I recently gave my childhood bookshelf a makeover by adding a fun, faux tile accent!
This updated look was super simple and inexpensive. I liked the idea of a “tiled backsplash” look, but didn’t want the cost or hassle of actually tiling the back of the shelf.
If you’re looking for a fun way to add some color and texture to a furniture piece, let’s get started!
The Story
My grandfather made this shelf for me when I was little. Here it is, the official “before.”
He had a little shop in the basement where he experimented with various projects. I would hang around, hammering nails into a board or painting little wood pieces. We would listen to some oldies on the CD player. 70 Ounces of Pure Gold to be exact. Tom Jones, anyone?
I began this bookshelf makeover by removing the pieces that were damaged and that I wanted to change. It didn’t take me long to discover its more… “unique” characteristics. 😉
I noticed things like screws that were not holding two pieces of wood together, shelves that were uneven, and a back that didn’t provide full coverage and was pieced together with what I can only assume were scraps.
He was not a polished woodworker, nor was he incredibly patient or detail oriented. The construction of this shelf mirrors him and it makes sense to me.
I decided what to keep and what to replace or fix, and then gave it a good sand to remove the ultra glossy sheen.
In the end, I replaced the top and bottom trim pieces, a shelf that was damaged, and the back. I left everything else as it was, even if it was not 100% level and not perfect. If I were to totally rebuild it, it would lose something. The memories are in the imperfections.
Adding the Faux Tile
The faux tile accent is what I was most looking forward to with this project. While an accent color would have added an extra pop, I was looking for something with a little more texture. This accent was so easy! Here’s how to do it!
What you’ll need:
- Craft wood pieces (I used rectangles that were approximately 5.5″x2.5″)
- Liquid Nails or Krazy Glue Fast Dry Wood Glue
- Tile spacers (I used ⅛”)
- Latex paint
- Spray paint
- Acrylic varnish or a spray clear coat in a glossy finish
Once I had the shelf fixed up to my liking, I gave the whole thing a fresh coat of paint. The white I used is a color match to Benjamin Moore Simply White.
Step One: Choose “Tiles”
I used rectangular craft wood pieces to mimic subway tiles. You can use any size or shape you like.
I was originally planning to use these hexagon wood pieces, but I failed to look closely at the product description and there were a lot smaller than I thought (foiled by the metric system!). They were more the size of a penny tile than the hexagon tiled look I was hoping for. I didn’t want to wait for the delayed shipping time to order more, so I went with Plan B.
Plan B was to use some rectangle pieces I had from a different project, but I didn’t have enough of those either. I landed on Plan C, the “subway tile” look with larger rectangles picked up at Hobby Lobby.
To plan how I wanted to arrange my tiles, I cut pieces of cardboard to match the backs of the shelves and played around with different spacing and configurations.
Step Two: Paint Backs of Shelves
Paint the back of the shelves with latex paint. This will be your “grout” color.
I picked up a sample sized pot of paint in PPG Paints Phoenix Fossil. I did two coats and still had a lot to spare. This would be a good way to use up leftover paint you have lying around, too.
Step Three: Paint the “Tiles”
While the shelves dry, spray paint your wood pieces. I used white spray paint in a glossy sheen.
After spraying them, the wood pieces didn’t have the shiny tile look I was hoping for. I let them dry and added a coat of acrylic varnish I had on hand. You could also use a spray clear coat in a glossy finish.
Step Four: Attach “Tiles” to Shelves
Time to get to tiling! If you can, lay your shelves horizontally so you can take advantage of gravity to keep your pieces in place.
Begin by laying out a few tiles for your first row. For the top shelf, I started at the shelf and worked my way up. I decided not to go all the way up to the top. The trim piece blocks the gap from view, and it doesn’t bother me to know it’s there.
To space the pieces evening, I used ⅛” tile spacers. You can use anything you have on hand, like a scrap piece of wood, paint stir stick, quarter, etc.
I used Liquid Nails to attach my wood pieces. The set time is about 10 minutes. If you’re gluing your pieces on a vertical surface, you may want to use a faster drying adhesive, like Krazy Glue Fast Dry Wood Glue.
Add glue to the back of the wood piece away from the edges. I didn’t get too close to the edges so it wouldn’t squish out into my “grout lines” when I pressed it to the shelf.
Place the wood piece where you want it to go, make sure the spacers are in place, and press the piece snugly against the spacers. Make sure you hold the piece down for a few seconds, and then add spacers for the next piece and repeat the process.
You can see that the second shelf has a row of “tiles” that will need to be cut in half lengthwise. If you encounter this, I suggest starting from the top and working down. I worked from bottom up, and I feel like the partial row would be less noticeable on the bottom once there are items on the shelf.
For the offset, my dimensions worked out to allow me to cut one rectangular piece exactly in half. I alternated on each row starting with a full piece vs. a half piece. Depending on the size of your shelf and wood pieces, determine what will fit within your space. The goal here is to not have any seams line up.
Style and Use Your Shelf!
I let everything dry, and then that was it! This bookshelf makeover has given me the perfect little shelf that I can use to hold craft supplies.
I hope you try this faux tile accent on a piece of your own! Let me know how it goes!
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