How to Win a Gold Medal in Olympic Party Hosting
All you really need is a rubber grout float…
The thump of a perfect landing on a gymnastics mat. The spring of the high board. (Wait. Is “spring” the right description for that noise? When I was writing this, I actually screamed to my boyfriend, “Hey! What’s that noise called that goes boing-oing-oing-oing when someone jumps off a diving board?!”)
Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, the most magical time (of every four years) is upon us—the Summer Freakin’ Olympics! Over the next couple weeks we’ll have some awesome recipes, spectacular DIY projects and an increased chance of my sister and co-Grounds Crew member Alli losing her mind if I prance through the kitchen one more time calling the American flag one-piece I’m wearing my “gymnastics uniform.” Let’s kick off our extravaganza with a perfect DIY addition to your Olympic themed parties…
A Rio Rings Mosaic Serving Tray!
What you need:
- wooden serving tray
- pencil
- roll of painters’ tape
- glass or ceramic mosaic tiles in blue, black, red, yellow, green and white. A TON of white. Put what you think you need in your cart and then double it!
- hammer
- grout and mortar (I used a pre-mixed Adhesive & Grout from Home Depot — I highly recommend it! Just make sure you get white and not alabaster like I did.)
- putty knife (plastic or metal, whatever you’re more comfortable with)
- rubber grout float
- soft cloth or sponge
- Clear Acrylic Coating Spray
- If you want to paint the tray itself a different color, pick up a bottle of indoor/outdoor spray paint in a hue of your choice.
Directions:
- If you are going to paint the tray, now’s the time. Throw some paint on that thing and let it dry as long as the paint you used recommends.
2. Draw the rings in the center of the tray using the roll of painters’ tape as a stencil.
3. If the mosaic tiles are too large for the tray or all the same size (which will make a weird-looking circle), take a hammer and break them up. Do the same for half of the white background tiles (having some larger tiles in the background will save you time).
4. Lay the colored tiles onto the pencil-drawn rings in the tray. Don’t glue anything down yet!
5. Once you have them laid out exactly how you want them to look, pick up one tile at a time, scrape some of the adhesive onto the back with a putty knife and set it back in place. Repeat until all tiles for the rings are glued down.
6. Now, do the same for the white background. I didn't lay the background tiles out beforehand, I just picked tiles that fit as I went along. Towards the end, when I needed some additional smaller pieces, I just took a hammer to the remaining white tiles and broke them up to the size I needed.
7. Once all the tiles are secured, set it aside and leave it alone for as long as the adhesive you used tells you to. (Generally 24–48 hours.)
8. Once the adhesive has set, it’s grout time! First, line the inside edges of the tray with painters’ tape (eesh, I forgot to do this. It wasn’t pretty). This will protect the tray sides from getting caked with a layer of grout. Using the rubber grout float, skim a fine layer of grout across the tiles, making sure it fills in all the spaces between them. In all honesty, I forgot my rubber grout float. Ugh. That’s a lie. I didn’t even know what one WAS until I Googled it after the fact. My boyfriend walked in to me rubbing grout across the tiles with my bare hands, my pants and arms caked with the excess. He’s a patient guy…all he said before backing slowly out of the garage was, “Well. THAT’S not how you put grout down...on anything. Ever.” So definitely use the rubber grout float. In retrospect, this phase was filled to the brim with missteps on my part, so learn from my mistakes!
Make sure that you leave as little grout residue as POSSIBLE on the tiles! If you leave too much because…oh…I don’t know…you didn't use a rubber grout float…you are in for another run to the hardware store for sandpaper AND having to admit to your boyfriend that no, that most definitely is NOT how you put grout down. On anything. Ever.
Once the grout is done, wipe the excess off the tiles with a damp cloth or sponge, peel the painters tape off the sides and set the tray aside for 24–48 hours (depending on the grout directions).
9. Once the grout is completely dry, wipe away any grout film covering the tiles with a clean damp cloth.
10. Make sure there is no moisture left from wiping the tiles off, then coat the bottom of the tray with a few layers of the clear acrylic spray.
Once the acrylic coating is dry, pile the tray high with food, drinks and utensils and save yourself 27 trips back and forth to the kitchen! Stay tuned for some more Rio-themed party ideas! Until next time… ❤
Live Tweet and chat along with The Relish here on Medium on Friday, August 5 as we tune in for the Olympic Opening Ceremonies!
