Broken china plates, cups, saucers, teapots, serving dishes

Everyone has old chipped or cracked (or even broken!) plates, crockery or china cups that they have kept because they love the motif or pattern so much.

Using broken china in mosaics is a great way to keep the pattern that you loved so much within your house. You can even make a mosaic craft piece for the kitchen and then you can see it all the time!

Alternatively I imagine there are a few people out there who would love the chance to smash a few of their old china plates (you know...stuff your great aunt gave you!) and are just looking for a good reason. This is a great way to create your very own individual source of tesserae at a pretty low cost.

Antique and second-hand shops are great places to find old plates and tea cups with chips or that are part of an incomplete set. They are generally very reasonably priced and have pretty 'old English' style patterns or gold leafing.

How to make a mosaic with china plates

A piece of china or crockery can be readily broken using a hammer in the following manner:

Place the piece on half an old towel and then cover with the other half of the old towel then slowly and lightly hit the piece with the head of a hammer.

In between each smash check the tiles as often one hit is enough, especially if you want chunky bits.

Be very careful and make sure to use gloves and eye protection as often little splinters of china can fly up and cut your face and hands.

Be careful not to disregard the cup handles as they often looks fantastic just placed randomly within the mosaic, and remember whatever you don't use in this project you can always find a spot for in your next one!

Make sure if you are grouting that the china is either all the same thickness or that you use the indirect method of mosaic tile laying in order to get a smoother overall finish.