I have been asked to build a serving tray that will have 9 tiles in the bottom of the tray (the bottom will look like a tic-tac-toe grid with cherry used for the space between the tiles). The tiles need to be flush on the top side and I am not sure on the bottom (I assume that I will need to have some kind of lip on the bottom to support the tiles). Hopefully this makes some sense. Has anyone seen any plans for something like this? Or does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!!
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Replies
Scott,
Just a few tips about tile and wood. First, the two mediums- clay and wood- have significantly different responses to humidity changes. Thus, when designing the piece be sure to glue the tiles to a backer that will not change with humidity. Some backer like cement board or similar. Then build the wood around these components allowing some space for expansion/contraction by slotting the screw holes for example. Silicone caulk is available in many colors and works well for grout like filling. Caulk will allow for some movement as it is flexible.
sawick
If you used a half lapped cherry grid, with the tiles set in rabbets, the wood to tile interface would always be to the long grain, which does not move much with humidity changes.
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