Do you know what one of my favorite things on the planet is?
Well–besides red lipstick, black velvet pants and trying to take pictures of my hair in the self-checkout lane.
One of my favorite things is to think of projects from things that other people were going to get rid of.
Toss.
Leave behind on the curb.
Let sit in the garage until bell bottoms were a thing again.
So when one of the most amazing tile companies on the planet, Jeffrey Court, asked me to create a project people could create from their leftover tile?
I was all over it.
So I thought and planned and dreamed and came up with something for the new house.
Here’s my version of what to do with leftover tile from a project.
I tiled the back of this bookcase.
This project only took about 10 squares of tile.
You can see this honeycomb tile with all of the other incredible tile selections that Jeffrey Court has to offer here.
If you don’t have leftover tile, you can always pick up a few squares at your local home improvement store, too.
Want to make your own?
Here’s how we DIY’d our tile bookcase.
Before bookcase
Here’s our before bookcase.
When choosing a bookcase for this project, you will want to find one with removable shelves.
It’s not a dealbreaker if you don’t. One of our shelves wasn’t removable and the project turned out fine. It just would have been so much easier if both shelves would have been removable and we just tiled the back of the bookcase and inserted the shelves after. It would have saved so much time with cutting the tile.
This is a bookcase I got at an auction for $17.
Choose your tile
This is the tile I used for the project.
This tile comes in a sheet, so it made the entire tiling project so much easier.
Smaller tile like this works better than larger tile for this project because it creates more visual interest.
Measure tile and cut
For this project, we just placed the tile in the back of the bookcase and measured where the cuts were.
Then I took the tiles with the markings where the cuts should be to my local home improvement store and had them cut the tile.
I’ve found most home improvement stores are willing to help if you only have a few cuts.
Having them cut the tile made the project so much easier.
After you have the tiles cut, bring them home and lay them in the bookcase as shown to make sure they fit.
Adhesive
The next step is the adhesive.
You can find tile adhesive in the tile section of the home improvement store.
It usually comes in a tub like this.
We spread the adhesive with a plastic trowel on the back of the bookcase.
You want enough adhesive to ensure your tile adheres properly.
Follow the manufacturer’s directions on your project.
Press tile in place
After you have applied the adhesive, press tile in place.
This tile came in sheets, so the tiles were evenly spaced for the project.
Keep placing tiles on the adhesive until all tiles are in place.
We let our adhesive sit overnight.
Apply grout
The next step is to apply grout.
You can buy grout pre-mixed or it comes in powder form that you mix yourself.
Because the project was a small one, I got pre-mixed grout to save time.
Using a plastic trowel, apply grout to the tiles. Make sure to press the grout down between the tiles with the trowel. After all your tiles have grout between them, go back and remove as much grout as possible from the top of the tiles before it dries. This will make your next step so much easier.
Follow manufacturer’s directions on how long the grout needs to set up before you sponge the top.
Our grout sat for about 10 minutes.
Remove top layer of grout with a sponge
Lastly, you will want to use a dampened sponge to wipe off the top of the tiles.
Keep wiping until the grout is removed from the top of the tile.
It can be a little challenging.
My best tip.
Wipe all the grout until you think you are done.
And then?
Wipe it again to remove any haze.
I’m so happy with how it turned out.
Who knew that tile sitting around in a garage or basement or back porch could look so good?
My bookcase is happy.
I’m happy.
Life is good.
But life with red lipstick, black velvet pants and leftover tile is AMAZING.
disclosure: A giant shout out to Jeffrey Court for partnering with me on this post.
All opinions are my own.
Please see my disclosure page for more information.
You are an inspiration for all! My bookcase is jealous. We just removed all the tile - 12 x 12 tiles from our kitchen floor. I know - I know - our house is only 2 years old... long story! But I now have a ton of tiles that are in perfect condition - of course, we saved them all. Now, you have me thinking of what I can tile!!
Teresa If you dont have a use, often times school art departments will use as paint palettes for the kids
The bookcase is adorable. I just have one question: did the tile make it feel like it weighs a ton? And like you might need to jack up the floor to support it? :-)
I 'second' this question! ;-)
What a fabulous idea!!!! You are so smart!!!!
I would never have thought of that. Looks very attractive.
Great idea! I never think of embellishing the backs of bookcases. Hmmm, must start now. I had some off-white, small, square tiles and purchased a Happy Thanksgiving stamp from Hobby Lobby. I stamped each tile with brown ink, sealed them, put non-scratch feet on and gave them to family members for coasters. I hang my head telling you this one. . . .I took the same stamp and stamped the "nice" Chinet white napkins and used them for a gathering. Yes, I know I am cheap. . .don't remind me.
Now this is a fun project. I love this idea.
Great idea! I have used mine on table tops before but never a book case. Looks so nice.
You have the wheels turning ! I just recently purchased a dresser from Craigslist. ☺️
LOVE IT!!
Looks great! Leave it to me to have a question about something besides the main topic! However I love that leather tote, briefcase? What is it and where did you get it??? P.S. you bring so much laughter to my life!! God bless you!
Very cool. I enjoy you taking us along on your twists and turns in life. Thanks so much for the humor. P
Great idea! Something different... 😉!!
This is beautiful, and inspiring!
Great idea for left over tile! Your bookcase looks good!
Never would have thought of that. Guess that's why you're the queen! Love it.
Absolutely love this idea! Hope to try myself!
Cool idea Karianne😆The bookshelf looks all prettyified ( is that a word? LOL..) Have to try this. Thank you for the idea.😊
O.K. I sense you are a little quirky, at times. What I need to know....when you are at an auction and you get the winning bid and they place that item in your hand...do you do a little dance and say woo hoo!!! That is me and I do receive a lot of looks. But...I do not really care because I won that treasure. Blessings....I so enjoy your posts.
I have tiled a tabletop but never a bookcase. Looks great!
Hi Karianne, this look would be great in a kitchen with dishes or the bathroom with towels and toiletries. You never cease to impress me.
Life IS good! Life IS Amazing!! And leftovers? They're fabulous, just like you!!! xoxoxoxo
I absolutely love this idea! Beautiful! And it made my heart happy to see that cute pitcher on the top. Happy decorating, friend! You do it all so very well! I'm sure that the red lipstick and black velvet pants help, of course...😊
Loving that you tiled the book shelf! But I really want that "brush" pumpkin! It looks like a vintage scrub-brush head ~ and I mean very vintage ~ from so many years ago. I'm sure it's not, but if possible I would love to know your source!
Kathleen, I got the pumpkin at HomeGoods last year! Hope this helps! karianne
Great project and very creative idea! The book shelf looks adorable. I have tiles left at home and I can use your project as an inspration - thank you!