Dollar Store Tiles

I found these tiles in the garden section of the Dollar Store. That sounds kind of funny, the garden section.  They are a little wonky and the paint color is hideous, but I thought they could be upcycled into something nice enough.

Considering the pits and cracks in the design of the tiles, I decided to use three colors of paint to try for an authentic stone look. 

Using leftover latex paint from our home office, I dipped one corner of my brush in brown and the other corner in a rusty color.  I tapped the brush on a paper plate to get some of the paint off and then applied the paint diagonally, but rather randomly, in a pouncing and brushing manner.  I didn't want too much paint to collect down in the cracks and letters, so my brush was not very wet. 

When this coat was dry, I took very dark brown paint, thinned it with a little water and brushed the entire piece with the thinned paint.  The ratio was about .25 to 1 with the water being the .25.  Then with an old rag, I dabbed and wiped the dark brown paint off.  I like to do this gently at first, checking the design as I go. 

What do you think?  Pretty simple, yet pretty dramatic.  The tiles look kind of fall-ish to me.  Perhaps I'll do an antique white or grey, or maybe green for summer.  Got any ideas?  I'd love for you to share.  

Thanks for stopping by,


Ellie