Decorate your home and garden with old or new tin tiles. Old tin tiles fit in beautifully with a "shabby chic," French country or American country decorating style, while new tin tiles add an ornamental accent to any room decor. Architectural salvage yards, antique stores and online auctions are a few places to find old tin tiles for craft projects; new tin tiles are available in home improvement stores as well as online retailers.
Furniture
Create decorative furniture for your patio, sun room or living area with tin tiles. Center the tile on a wooden table top or sides of a cabinet and attach it with waterproof construction adhesive. If the tile is smaller than the table top, attach wooden trim around the perimeter. Craft your own decorative headboards by attaching rows of tin wall or ceiling tiles to a sheet of 1/4-inch thick plywood. Alternate the metal tiles with mirror tiles or create separations with wood trim to frame the individual tiles on the headboard.
Fountain
Make your own fountain --- either for a table top or wall --- using tin tiles as the decorative feature. Cut a sheet of acrylic or marine plywood to fit the inside dimensions of a rectangular planter. The planter is the reservoir for either type of fountain. Cover one side of the wood or acrylic sheet with tin tiles using waterproof adhesive. Hang the tiled board/plastic on the wall above the planter or stand it inside the back of the planter and prop it against the wall. Run flexible plastic tubing from a submersible fountain pump inside the planter reservoir up the side of the tiled board/plastic to the top of the fountain. The pump will circulate the water in the planter reservoir through the tubing and over the tin tiles.
Wall Decor
Craft decorative wall art with a single tin tile or with rows of tiles. Insert one tile inside a wall frame and attach it using finishing nails along the inside edges of the frame; a glass front is not necessary. Cover a wood plank with a row of tin tiles, use wood trim to enclose the tiles and/or to create separations. Attach a mirror tile that is smaller than the tin tile to the center of the tin tile using mirror mastic. The tin tile becomes the frame for the mirror.
Decorative Boxes and Planters
Cover the sides of old plastic containers, wooden crates or planters to craft tin tile storage and decorative planters. If necessary, cut the tiles with tin snips and attach them to the containers using waterproof construction adhesive, viscous craft glue or finishing nails. If the tiles are smaller than the sides, create borders with paint, stain, mosaic tiles or stained glass nuggets. Attach glass and ceramic tiles or stained glass nuggets using the same glue as you used to attach the tin tiles.
Tags: , planter reservoir, smaller than, board plastic, construction adhesive, create separations, finishing nails