How to Make Tiles Out of Recycled Glass

When taking on home projects, it is important to know how to achieve your desired end result while following all instructions properly and safely. Making your own tiles out of recycled glass requires knowledge of the subject and great caution since very high heat and melting glass are involved. You can make just about anything out of recycled materials, but melting glass and making your very own tiles to be used in another home project will be great fun.

Things You'll Need

• Recycled glass shards
• Metal pot with extended handle
• Oven
• Oven mitts
• Tile mold (rubber)
• Refrigerator
• Rolling pin
• Sharp knife
• Wax paper

Instructions

Create Recycled Glass Tiles

1. Put lots of recycled glass shards inside your metal pot.

2. Heat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The higher the temperature, the quicker the glass pieces will melt.

3. Put on your oven mitts and place the metal pot inside of the oven. If the oven is open-faced, stand back so that you do not receive any heat burns and be sure your mitts are thick enough so you don't burn your hands. If it s a closed oven, place the pot inside and close the door. Pull the pot out before the glass starts to bubble and add your color with liquid food coloring.

4. Pour the glass into your tile mold once it has completely melted.. The larger the mold, the easier it will be to pour. If you are using smaller tile molds, such as 2 inches by 2 inches, make sure your pot has a small drip spout at the end for easy pouring. If you are not using a mold, go to Section 2, Step1.

5. Refrigerate the tile molds until they are hardened, and then pop the tiles out. They may appear to have air bubbles if they are full glass tiles, and that is to be expected.

Tiles without Molds

1. Pour your liquid glass onto the wax paper and roll it out with a rolling pin. It will naturally begin to cool fairly quickly, so there should be no dripping or spreading around the surface.

2. Allow the glass to cool enough, yet still have some softness to it so cutting is easy.

3. Cut the tiles into your preferred shapes and sizes and allow them to cool completely before using them.

References

• Recycled Glass Tiles with Molds
• Cut Your Own Glass Tiles