How To Use Craft Foam As Ceramic Tile!

Did you know that you can use the foam craft sheets as faux tiles? After a suggestion was made by scoochmaroo, I decided to try this.  It's a fun way to make decorative items for the office, home and shop.  You can cover tin cans, small cardboard boxes, or even use them in mosaic art!  Not that we don't have enough to do as it is. But it is a project that is well suited to children, or the child in all of us.  Cutting the foam may be too dangerous for small children as razor edges are used. So be mindful at all times regardless of your age.  So far I have only cut myself once, and that was reaching for a new blade in a box that wasn't secured properly.  Live and learn!

Step 1 Supplies Needed

First, you need the foamie sheets.  Glue, both regular white glue and the tacky stuff work well. I use spray adhesive, following their directions, to glue the images onto the can or box, but the white glue works, just takes a little longer to dry.  I use a box cutter to cut the foam sheets into tiles, and scissors to cut out clip art images.  After gluing onto a can or box, or sheet if doing mosaics, the project is grouted using regular grout. I tried both sanded and non sanded, colored and plain white, and found the best use was from the unsanded white.

Comments

[msjamiep]

You are truly very talented! I love these tin cans covered with the faux mosaic tiles. They look so real that I would have never guessed they were faux tiles or even tin cans for that matter!!! I can not wait to make a few of these of my own. I hope that it's okay, I just could NOT resist featuring your tin cans on a tin can craft round-up I just finished. You can see it here:

http://jamiebrock.hubpages.com/hub/cute-clever-tin-can-craft-projects

Thank you so much for sharing this :)

[Creativeman]

Thanks jamie...hope you have made a few projects...any pictures?

[pearsonchick]

 This is a great idea!
Do you think it would hold up to do a small backsplash for a bathroom? I have about 5" to "tile" and was tossing up doing a mosaic of painted squares...but this would be so much cooler!

[porcupinemamma]

I would like to do that too. Would I glue the foam tiles right to the wall?

[Creativeman]

I think it would work. I would seal it with maybe 3 coats of polyurethane, water based. Then when you cleaned it, be careful not to really scrub.  would be a lot cheaper and easier, too!  Let me know how it comes out. Cman

[janacow2]

I really like the roses! Did you make them, too? Would love to see how, if so

[Creativeman]

see    /http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Paper-Roses/

[rhansrider]

There is a fun techiquence for craft foam which gives the foam a leather look.  Just lightly run a heat gun over the foam from several inches away.  The foam with contract and "pebble", giving a leather look.

[Swapnali Patil]

Amazing peice of artwork !!! Good for gifting !!!

[Creativeman]

Thanks! Cman

[Mehehehful]

Couldn't you just modgepodge over the 'tiles'? I dunno I'm probably wrong lol

[woowho]

these flowers are sooo beautiful! i'll be trying them soon and sending you a pic of my results! thanks!

[rimar2000]

Very nice, but to do something as this, you have to have artistic sense.

If I try it, I'll do something ridiculous!!

[Creativeman]

Thanks rimar....sometimes I think the same thing, and then I say...do it anyway! Cman

[hitman_kiwi]

 This is really interesting, I agree with Nizerbean some crafts these days are really dumbed down. But this one has an amazing outcome, and with the grout it really looks like a tile mosaic. Nice Job!

[Creativeman]

Thanks hitman. Cman

[Ninzerbean]

I like how you were able to fit "Merry Christmas" on the can. This looks to be an amazingly original project to do with children. The outcome is worth keeping forever unlike some projects geared for kids that are so dumbed down. Great job.

[Wicken]

 I totally agree with this.  I'm looking forward to trying to 'tile' foam core boards with a 'flagstones' to make some gaming accessories.  (My partner found a pattern for a foamcore "dice tower" for rolling dice, and I think it would look 100x cooler as a CASTLE.)

Thanks so much for taking the time to show how it works!

[Creativeman]

Sounds cool. let us see when you're done! Cman

[Creativeman]

Thanks Ninzer! Cman