the blueinto

▲

1 Better Homes and Gardens, july 2015 bhg.com.au

juLY 2015 AS SEEN ON

The sound of flowing water is so pleasing; it’s just one of the

many delights of a tranquil water feature in your garden. But instead of having a simple pump in a pond, go one further and create a truly outstanding feature, highlighted by an attractive mosaic tile wall. This project makes use of an existing freestanding wall and garden bed. If you have a wall but no bed, build one using brick pavers or blocks secured with mortar mix. Be sure to let it dry thoroughly before starting this project.

Mosaic water featureGather your suppliesn Preformed pond (we used

1200 x 600mm Aquapro pond)n 97 x 97mm tiles n Pond pump (we used Aquapro

multipurpose water feature pump)n 19mm spouts (3) (see Note,

below)n 19mm black poly tuben Exterior paint (we used Dulux

Weathershield Low Sheen in Ticking and Black)

Note If the spout tube is smaller in diameter than your poly tube, use a reducing joiner to help connect them.

You’ll also needShovel; spirit level; wire brush; bolster; sand-cement mix; pointing trowel; paintbrush; Bondcrete; acrylic render; plasterer’s hawk; rendering trowel; sponge finishing trowel; builder’s

square; straightedge; plastic trug; tile cutter; tile adhesive; 8mm notched trowel; 3mm tile spacers; small bucket; tile grout; grout float; paint tray; paint roller; river sand; wooden float; 19mm inline reducer; elbows; 19mm locking clamps; barbed tees; saddle clips; hammer drill; 10mm and 22mm masonry drill bits; Selleys Liquid Nails

Here’s howstep 1 Remove existing plants and mulch. Put upturned preformed pond in centre of bed and use shovel to mark outline of pond. Remove pond, excavate soil to required pond depth, then sit pond inside. Make level, then mark along wall where pond sits so you don’t tile too close to the pond. Remove pond.

Before

A clean-up, a pump kit and a good going over and you can transform a tired raised bed into a stylish water feature dressed up with tiles and rustic spouts

the blueinto

Water feature Psheet.indd 37 18/06/15 7:44 AM

steps

▲

step 2 Using wire brush, remove dust and loose material from wall. This also helps to identify any hairline cracks.

step 3 If there are cracks, use bolster to cleanly scrape out mortar along cracks. Mix up sand-cement mix and use pointing trowel to fill in gaps. Let dry.

step 4 Using paintbrush, paint Bondcrete onto wall and let dry. Mix acrylic render according to manufacturer’s instructions. Scoop mix onto plasterer’s hawk, then apply to wall with rendering trowel using a sweeping motion from bottom upwards. Ensure trowel is slightly tipped back towards you and apply firm, even pressure. Repeat for front of garden bed. Let touch dry.

step 5 Using sponge finishing trowel, go over render to smooth and finish. Use circular movements to ensure an even finish. Let dry.

step 6 On a table, arrange tile pieces in desired pattern. Ours is a checkerboard diamond pattern using alternating dark and light blue tiles laid on a 45° angle, bordered with white tiles. Cut tiles to fit using tile cutter, making cuts from point to point.

step 7 Position straightedge against wall and across pond hole, resting it on soil. Check level and adjust if necessary. Measure tiled panel and using a pencil, mark out measurements on wall. Using spirit level, rule lines, check for plumb and ensure corners are square.

step 8 In plastic trug, mix tile adhesive according to manufacturer’s instructions. Using 8mm notched trowel, apply adhesive on wall halfway along straightedge, holding notched trowel at a 45° angle to create ridges of even depth. Starting in 1 corner, lay tile on adhesive, using straightedge as a guide, then press into place. Lay adjacent tile and press into place. Insert tile spacers between tiles, at top and bottom corners, to help ensure uniformity between tiles. Repeat to continue laying tiles across bottom edge.

step 9 Repeat Step 8 to lay tiles along 1 vertical edge.

step 10 Starting in bottom corner (where bordering tiles meet), apply tile adhesive to a small section towards centre. Lay coloured tiles in desired pattern, firming each and using tile spacers between each. Continue to complete pattern.

2 Better Homes and Gardens, july 2015 bhg.com.au

Be creative with your tile design. Ours is a checkerboard layout using alternating

dark and light blue tiles

10step

11step

7step

step 8

9step

1step

6step

3step

4step

the blueinto

Water feature Psheet.indd 38 18/06/15 7:44 AM

step 11 Check edges are level and plumb, adjusting tiles or spacing if needed. Apply tile adhesive around top and side edges and lay remaining bordering tiles as in Step 8. Let dry.

step 12 In small bucket, mix tile grout. Remove spacers. Using grout float, apply grout over tiles, focusing on filling in joints between tiles. Let dry. Wet sponge, wring out water and wipe off excess grout on tile surface and in joints using a circular motion. Once clean, let dry.

step 13 Using paint tray and roller, coat wall and front skirt of garden bed with at least 2 coats of exterior paint, letting dry between coats. To avoid any splatter on tiles, use paintbrush around panel before painting wall.

step 14 Remove 30mm of soil from bottom of pond hole and roughly level. Fill hole with river sand and use wooden float to smooth and level. Insert pond into hole, check level and height. Adjust, if needed.

step 15 Sit pump in base of pond, off to 1 short side of pond. Cut and connect poly tubing to pump, then use elbow connectors to direct poly tubing out of pond and to back of wall. Secure all joins with locking clamps.

step 16 Dig a shallow channel to side of pond where pump and tubing sits. This will allow the pump electric cable and poly tube to be fed through to back of wall. Using hammer drill with 10mm masonry bit, drill pilot holes in front of wall, then switch to 22mm bit and drill through wall. Ensure there is enough room for poly tubing and pump electricity cable to fit. You may need to drill several times to increase size to suit.

step 17 Thread poly tube and power cable through hole. Connect poly tube at

back of wall following Tube Diagram, below, using saddle clips to hold poly tube in place on wall.

step 18 Mark desired positions of spouts on tiled panel. Use 10mm masonry bit to drill pilot holes at marked spots, then drill through wall using 22mm bit. Thread spout tube through hole and secure spout to wall with Selleys Liquid Nails or waterproof silicone. Connect spout tube to poly tube at back of wall and use locking clamps to secure.

step 19 Backfill shallow channel, then plant up, staggering heights of plants so taller plants sit against wall and groundcovers towards front of garden bed. Top up soil as needed. Connect pump power cord to outdoor power source. Fill pond with water and turn on.

STOCKISTS97 x 97mm Johnson’s Tiles. Ceremacrete tile adhesive. Bondcrete. Davco grout. Clinker tile cutter. Aquapro 1200x600mm preformed pond. Aquapro water feature pond pump. Pope 19mm clamps, 19mm barbed elbow, 19mm Loc-Sure clamps, 19mm saddle clips, 19mm barbed tees, 19mm inline tap flow reducer. Holman 19mm x 25m black poly tube. Bunnings Warehouse, bunnings.com.au Weathershield Low Sheen in Ticking and Black, Dulux 13 25 25, dulux.com.au Resin water spouts, Leisure Coast Garden Centre, (02) 4285 1130

3 Better Homes and Gardens, july 2015 bhg.com.au

Connection to spouts

12step

14step

15step

16step

18step

steps

Connection to pump on other side of wall Barbed tee Elbow

Poly tube

Elbow

Inline tapflow reducer

You can find a great range of spouts to buy online

or shop around at local

garden centres

Tube DiagramElbow

Phot

ogra

phy

Bre

nt W

ilson

, Phi

l Ayn

sley

; sty

ling

Jacq

ui P

ix; p

roje

ct G

raha

m R

owe

the blueinto

Water feature Psheet.indd 39 18/06/15 7:45 AM