To seal unglazed terra cotta pots or other porous project bases you’ll need:
1 part WeldBond Glue
5 parts water
Paintbrush
Cleanable or throwaway work surface
Mix the glue and water together completely.
- Take your porous base (terra cotta pot, hardboard, any other type of wood mosaic base*). Make sure there is no loose materials or large cracks.
- Brush your glue/water mixture onto one side of your base. Let dry.
- 2. Repeat step 1 on the other side of your base. If you’re working on a terra cotta pot, brush the inside, then the outside. For wood, brush the “front”, flip the piece and brush the “back”.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until no more of the glue/water mixture is absorbed into your base.
And that’s it. You can now use any type of adhesive you like and it will not be affected by the formerly porous nature of your base.
Why do I do this?
- 1. As a professional artist who sells my pieces I have no way of knowing what kind of life my pieces will have after they are purchased. This is my way of insuring that they have the best future I can give them.
- 2. I can put plants in my pots without having to worry about any of my mosaic pieces falling off in the future, or any products I’ve used affecting my plants.
- 3. I want to create heirloom-quality pieces. I once had a gallery owner in the southwest inform me that my pieces art pieces lasted while other, unsealed works, fell apart when she rearranged her gallery space. (How scary is that?)
What are your thoughts? Have you had any sad experiences from not sealing your work?
*alternately, wooden bases can be sealed with a water-based wood sealant paint like Kilz.