Get The Clay Tile Look For A Fraction Of The Cost With This Hack

By  Charlotte Beach
Split screen image of someone walking on old tiles on the left and refurbished tiles on the right @abby_roadhome/TikTok

Clay tile is a timeless design element, coveted by many for the classy look and feel it brings to just about any surface. The caveat, however, is that clay tiles typically fetch a pretty penny and can be a burdensome undertaking to install. Luckily, there are some handy tile hacks out there, and TikTok user @abby_roadhome has just shared a faux clay tile DIY project we can't wait to try.

They start out by showing us how they paint their original drab tile flooring with two coats of primer, followed by two coats of a base color. They chose a soothing beige, but this can be adjusted to your liking. After that, they use a quarter-circle stencil to create a repeating design, first tracing with pencil and then hand-painting those outlines light brown. Once again, the color choice here is up to you, though these natural hues help achieve the classic clay tile look.

Split screen image of a woman painting primer on the floor on the left and the same woman painting on a design on the floor to the right@abby_roadhome/TikTok

The last step to adding depth to the design and really nailing the tile effect is lightening the paint you used for the stencil design and blending all of your handiwork with a paper towel.

Abby then adds two coats of polyurethane to seal and protect the paint. The finished product is an incredibly convincing replica of real clay tiles, achieved at a fraction of the cost. Plus, who doesn't love the satisfaction of a successful DIY project?

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