Grouting Mosaic Gazing Balls and Making Ball Stands

I wanted to mention grouting on the balls. When you are making your gazing ball it is important to have at least an eighth of an inch between pieces of glass in order to allow enough room to press the grout in between the pieces.  If an area is a little too tight, the grout will not go in without a lot of effort.  I put my initial grout on with a grout float, doing a small area at a time.  After I have pushed the grout over the area, I check to make sure that every space has grout in it.  If some of the spaces did not fill, I will add a little grout and push it in using a rubber or silicone spatula.  I also check to make sure that there are no jagged edges of glass coming up out of the grout.  If necessary, I will add a little more grout around the edge to make sure it is covered.

Rather than adding water to the grout mix, I use an acrylic add mix.  It seems to work as well as the water, but makes the grout more waterproof.  There are exterior grade acrylic grout mixtures out now that claim you will never have to seal the ball.  Maybe so, but I usually seal my balls anyway.  I use Armorcrete concrete sealer.  This product is to rated for twenty years.  None of my balls are that old, so I'll have to get back to on how well it actually held up in about sixteen years. 

The stand I used for this ball looks like stone.  It is actually a PVC pipe connector that has been painted with a product called Fleck Stone, a spray paint used to make things look like stone.  It is much less expensive than a purchased concrete base. You will need to sand the PVC pipe, seal it with a primer coat, spray it with the Fleck Stone paint, and then seal it with a clear coat.  The product is for interior and exterior applications.  It works well outside.  I have a sundial on this type of base and it has lasted out there year round for almost ten years.

The PVC connector is about three inches wide at the top and four inches wide at the bottom.  At first I just used one piece as a low stand.  I did find that in soft garden soil that it would tend to tip.  I have dealt with the tipping problem in various ways.  One way was put a small plate or stepping stone underneath the PVC to give it a solid base that spreads the weight over a larger area.  Another option was to glue two pieces of the PVC together before painting to make a taller stand.  Then I buried the stand several inches into the ground to keep it from tipping.   

Just a reminder.  Bring your gazing balls in during freezing weather.