Polymer Clay Floor Tiles

Do you remember when I started these polymer clay tiles for my first dollhouse?

Well, they are finished! And now I am installing them in the upper level of my dollhouse. Installation is near completion and then I will ‘grout’ them with a mixture of acrylic paint and light weight spackle (the fluffy white kind).

I’m so pleased with how they are turning out that I thought I would share. Cost wise, I got about thirty four 1-inch square tiles from each 2 oz block of polymer clay. I used an economical brand of polymer clay since this was going into my first dollhouse. It cost just under $3 per block. I made approximately 180 tiles so I think it cost roughly $16 for the upstairs flooring. Not bad at all!

The benefits of making your own are in the price and the aesthetics. They look real, they are durable ( I dropped a bag of them on concrete without one breaking!), and they are light as a feather.

You could do the same with air dry clay but I find polymer clay is a better choice. Moisture won’t affect it like it would paper clays. Polymer clay also takes texture and colour (I used chalk) very easily. You also don’t have to worry about misting it to keep it moist. Another plus is you can make a big batch and store it for later, without any special preparation or storage concern.

Later on, I plan on using paper clay to make stonework to give this a lovely English cottage charm…but for tiles, I think I would opt for polymer clay.

And here is a set of tiles I made for a lovely buyer from Utah. They have a softer terracotta look. I used several variations of colours of clay here, combining them together. She wanted something that resembled Santa Fe tiles….