How to tile a small tabletop without tile adhesive easily: a step-by-step guide
It is old-school, a tiled table, but this trend has gained momentum over the past couple of years and many of us (read as: me) have gone tile-mad. I’ve tiled my desk, my kitchen countertop, my bathroom counter and my kitchen table – I even have a tiled table in my garden.
It may seem like a big task, but once you realise how easy (and therapeutic) it is to do, there will be no stopping you. Pinky promise.
Traditionally, tiles are attached using a cement-like adhesive, however, it is possible to tile a small tabletop without tile adhesive – you can use glue.
CAN YOU ATTACH A TILE DIRECTLY TO WOOD?
You can put a tile on a wood tabletop, but it’s best to sand the table down first and make sure you remove any peeling paint to prepare the surface properly.
To get the tile to stick, it’s easier to use glue rather than tile adhesive; you don’t have to commit to buying a huge bag and it’s not as messy. I used a caulking gun and a grab adhesive like these below:
HOW DO YOU MAKE A SMALL TILE TABLE?
While it’s very possible to build your own table, I find it easier to up-cycle one; be that one you already own or one you’ve thrifted.
CAN YOU TILE A DINING TABLE?
Within reason, you can tile anything you want to tile. As long as the item you want to tile is going to be able to withstand the weight. Just think, ceramic tiles are pretty heavy, then add glue and grouting into the mix! Also a good thing to note if you want to transport the thing you’ve tiled to another space once you’ve created your new baby.
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TO TILE A SMALL TABLETOP YOU WILL NEED:
- Caulk gun
- Grab adhesive
- Pencil
- Tiles
- Tile Spacers
- Tile cutter (you can hire these easily of you don’t want to buy one)
- Bucket
- Water
- Tile grout
READ MORE ON CHOOSING A GROUT HERE: WHAT COLOUR GROUT SHOULD I USE FOR MY TILES?
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: HOW TO TILE A SMALL TABLETOP WITHOUT TILE ADHESIVE
- Prepare the surface you want to tile by sanding and cleaning it
- Lay out all your tiles using tile spacers
- Using a tile cutter, cut any tiles down to size that you need to
- Tile-by-tile and using the caulk gun, glue each one with the grab adhesive by applying glue in an ‘o’ shape in each corner on the back of the tile; then stick the tile down and move onto the next one.
- Once each tile is glued down, you can begin the grouting process
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