I’ve now spent a full Summer in my home and feel like my back yard is really starting to look good now! Gardening was a new activity for me this year, but I think I’m getting the hang of it and things are starting to grow in nicely. I recently updated my potted plants for fall with some mums and purple ornamental cabbage. They look great!
One of the more crafty backyard projects I’ve done is a DIY Sidewalk crack mosaic. I have a concrete path leading from my back door to the sidewalk, but it’s seen better days. There were some pretty big cracks, which look even worse when weeds grow in them! So I decided to get crafty and makes those cracks a feature instead of an eyesore.
DIY Sidewalk Crack Mosaic
To figure out a creative solution to this problem I went to my favorite place, Pinterest. Seriously, is there anything you can’t figure out after a few hours on there? There weren’t many examples of sidewalk crack mosaics, but the few that I did find (here, here and here) gave me enough of a direction that I could figure the rest out on my own.
We have a store near me that is a crafting dream called The Center for Creative Reuse. I stopped in there last month and filled a paper bag with broken tile, plates, ceramic odds and ends and some leftover accent tile. The whole bag cost me just $2.50 since there was a half off special going on! Another quick stop at Home Depot for quick setting concrete (this is what I used) and my crafty makeover was ready to go!
If you don’t have a store like the Center for Creative Reuse near you, you can also buy mixed mosaic tile right on Amazon! These glass rounds would also be so cool for this project!
Assembling the Mosaics
The trickiest part was figuring out which pieces fit in the little cracks. I recommend laying everything out for all of the cracks in advance so you can swap things around and get the perfect fit. I had all sorts of pieces to use from broken plates and ceramic to glass marbles. One of my favorite pieces is that little porcelain leg you see above! It must have broken off of a figurine and now it’s found a home in my backyard!
When you mix the concrete, just do enough for one spot at a time. The concrete sets very quickly! You want to allow yourself enough time to play around with the final mosaic placement.
I mixed the concrete according to the package directions to fill the volume of the crack (some spots were a couple of inches deep and wide). Then I placed my mosaic pieces where I wanted them and pushed them gently into place. For the “grout” I mixed up a thinner batch of concrete and smeared that on top then went in with paper towels to clean it off of the mosaic pieces.
Based on the directions on the concrete and other tutorials I read online, I covered the mosaics with plastic while they dried. I think this is so that they don’t dry out too quickly and crack. I used old bags from the dry cleaners, which worked perfectly for this.
The end result is really cute and artsy, the perfect addition to my backyard!
Love this post? You should check out these other DIYs:
DIY Concrete Dog Bowl Holder
DIY Flower Crown for Dogs
The Cutest DIY Reversible Bandana
Treat Recipe and DIY Doggy Treat Bag
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Genius idea! And those shoes!!! *swoon*
Exactly what I was looking for. I’m with Carol and wanted to make sure this would work.
Thanks for being our Guinea pig
I could use stained glass pieces! Thanks for the post.
I came here looking for this! I live in Colorado and have a sandstone patio that has a few missing pieces. I was hoping someone had done this before so I wouldn’t have to invent the process! Thanks. Yours is beautiful, so are your pups.
So happy you discovered this – it’s a fun project and it’s held up pretty well. Enjoy!
Hi there, I’m wondering if you live somewhere that experiences cold winters. I’d like to do something like this, but live in Calgary, Canada, so wondering if this holds up.
I live in Pittsburgh, PA, so it gets cold here but not as cold as Calgary. I’ve had to touch up my mosaic after about 4 years, so I think as long as you know that you’ll have to repair it from time to time, then go for it!
Ha! As soon as you mentioned CCR, I thought you might be from the Burgh! Have you been to their “Zero Landfill” (called something else now tho) event? $5 all you can take away of mnfg samples of tiles, fabric, etc… Haven’t lived there for 3 years, but those were treasure troves!
Ha! yes, good call! I have some stuff to donate there and I’m sure I’ll walk away with more than I’m getting rid of. In fact, I just noticed a new crack in my sidewalk and I think it needs this mosaic treatment.
Hello! I am thinking of doing something similar in my crumbling driveway, and I am wondering if you recommend putting any kind of finish/sealer on when it’s completed drying? Thanks so much!
Good question, I didn’t put any sealer on and it’s held up pretty well. As the bigger concrete pads move over the years there is some crumbling of the mosaic, but I don’t think a sealer would help with that. Mine is due for a touch up after about 8 or 9 years!