Zero waste! Turn leftover tiles into a super easy table, tray, pots, and coasters
Transform your leftover renovation tiles into creative DIY projects. A single large tile is all you need for a tray or table, mosaic tiles are perfect for dressing up flower pots, and hexagonal tiles will enhance your table settings.
Tile tray
Turn a wall tile into a practical tray by attaching cabinet handles to it. First, measure where you want the handles to go and mark the spots lightly with a pencil. Attach the handles with instant glue suitable for metal and ceramics. Wait for the glue to dry as per its instructions, and your tray is ready to use.
Coffee table
A large 60 × 60 cm floor tile can easily be transformed into a coffee table using hairpin legs. You’ll need four metal legs, a wooden board or sturdy plywood cut to 60 × 60 cm, screws, and a cordless drill.
Begin by screwing the table legs to the corners of the wooden or plywood board. Next, stand the table upright and set the tile on top as the tabletop. If you like, you can secure the tile with tile adhesive, but the heavy tile will stay put even without glue. This way, it’s easy to switch out if your tastes or home decor change.
Coasters
Individual hexagonal tiles make handy coasters. Place a different colored tile under each guest’s glass so they can easily recognize their own drink.
You can also quickly create eye-catching serving trays from tiles. Attach furniture felt pads to the corners underneath the tiles to prevent scratching your table surface.
Tiled pots
Give an old ceramic or metal flower pot a fresh look with mosaic tiles. Small mosaic tiles with a mesh backing work best for covering the pot’s surface. If your tiles don’t have a mesh backing, you can use tile spacers or wedges from hardware stores to maintain even grout lines.
Arrange the tiles on the surface of the pot and use scissors to cut pieces from the mosaic mesh to fit the sides of the pot. Attach the mosaics to the pot with tile adhesive and let it dry. Mix the grout according to the product instructions. Spread the grout over the tiles with a rubber trowel, ensuring all grout lines are filled. Allow it to dry as instructed, then gently wipe the tiles clean with water and a sponge.
