15 Mosaic Bird Baths You Can DIY Using Thrifted Or Broken Plates

Looking for a fun and beautiful DIY to make or upgrade a bird bath? Mosaics made from broken dishware you have on hand or have thrifted can level up a humble bird bath. The art of using broken plates and dishes as mosaic pieces is called pique-assiette, and all the DIY projects described here are, at least in part, examples of the technique. Some designs incorporate additional materials, and you can experiment with the color, shape, base bird bath material, and mosaic images.

Before starting this project, be aware of the crucial things to consider before DIYing a bird bath for your yard. Once you decide to proceed, it's fairly simple to DIY a mosaic birdbath. The project usually involves using a terra cotta saucer as the bowl for your bird bath, though other vessels can be used, as we'll see. If the bowl material you choose is not watertight, you'll need to seal it. After breaking thrifted or vintage dishes with a hammer, plan your design by placing mosaic pieces in a design like with those below, or imagine your own creation. Affix mosaic pieces to the saucer with adhesive glue. Mix and apply grout; then wipe off excess grout and seal the surface after it has for dried 24 hours.

You can choose from mosaic bird bath designs that use color in an interesting way, those that use mixed materials, bird baths made from a novel base or unusual shape, DIYs that contain images, and designs that celebrate vintage china patterns. 

Instead of a random design, consider setting a theme for your mosaic birdbath. What would you like to convey? A sense of romance, for example, can be communicated through color scheme and images, using soft pinks, lavenders, and greens. Floral images from broken plates can anchor the romantic design and include a floral focal point in the center. Create interest by alternating concentric circles of varying materials — shards from broken plates, glass pebbles, and glass tiles.

Many mosaic bird bath designs include both mosaic tiles and broken pieces of china. You can use tile nippers to cut closely around images in the plates and dishes you're using. Then, place these pieces as desired, filling in bare spaces with square tiles — and you can also create a tile border. Consider using colored grout to coordinate with your design. You can also add objects that have some dimension to them, such as full saucers or ceramic objects.

It's not at all uncommon to see glass tiles or glass pebbles in a mosaic bird bath. These translucent craft-store baubles, available in multiple colors, catch the light and add sparkle to the bird bath. They also lend dimensionality to the piece. You can find the pebbles in several finishes, such as iridescent and sea glass. Glass pebble manufacturers recommend industrial-strength adhesive for attaching the pebbles to a surface. 

Mosaic bird baths are not limited to new projects with terracotta saucers. You can also make over an existing birdbath with mosaic — and why not choose ceramic shards from plates in cheerful primary colors? You don't need to worry about sealing the bowl before applyng the mosaic. You should, however, still seal the finished mosaic bowl with a couple of coats of penetrating sealer made for outdoor use, and allow the sealer to dry between coats.

A used satellite dish is an unexpected base for a mosaic birdbath, but it works well as a large, slightly concave surface that meets birds' preference for a sloping bath that's shallow at the edges but gets gradually deeper at the center; most birds feel safest in water that is only 1 to 2 inches deep. With such a large surface to cover in mosaic pieces, you can let your creativity go wild. Consider covering the bottom of the dish and stand in mosaic, too, for a finished look. 

Select vintage plates for a mosaic bird bath project that is almost entirely pique-assiette. Some practitioners of the pique-assiette who work with vintage china advocate for using wheel nippers to cut your mosaic pieces instead of hammering them. Nippers are also required for cutting out the focal image at the center of the plate. Note that cutting the center image means cutting around the bottom rim of the plate, which can be challenging. Make an initial angled nip, and then carefully nip around the image to remove it.

Color blocking, the common design trick to put a fresh spin on the minimalist design trend, is about juxtaposing distinct blocks of color. Use this technique to create a pleasing design by grouping colors together and separating sections of color with glass pebbles or beads. This is another project that works well on an old satellite dish. Consider making colors pop even more by using contrasting hues.

A small mosaic birdbath that's a little wild, random, and made with a mix of materials, can fit right into your garden. You can DIY a mini bird bath from a Dollar Tree metal pie pan and mount it on a thrift-store candleholder or bud vase as a stand. Try unusual materials, such as beads, coins, and buttons, around the rim. 

It's one thing to create designs in mosaic, but it's something special to turn little shards of broken plates into recognizable images. Typically, an image turned into a mosaic by transferring a drawing or another source image onto the base material and filling in the image with broken plate pieces. Color can play a significant role in distinguishing the image from the rest of the mosaic pieces and making it recognizable — for example, deep red for a cardinal or orange and white for a koi fish.

Have you ever considered creating a single-color garden that's interesting and beautiful? A monochromatic garden can be especially harmonious and allow garden visitors to notice aspects beyond color, such as texture. An addition that's sure to keep it interesting is a mosaic birdbath that maintains the monochromatic theme. If you want to build a monochromatic garden around a blue mosaic birdbath, for example, you can find stunning blue flowers that you should grow. Let your birdbath mimic the flowers by using mosaics in various shades of your chosen color.

If you've never worked with mosaics before, why not start with a very simple design for your mosaic birdbath? Beginners are advised to start with simple shapes, such as concentric circles of broken-plate mosaics, each circle a different color. No need to fill in every space, especially as a beginner; it's okay to leave gaps between pieces of broken plate, but try to leave even spaces between pieces for cohesion. You could also consider a tinted grout for a more finished look.

Make a major statement with a mosaic birdbath in which virtually the entire mosaic design comprises a single image. It's smart to choose a full-image design that lends itself to the shape of your bird bath, such as the face of the sun. A trick that mosaic artists use to direct the viewer's eye to the focal point is to lay out the border mosaic pieces in an andamento style, referring to the visual flow and direction of the mosaic piece placement and how it mimics the focal image's contours.

Here's a great idea for showcasing a treasured china pattern with a broken piece or two, especially if it's a popular classic like Blue Willow, Old Country Roses, or Lenox Autumn. Or shop for valuable patterns of vintage china when thrifting. Showcasing a beloved china pattern is also a wonderful way to memorialize loved ones you associate with the china, perhaps a mom who passed it down or a family member who gave you a china set as a wedding gift.

Did you know birds that have highly developed color vision? Research in the UK even suggests our feathered friends have color preferences — at least in bird feeders — preferring silver and green and eschewing red and yellow. Thus, it's not a complete stretch to think birds might appreciate the intensity of deeply saturated colors in a mosaic birdbath. Saturated colors also work well to create focus and emphasis in your garden, so consider them if you'd like to call attention to your bird bath artistry.

Who says bird baths need to be circular? Mix it up by making your mosaic birdbath in a different shape, such as a square. Going with a non-circular shape is another effective trick for beginners, since applying mosaics around a circular shape can be more challenging. You'll need to form a slight depression toward the center to accommodate water. Consider mixing natural materials like smooth stones or seashells in with your broken-plate mosaic pieces.