How to Create a Tile Soap Dish

If you just cannot find the right soap dish for your bathroom, then design your own by creating a mosaic with ceramic tiles. Tile nippers make it possible to shape the ceramic tile into intricate pieces. Mosaics rely on a grout to fill in the gaps to unify the pattern. Once you decide on a color or pattern choice for your soap dish, you'll be on your way to create your own bathroom decor without breaking your budget.

Things You'll Need

• Ceramic tile
• Towels
• Hammer
• Ceramic tile nippers
• Soap dish
• Glue or strong adhesive
• Work gloves
• Cement-based grout
• Spatula
• Wet cloth
• Sealant spray

Instructions

1. Look for tile that will match your bathroom decor. Think about the color scheme and the overall theme of the bathroom before you begin purchasing tile, to ensure that it suits your style.

2. Lay the tile on a thick towel. Cover this towel with another thick towel. The tile needs to be completely covered with both towels.

3. Smash the tile with a hammer to break it into small pieces. The tile pieces will need to be small enough to fit onto your soap dish. Remove the pieces that suit your needs from the pile after each smash, and continue to break the tile until you have enough for your soap dish.

4. Clean the soap dish free of dirt and debris. Dry the dish off completely to remove any excess water that will prevent the sealant from sticking.

5. Wear work gloves to protect your hands. Use tile nippers to alter the shape of the tile. You will need tile pieces with flat edges to fit on the edge of the soap dish.

6. Glue the finished tile to the soap dish. Leave at least ¼ to ½ inch between each tile piece for the grout. Cover all areas of the soap dish, except the bottom, with the ceramic tile. Allow the glue to dry for six to eight hours.

7. Apply the grout to the soap dish. Use a spatula to help spread the grout over the dish, and do not leave any spaces without grout. Let the grout set for 20 minutes.

8. Remove any excess grout with a damp cloth. Wipe away the grout carefully, so the rest of the grout will stay in the gaps in between the tile pieces.

9. Let the grout set for 24 hours. Once the grout sets for a day, spray the soap dish with a sealant to protect the surface.

Tips & Warnings

• Instead of applying random shapes on the soap dish, you could cut the tile into squares with the nippers.

References

• Floors Transformed: How to Use Ceramic Tile Nippers
• Mosaic Tile Guide: How to Make Mosaics