Creative Ways to Use Leftover Tile
Home renovations can often leave us with a number of leftover pieces which end up being stored somewhere in the garage or the basement in a box. Usually it consists of pieces of tile from the kitchen or the bathroom. They may sit in that box for years unopened and forgotten because no one knew what to do with them. Here are a few quick DIY projects you can easily do to use up those leftovers which will give you unique one-of-a-kind items you can display or use in your home.
TILE COASTERS
If you’ve got some fancy decorative tile or some pieces cut into shapes, like a hexagon, why not turn them into some unique coaster for your living area. By simply using a hot glue gun and some pieces of felt or cork from the craft store, in minutes you can create some beautiful, unique and personalized coasters for your home.
TILE SERVING TRAY
Found some larger pieces of tile too big for coasters, no problem, why not turn them into stylish serving trays. Now when you bring your snacks to the table you can eliminate the scratches, liquid imprints and crumbs all in one.
TILE TABLETOP
Many of us can identify with buying too much tile when we’re doing home renovations. Often this leads to a whole box of tile sitting unused somewhere collecting dust. This is perfect if you have an old table or desk which you’ve been holding onto. Instead of trying to sand out all the deep scratches on its surface, why not use that box of tile and create a gorgeous new table, perfect for your patio, garden or craft room. And if you have some smaller pieces or shapes leftover, why not use them to create a border around the larger pieces.
TILE MAGNETS
After kitchen renovations with tile the most common leftovers are smaller pieces. These pieces are most often just thrown away, but with some hot glue and pieces of magnet from the craft store, why not create some fridge magnets which will coordinate beautifully with your new kitchen.
JEWELRY HANGER
This little DIY will work with any kind of tile you have left behind. Just adhere some leftover pieces or crafted shapes to a larger piece of tile or painted wood, add some hooks to the back for hanging, and you’re ready to display your jewelry.
TILE VASE
The project works best if you’ve got leftover tile shapes, like sheets of hexagons to create a honeycomb look. Find yourself an unused or cheap vase from the craft store and you can easily role the sheet of tile around it. Fill in any spaces with grout and you’re done. Display beautifully around the home or even give them away as gifts.
MOSAIC ARCHED WINDOW FRAME
The great thing about creating a mosaic design, is it doesn’t have to be perfect and it’s the easiest way to use up all your mixed pieces of tile. Ideal for a bathroom with a small window, create a pencil outline around your window and begin laying your tile pieces as you normally would. Depending on the type of tile you have leftover, why not create a simple design within the mosaic for a touch of elegance or flair.
TILE CANDLE HOLDERS
If you’ve got some mirror pieces, decorative glass and tile, give them some copper or other metallic taped borders and stick them together in a variety of shapes and sizes perfect for displaying candles safely and elegantly around the room with a small votive candle.
TILE PHOTO COASTERS
A few of you may even have unearthed a box of tile from decades long since past where tile was more retro. Or if it’s new tile, it may be just plain and boring. If you’re looking to hide bad choices or spice of boring, why not use photos or pictures from magazines, a little Mod Podge glue and you can cover your tiles and seal your beautiful memories to be displayed around your home.
TILE PLANTER
Got a boring cement planter at home, adhere some of your leftover tiles to create a beautiful and elegant planter which will easily conform to your newly renovated kitchen or bathroom. Have something a little more retro, why not place it on your back deck or in your garden.
TILE NECKLACE
This simple and easy DIY is perfect for kids too. Use up those smaller shapes or cut pieces to create pendants for necklaces or broches for lapels. With a little glue and some jewelry basics and pins from the craft store these gems are great for creative kids and make inexpensive little gifts for parties.