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Whenever you’re assembling materials for a tiling project, it’s recommended that you purchase a little extra—about 10% more than strictly necessary for the job. That’s why, at the conclusion of a remodel, even fastidious do-it-yourselfers may end up with lots of leftovers. Rather than relegate the surplus to a corner of your basement or garage, why not put the tile to work in your next DIY project? Scroll down to see five creative ways of repurposing tile in and around your home.
1. Create Coasters
You may be a diligent steward of your furniture, with a pledged commitment to the use of coasters. Still, your home’s wood surfaces won’t be safe from damage until every household member follows your lead. To make responsibility more fun, encourage the family to photo-personalize a set of tile coasters. Here’s how.
2. Customize Your Kitchen
Here’s a high-impact way to dress up a rental kitchen. Whereas a backsplash normally installs directly to the wall, you can, as a non-permanent solution, adhere your choice of tiles to a panel of medium-density fiberboard. Wall-mount the panel, not the tile, and when it’s time to move out, simple remove your handiwork.
3. Build a Birdhouse
Welcome birds to your backyard with an all-season feeder. Though porcelain or ceramic tiles could be used theoretically, the example here boasts a quartet of linoleum tiles. Having been decoratively painted, the tiles were set into the metal frame of a salvaged lantern. For the step-by-step details, visit Instructables.
4. Address Your Visitors
When announcing your home to visitors, ensure the street number remains legible even after nightfall. Glow-in-the-dark paint provides an easy way to do so. In this project, the tiles are held securely, but are not fixed in place, by two rabbeted boards. Move the rightmost tile, and you find a clever cut-out for a spare key!
5. Make a Mosaic
Looking to blow off a little steam? Haul out your leftover tiles! After donning safety goggles, go ahead and hammer the tiles into pieces of irregular size and shape. Now you’ve got plenty of material with which to design mosaics for tabletops, counters, or garden path stepping stones—get instructions for the latter right here.