DIY Guide to Crafting Custom Tile Picture Frames

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Picture Frame Tile Art DIY

I was at a tile shop recently and they were selling their discontinued sample boards for $1. We picked up a couple and decided we could do some pretty cool projects with them. I thought we could make custom tile picture frames.

Check out what we did to take an ordinary brown picture frame and give it some pop.

What you’ll need:

tiles that will fit on a picture frame and enough of them to do so
picture frame (we used wood)
heavy duty adhesive cement
ruler or paint stick

Getting started

Take the tile off of the board it is on and remove the mesh backing that kept it together.

Laying Out the Tiles for Appearance

You will want to take your tile and do a dry run to make sure you have enough tile to go around the picture frame. This also allows you to space out evenly and see how it looks before you put it down. If you do not have enough tile, you may want to supplement with other objects like marbles or embellishments. If you are set on just these tile, you may need to get a small picture frame before you start.

After placing your tiles down without the cement, if they are all not the same, you will want to make sure the pattern you make is pleasing to you or random, your choice.

Creating the Design on the Frames

Next, start removing the tiles one by one and putting cement down on them and placing them back on the frame.

Once you have a side complete, use the ruler/paint stick to make sure all the tile are flush to your picture frame edge. They need to be flush/even or this will not sit well on a table. It wont matter as much but should look even if you are planning on hanging the frame.

Complete the other sides doing the same and allow the frame to sit and dry over night.

Finally, once dry you can place your desired picture into the frame or wrap up and give it as a gift.

Can This Hang on the Wall?

Depending on how heavy the frame is, it may be best to have your piece as a desk display. The tiles can be pretty heavy and hanging the frame could risk your photos being damaged if the frame falls.

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