You might want to ask over at the Stained Glass & Mosaics forum.

I've never done mosaics, but seeing their projects sure makes me want to give it a try!

You also might put a post in the Garden Junk Forum, there are several folks who do beautiful mosaics on that forum. If you haven't seen it yet, please check out "Slowmedown's" mosaic tower which she just posted a day or two ago.

Sal

All these forums! So little time!

I would say mortor over the brick. You may also need to use paint remover to get the mortor to stick to the brick. Not an expert, but that's what I'd do.

Hubby said that would be too much work...he'd reface the whole thing in concrete board... Would cost about as much as paint remover and mortor, and could be done in a 1/3 of the time.

Haziemoon

Sooooooooo.What did you decide to do?
Gotta see pics!

Haziemoon

Thought I'd check out this side of the forum - like I NEED to get into more time on the computer!!! Here's a pic of my studio wall, which is a converted carport so it was an outside wall - I didn't do anything but just started slapping mortar on it and it sticks just fine. Every time I have left-over grout I apply it to the left side. When I have left-over mortar, I fill the cracks on the right side, even though I didn't do that on the left side. A lot more has been done since I took this photo. I get bored w/large projects, so this is gonna be a WIP for awhile. As soon as I decide on a design, I'm going to mosaic my fireplace. It has the same bricks. Hope this helps. I also have a WIP on the wall in my back yard. Want to make a nich w/shelf for a vase. I use left-over mortar to adhere the pieces to that also. There's a picture of that in this album, in case you care to check it out.
Brick wall mosaic

Hi, I did mosaic the brick around my fireplace and I love it. I cut 3 pieces of cement board so that way I was able to mosaic in my work area, then screwed it onto the brick, covered the screw holes with a piece of china and did a little touch-up grouting over the screw holes and the 2 seams.

Show us the pics!!!
Gotta see them!

Haziemoon

Anxiously awaiting pictures - HURRY!

I'm trying...I got in onto the recent photo page but how do I link it here? My computer skills still need some polishing!!

Okay... I think I got it now...It really does help when one reads directions!!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

OHMYGOODNESS! That is take-my-breath-away beautiful. I absolutely LOVE that. What a neat, clean look. The center motif looks 3-D???, and are the circles made from cutting plates or tiles? Soooo wonderful - colors are stunning. Such a good job!

Thank-you very much!! The center plate still has that bottom rim so it does not lay flat. The circles are plate rims...its all about curves baby!! The roses are salt and pepper shakers to cover the damper spindle.

Unless you're going to do something like the way morningglori did her project, the first thing you need to do is strip the paint off the brick. I've never been a big one for screwing backerboard up to brick, epsecially over a fireplace because of the heat extremes. It's just one more surface to allow problems to occur. My preference is to sand the paint off the brick (do NOT use chemical or organic paint removers-- they'll leave a residue behind that will inhibit the thinset bond afterward), and then take a flat trowel, and float a flat surface of thisnet over the brick. This does a couple of things for you. First, it fills in the joints between the bricks, and give you a flat surface to work off of. Secondly, it'll show up any errant bricks that might be sticking out too far, so they can be attended to BEFORE you get to them while tiling. Once the flat coat dries, you'll mostlikely have to take a rubbing stone and rub down any trowel marks, but then you'll be ready to tile. it's alot more work than just tiling on a piece of backerboard and then putting the backerboard up, but it'll last alot longer, in my opinion.

absolutely stunning!

and IMHO there is no reason to believe cement board would ever be a problem for this application.

Oh how beautiful!!
I love the pattern...what a beautiful job! Love it!!!
Makes me want a fireplace even more!

Haziemoon

THAT IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!! You should be extremely proud of your hard work!

Thanks for the nice comments, I have a gas insert in my fireplace and one of the reasons I did my mosaic on cement backerboard is in case I ever need to replace the surround I can take down the mosaic.....also it was easier to do in my work area where all my stuff is and I can make as big of a mess as I want to!!!

Morninglori, BEAUTIUL! That turned out absolutely gorgeous. I've often thought of doing mine and seeing yours now, makes me rethink giving my DD the rest my tiles for her backsplash. :-)

So very cool!
Soov