[Riccardelli]

Has anyone been living with the LAXÅN sink bench in their bathroom? I'm wondering how the wood holds up to water...especially around the faucet.

I purchased one and have been thinking about tiling the top surface with small glass mosaic tiles a la Susan Jablon . Is this a bad idea??? (I've read that one "shouldn't" tile on a wood surface...what's the worst that could happen?)

At the moment, the sink bench is set up and has been sitting in my dining room for 2 months...I need to take action soon. Should I just slap another coat of poly and be done with it?

Thanks in advance to anyone who might offer advice.
-Carolyn

See more about Susan Jablon Mosaics Directory entry for more info about this fabulous sponsor!

[splatgirl]

Something like this?






I have no idea how the wood top would hold up to water exposure and regular duty bathroom use. I guess I'd have concerns, too, but you could seal it again with a few coats of marine varnish.
If you do tile it, don't do so directly on the wood. Put a layer of cement board over the wood top, glued and screwed down, and absolutely DON'T use mastic (i.e. the premixed crap) to set the tile...I've had some experience with mosaic tile countertops and doing those things is certain eventual failure for the top.

I ended up making a whole new top for mine out of two layers of cement board because I needed it bigger to wedge that Domsjo sink in there.

[GardenOfDarwin]

OMG , Splatgirl! That's amazing - even more so because it's precisely what Carolyn was asking about! Beautiful job!

I don't think I could top what Splatgirl's offered you, Carolyn, but I did want to say Hi!

Susan

	OMG definition OMG means Oh My Goodness or Oh My God, depending on your persuasion.

[splatgirl]

Thanks Susan! That was leftover glass gobs from my master bath shower project with some sample matte white hex and trial size frosted glass subway that I had laying around. Pretty cool for the $6 the piece of cement board cost me. When in doubt, put glass gobs on it

[dafogle]

That is fabulous splatgirl!!! Nice way to put those leftovers and samples to work!!
Doreen

[kundi]

Bravo! Positively beautiful.

[Riccardelli]

Time for me to chime in, finally! You all are too fast for me.

Yes, SplatGirl...you read my mind! I had to laugh because your picture showed EXACTLY what I was talking about. I love IKEAFANS!

Thanks for the advice about the cement board...while I knew this in my heart of hearts, you've convinced me it's the right thing to do.

I noticed you've left off the backsplash part...any thoughts on that? I imagine I could make one with cement board as well and tile it up.

What kind of tiling medium, if not pre-mixed mastic, would you recommend?

Just for fun, here's a link to the tiles I want to use...these will also go in my shower area, as my current old subway tiles only go up to my mid-upper arm, resulting in having to have a shower curtain inside the shower or else wet walls.

Mosaic Tile.com Trend ; the one I like is called "Kolor" (I tried to attach a thumbnail to the post, I hope it works)

Thanks again!!!
-Carolyn

[splatgirl]

That's a beautiful mix! I'm such a sucker for orange and blue.

That or any glass should be set with latex modified thinset. Both thinset and grout will come bagged, requiring that you mix them with water before use...they are both cement based products and cure rather than dry. Like concrete, they don't change, lose adhesion or degrade in the presence of water which is the problem with mastic. It never really completely dries, particularly under glass, and it gets mushy and soft when wet. Always keep in mind that tile and grout are not waterproof. Aside from the mastic issue, this is another reason why tiling over wood will severely limit the life of your project.

It looks like there's a link to the tile institute from the FAQ page on the mosaic tile website. I would read up there and at the John Bridge Tile Forum
(search for glass tile in the forums or the "liberry" before starting. I can't say enough good about the John Bridge site. Great info and super helpful, friendly folks.

I didn't use the backsplash on LAXAN because I didn't care for the looks and it would have interfered with the operation of that gigundo faucet I have wedged in there.

Paper faced glass tile like what you're thinking can be VERY tricky to work with, so doing your sink stand would be good practice if you're planning on tackling a while shower.