DIY Tile Mat

I absolutely love the layered mats style. So, I wanted to find a mat that I wouldn’t have to constantly clean and throw out after one season. The look of tile is super trendy but, as I was looking to make my bottom mat out of tile, the materials list kept growing and the amount of work didn’t seem worth it. When I came across these floor tile stickers on Etsy, I decided this would be the perfect solution! You have the expensive look of tile with easy application and little effort to clean!

Here’s what you will need to make your own tile sticker mat:

• Plywood board
• Floor tile stickers
• Wood trim
• Outdoor paint
• Paintbrush
• Sander or sandpaper
• Adhesive spray
• Screws
• Drill

Since you will be most likely layering your mat with a standard door mat on top, measure the plywood board size you will need around the top mat. I used a standard size mat that measures 18” x 30” and painted the letters. You can find the separate tutorial for the top mat here. To make my 6” stickers fit my board perfectly with no excess, I got a plywood board that measured 42” x 24”. I chose these specific dimensions so that I wouldn’t have to worry about cutting off any side of the stickers. You want to be sure to get a board that is somewhat an outdoor wood and the thickness that won’t bend too easily when stepped on. Home Depot will cut the board for you if you give them exact dimensions. The same goes for the wood trim. They sell the 2”x 2” trim pieces. You need about two of these cut. Have 2 long pieces cut 42 inches and the shorter 27 two pieces cut inches.

After the board and trim is cut, it’s best to sand the wood board down to eliminate any grittiness that would hinder the stickers from adhering. Sand and wipe down the board with a damp rag.

While that was drying, I painted my wood trim on all four sides. I used Behr indoor/outdoor matte paint in the color “black”. You only need a small amount, so I just bought the sample paint at Home Depot that only cost a few dollars and still left me plenty for later. The paint dries pretty quick. I also painted the board using a lighter color. Pick a color that would show through as faux grout lines and would match your tile stickers. Don’t worry about painting the board perfectly. Only a small portion of the painted board will show around the stickers.

Now that you are ready to apply the stickers, be sure to lay them all on the board to see how you want them centered. I measured my board centered from left to right and top to bottom. This means that my first sticker was place at the very top exactly in the left corner and moved to the right, one row at a time. It’s all preference and different designed stickers all look different when laid out. I needed to leave a slight gap after every two tiles to give the board a natural tile look and since my 6” stickers were not exactly to size. Once I laid out all the tiles, I began to peel and apply each sticker starting with the top left corner. Exact placement is pretty important but fortunately the stickers are pretty forgiving and allow you to reposition (thank goodness since I am pretty notorious for placing things crooked

Continue to peel and apply around the edges of you board. I didn’t end up covering my whole board since a top mat will be laying in the middle. Once all the stickers are applied how I wanted them, I began to peel back each sticker halfway off the board and sprayed adhesive spray underneath each square to give extra enforcement. This is optional, but with the humidity we have in Texas, I felt it was necessary! 🙂

The board is now finished and all that is left is attached the wood trim! Screw one side of trim at a time on each end with the drill and use a good amount of pressure pushing it to the board.

Your new mat is ready to use! The best part is that this mat can stay year round while you change out the top door mats based on the season! I would love to see your project in the comments and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. 🙂