a tile trivet

The fastest DIY you ever did make….

I have quite a few tiles left over from my kitchen mini revamp. You know how I hate wasting anything. When I was asked to teach a workshop at the Philly Home Show, I reached out to Aspect Tiles to see if they would like to work together and one of the things we talked about was a tile trivet. I love this idea- Its a great way to use the leftover tiles and would even make a great gift!

It’s super easy to make. I took a stained glass class a few years ago. These tools have really come in handy. If you have a wet tile saw, you can use that too (I just didn’t feel like digging it out and cleaning it all up). 

The tile trivet has to be mounted on something not too bulky. I was partnering with Pure Bond plywood for another workshop so I reached out to them for this as well. I was thrilled when they agreed to supply the 1/4″ plywood for the trivet backing. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to paint the base or not, so I made two samples to start (I cut the pieces to 9×9″ square).

I took the 3×6 glass tiles I had and cut a few in half to make 3×3 squares. I used the tool above with the clear plastic handle to score the glass then I used the blue pliers to snap the tile along the score line. It makes a nice clean cut (that is SUPER sharp so please wear gloves) big tip: only score once. If you go back over the line you made, it wont be in the same place and your glass won’t break properly. You don’t have to press hard, just firm enough to scratch the surface of the glass. 

Once you have the glass cut, you use a utility knife to slice through the adhesive backing and paper cover. Then use the 1200 grit sandpaper to sand the cut edges (keep your gloves on for this). It doesn’t take a lot of work to make it nice and smooth.

Then grab 4 3×6 tiles and layout your design:

Once you know how you want your design to look, peel off the backing and stick them down. Just be careful- once you stick them down, they do not move. I like laying out three before I add the center one.

Once you’ve got it all on and stuck down, if you used the metal tiles, you need to peel off the protective plastic. Just scratch gently with your fingernail at the edge…

and peel….

Here is a shot of the tile with only part of the protection removed. Can you tell which one it is?

Then you’re all set. You can set something hot on it right away. It’s a great size for just about anything.

Believe it or not, those center tiles are the same light green ones I put on my kitchen wall. Lighting changes everything.

Here is a shot of the edges of both so you can compare painted and unpainted:

There are so many options on tile color, the combinations are endless!

What do you think? Can you see yourself making one for your kitchen? If you find yourself in Philadelphia Jan 13-15, stop by and make one with me!

Don’t forget I have free tickets too- reach out and I would be happy to share them with you!

XO!

Scottie

Thanks to Pure Bond and Aspect tiles for sponsoring this project and my trip to the Philly Home Show. All opinions are my own and always will be.