Tile DIY Fail?

Decorative tile is really expensive.  You probably know this.  For a while during our home renovation I thought very seriously about painting my own decorative tiles.  I even went so far as to make some samples to see if it was a good or a bad idea.

The previous homeowners had left a box of plain white square tiles in the basement.  Score!  I did my online research and discovered that enamel paint was going to be the best bet for painting on top of finished tiles and actually having the paint stick and stay.  And so off I went to the hardware store to buy a few different colors of enamel paint.

I wanted a very hand painted, almost mottled look, so I used several colors on the tiles at the same time:

Then I designed and cut a stencil that would create a larger overall pattern across multiple tiles.  (This is where knowing how to design patterns for stamp designs really helped me.)  Once the first layer of paint had dried, I stenciled the tiles:

I decided that they were too bright and so I experimented with some darker colors...

...but it felt too dark and so I tried to stencil with less contrast...

...but it still didn't feel quite right.

And so, I made the decision to scrap this particular DIY project for now.  In the meantime, I have a fabulous collection of drink coasters!  LOL!

It's good to remember that not every DIY project works out and that's okay.

Thanks for stopping by!