DIY Wood Tiles

This post includes affiliate links. For the full disclosure policy click here.

Often times as creative and DIY prone people we see things that are pretty cool and think “I could make that!”. And we have. Everything from furniture, home goods, cleaning products, clothing, accessories… the list could go on. We have tried a LOT of DIY projects and products. But todays DIY is a new one even for us. We tried our hand at DIY Wood Tiles for the wine bar and we are thrilled with the results!

Initially Bo and Nicole requested a tile backsplash and we searched ALL the usual spots for traditional ceramic tiles. We went through sample after sample but nothing seemed to spark a real interest. And then we came across a look that had them both using exclamation points in text. We were so stoked! After a little more digging we quickly realized the tiles were custom, out of budget, and not even available for our time line. This is where the DIY brains started to kick in.

We started to play around with ways to get a similar “look” using alternative materials. We considered paint, vinyl, tiles we could refinish… and then we came back to our ol friend plywood. After mocking up a handful of tiles we managed to convince Bo and Nicole it was going to come out just perfect(even though we had NEVER done this or seen this anywhere before…Ha!).

Cutting & Routing

Once we had the measurements and realized we literally needed to cut hundreds of tiles it was time to call in reinforcements! Luckily they have a fantastic pool of friends that have been really willing to help out through out the renovations. With 4 sets of hands working all at once we were able to get every thing cut and routed pretty quickly.

We went with a rhombus shape and round routed edges for the final product. Obviously the shape options here are vast and you could play with so many different patterns and layouts(we really want to try hexagon tiles next!).

In the end, we chose to make the final tiles with MDF instead of plywood. It cuts perfectly smooth and its a fraction of the price. Also, being that the tiles would be completely covered you would have no idea what the material is from the outside.

Painting & Paneling

Now the fun part! We hand dipped each tile in a mixture of three different colored latex paints to mimic the look of glazed ceramic tile. Generally there is quite a bit of variation in hand glazed products and we really wanted to transfer that look into our DIY version. We dumped all three colors in a pan, gave it a small swirl, and got to dipping. This was easily the most time consuming part but totally worth it.

To get the look of a glazed tile we also needed to address the shine and finish. We’re kind of obsessed with resin & epoxy YouTube videos(anyone else relate??) so we thought this was a perfect opportunity to try a project of our own.

Epoxy Pour

In order to minimize the waste (from run off) we first glued the tiles to panels of 1/4″ plywood. These were cut to cover the backsplash wall completely when placed together. We taped the sheets together from the back, flipped it over, glued the tiles on, and then took the panels apart to epoxy. *Its important to note we only glued the tiles which covered the seams on one half. This way, the panels came together on the wall like puzzle pieces.

In case you’ve never worked with or heard of epoxy let me give you a quick overview of perks: its incredibly shiny when cured, self leveling, and simple to apply. So basically perfect for this project! We laid our panels on top of 2x4s covered in plastic sheeting for the application and drying. Q poured directly onto the panels, Nicole helped move product with a sponge roller, and Bo hit the top with a torch to remove air bubbles. Like I mentioned previously, the epoxy is self leveling so as it dried it also smoothed out and drained through all the crevices.

Hanging & Grouting

The next day we had 3 extra shiny panels that were ready to hang! At this point we had more helpers stop by and everyone agreed: this was starting to look just like tile! We attached the panels with screws placed in the crevices which would later be covered. In the end, you couldn’t tell there were ever three separate panels. It just appears like a traditional tiled wall or backsplash.

To further the look of ceramic tile we decided to grout the panels. The routed edges gave us the perfect sized surface gap for grouting without having to leave space between the tiles. Yay for more illusions!

We chose an epoxy grout in bright white to really make the shapes pop. It was our first time working with this kind of grout and its very different than traditional tile grout. We learned really quickly to only do small sections at a time, use a very firm sponge or extra grout float covered in a microfiber cloth to wipe away excess, and get extra hands to help move things along!

This grout doesn’t require sealer and it cures super fast. Which also meant we were able to attach the corner round trim to the exposed side(on the left), add the electrical face plates, and caulk all the outer edges the same night.

The Final Illusion

These DIY wood tiles came out better than we ever expected and thats not always the case with DIY projects. This felt like a big win! To be honest, we just cant wait for another reason to experiment with DIY wood tiles😍

So would you venture into DIY wood tiles? Have you seen a shape or pattern you think we should try next? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!