There are many, many different methods of using an indirect technique of laying mosaic, but using ceramic tesserae poses a number of different limitations that restrict your choices. Your tesserae are usually going to be different thicknesses which cuts out your ability to use mesh or a double reverse method. Since your tiles have colour only on the face (usually), extra care will need to be taken when you lay them, and inevitably you may need to make some last minute adjustments once your piece is laid & the backing is removed.

Once you learn to use this method though, you can successfully work with any material on the same piece without regard to thickness – something that’s pretty much impossible using the other methods.

As I’ve often mentioned thoroughout my tutorials, I’ll rarely choose the indirect method over a direct method – these are the situations where I will:-

• Large offsite installations where making the work in 1 piece is simply impractical

• Customer calls for a perfectly flat surface – especially floors but also tabletops

• Extreme accuracy with small tesserea is called for in the design

• When I know I’ll have to stop & start on the work and can only devote a few hours at a time.

Following is the first of two tutorials I’m offering on the indirect method, but bear in mind that you need to consider each project on it’s own merits.

	For this work, I’ve printed out my design on 4 sheets of A4 paper and taped them together with masking tape. Note that you need to print you design mirror reverse.I wouldn’t recommend this for larger works as normal A4 paper tends to absorb water and “bubble” in humid conditions. Use a heavy matte paper if you’re printing your design in 1 piece.Since it’s such a small piece though, I’ve chosen this backing so I can get the detail I require in the design. Brown craft paper (with wall paper glue adhesive) is my backing of choice for larger works.
	I like to have all my tesserae precut & ready to go before I lay any tiles. Notice how I’ve also got a couple of versions of the design in full colour to help guide me through the laying process.
	To begin laying, simply use a glue stick to smear the face of the tiles, and push firmly into position. You have a few seconds to move the tile around until the glue “bites”.I’m really not into promoting any brands onto this site, but it’s worth testing the different glue sticks you can get hold of – their performance varies quite a bit. Note that I’ve used glue pens since completing this project with great success so check them out too.
	Skip now to the end of the laying process.I’ll now tip the design upside down to ensure all tiles have good adhesion – the last thing you want is for them to come off when you’re using the cement adhesive.If any tiles come away, glue them back into position & leave sufficient drying time before moving onto the next step.
	The next step is to mix up your tile glue and backbutter the mosaic prior to fixing to your backing board.The purpose of this step is ensure good glue contact with all tiles and to fix them in place (flat to the board) prior to fixing to the backing board. In this example I’m going to leave the mosaic where it is & attach the board, but you could just as easily pick it up and instal it onto a board.If you were to simply trowel glue onto your backing board and attach the mosaic, you’ll end up with poor glue contact & a very uneven surface.
	The goal with backbuttering is ensure a nice even coverage right to the edge. As far as possible make a nice level surface (the surrounding green tiles are there for me to check the levels).It’s preferred that you push glue only partly into the spaces between tiles (leaving some room to grout the other side), but I’d much rather push glue through to the paper, than miss some contact with the tiles.In this example, I’m going to use the same glue to grout the piece, so I’m not worried about pushing it right through to the paper and perhaps facing some colour variation between the glue & grout.

	While your backbuttering is still wet & sticky, trowel your glue onto the backing board as shown.In this example I’m using a 3mm “V” trowel, knowing that I’ll get good coverage over such a small area. For a larger work, I’d be more inclined to use a 4mm or 6mm notch trowel to allow for a bit more variation in the levels of my backbuttering.
	Make sure you trowel right to the edges as shown – allow a bit of overspill to ensure the edge tiles adhere properly. I’d rather clean up a bit of glue than have poor contact with the edge tiles.
	Now attach the backing board to the mosaic as shown. Make sure it lines up properly before patting it down.
	Once you lined it up, you can pat the backing board down to ensure good glue contact & I’ve used a couple of tiles to weight it slightly.Now’s a good time to clean up the edges with a palette knife before the glue sets too hard.I’ll now leave it for a good few hours or overnight to set. No more than say 12 hours, as the glue will still be soft enough to make adjustments, change tiles etc.
	After about 8 hours in this example, I’m ready to cut the set mosaic away from the board.I do this with a Stanley knife and allow a couple of extra centimetres to make it easy to peel off the paper.
	Now flip the mosaic over so the paper’s facing up and spray with water as shown.I’m looking to wet the paper thoroughly, but not to have the water pool significantly. There’s no need to rush – I’d rather give the paper 1/2 hour to wet properly by spraying small amounts many times – it will come away from the tiles very easily if you take this approach.
	When you’ve wet the paper down well, it’ll come away from the mosaic very easily as shown.I’ve hit the jackpot on this one – no tiles have come away, and they’re all in the position that I’ve laid them. It can be expected that you’ll strike at least one of these problems with most projects.
	Another reason to wet your paper thoroughly is that the glue will also be easy to wipe off. I just use a Chux and remove all traces of glue.If you’ve pushed your adhesive through too far when backbuttering, you might find some glue residue has attached to your tile adhesive. This need to be corrected now while everythings still wet. I use my fingernails to scrape off the stick glue, but you might be better advised to use a butterknife or something similar.Now is the time to replace any lost or out of place tiles and allow some additional time for them to set.
	Before grouting, I’ve attached a frame to the work.When completing a work like this, I try to use a tile glue that’s also suitable to grout the final work. That way I can use leftover glue to grout the piece & have no issue with matching colours. If not, think carefully about matching your colour – any variation can result in a blotchiness to your final work.
	Clean off as normal.
	Viola! Final piece is exactly as I’d intended and has a very neat, flat feel about it.