had everything laid out how I wanted I started gluing. When attaching the tiles to the pot I used tile glue, this is best to use on a mosaic tile project but if it is a one time thing you can use your typical super glue (E600 or similar). Easiest practice on a rounded piece like this is to lay it on its side and anchor it so it won’t roll away, then work on section by section rolling the pot as sections dry. It’s a slow process but it makes it easy!



After the tiles are glued and dry it’s time to grout!! The easiest way I find is to use a premixed grout in a squeeze bottle. I used Red Devil Ready to Use Tile Grout but any similar will do, you can use colored grout as well (but GOOD LUCK getting a better color combo). When grouting you want to make a workspace. Line your work area with paper and have water, towels, a sponge, toothpick and q-tips on hand. Again, the easiest way to do this is section by section. Take the grout bottle and carefully squirt the grout between tiles, start out with just 4 or 5 tiles at a time so you get the hang of it. You want to have some excess which you can use the towels and sponge to wipe off, trying to keep the grout line as level to the tiles as you can. I really like to use q-tips when grouting because it makes it easier to get smaller spaces and is great for removing grout from the front of the tiles.


Grout typically cures over 48 hours but it dries pretty quickly, especially if it is applied thin. Keep watch over the outer lines of your grout so that nothing dries out of place, you can use a toothpick or needle tool to gently scrape it away to straighten up your outside line. Use the q-tip to smooth things out and apply to places that need more coverage. Once the grout is how you want it you can wet the q-tip and or sponge and wipe off any excess from the front of the tiles. Be sure to check all tiles and edges because once it dries it is hard to remove. Once it is dry you can polish the tiles and let it cure fully (typically 48 hours). Now your project is basically done but you could choose to embellish the pot more if you like, maybe a monogram or stencil pattern. I do recommend using a paint on clear sealer as well, especially if being used for outdoors, I like Rust-Oleum Painters Touch Clear best but anything similar will work.


This works as a great gift or fun addition to your patio, porch or yard! Have fun creating and please reach out if you have any questions!


What you need:

  • Terra cotta pot (8 inch)

  • Mosaic tiles

  • Outdoor spray paint

  • Tile glue (or super glue)

  • Tile grout

  • Towels, sponge, q-tips, toothpick

  • Clear sealer


What to do:

  1. Spray paint inside and inside of pot

  2. Lay out tiles to plan placement

  3. Glue tiles onto pot, let dry

  4. Grout around tiles

  5. Clean and polish tiles, let grout cure

  6. Seal with clear sealer

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