Scrabble Tile Wall Art
Have you ever stared at empty walls because you were indecisive about what you wanted to put on them? Yes, No, Maybe So? Well, that's me. I'm that person. We've been in our house for 4 years now, and until just last week, there was nothing on our walls. I've had plans to do something, but my plans are always time-consuming (I like to take on big tasks) and I'm not just sitting on my couch doing anything every weekend.
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I decided to first start with Scrabble Tile Wall Art. It wasn’t very hard to complete at all. Below is the step by step guide from making to placing the tiles on the wall. I used www.crosswordhobbyist.com to help picture the layout of the tiles. No need to create an account to use it.
Layout on Computer
Step 1:
Type your names in the "Word" boxes
Names
Step 2:
Click “Arrange”
Screenshot this layout. On a MAC, Command+Shift+4, then drag the portion you want to capture. When you release, it automatically saves to your desktop. For Windows, Alt+PrtScn, or Fn+Alt+PrtScn if you’re on a laptop. Guess what else works, snapping a pic with your phone!
Now, you may want to see a few layouts to get an idea of which one might be best for the wall. To do this, move on to the next step.
Step 3:
Click “Un-Arrange”
Un-Arrange
Step 4:
Click “Arrange”
You have different option now.
Screenshot or snap a pic as previously stated.
Repeat Steps 3 and 4 until you have as many options as you like.
Wood Prep
I purchased some 4-inch unfinished wood square pieces from Amazon. No sanding was needed which was awesome! I used Minwax Wood Finish Penetrating Stain in Classic Gray 271. I picked it up at Lowes. I grabbed a rag and dipped it in the stain and rubbed it on. It took no time to get all 25 completed. I let them dry at least for a full 24 hours prior to doing anything to them. I also only stained one side since the backside will be facing the wall. No point in wasting wood stain, right? :-)
Okay, so I’m a Cricut user. If you have another cutter and design software, I’m sure you’ll be able to follow along and make adjustments as needed.
I used the Scrabbles font from dafont.com. Download it as you would any other font. If you already have Design Space open, you may have to restart it for it to show.
1. I placed the names in DS and lined them up as I would want to see them on my wall from the saved screenshot.
2. Then I grabbed a square shape and sized it to 4x4 (or use whatever size your wood squares)
3. You can either duplicate that square or use the same square to go through each letter and make sure they are sized just the way you want. I duplicated the squares because that’s just the kind of person I am.
I’ve read where some people have used permanent vinyl on wood but had problems with it sticking to the wood. You would need to seal it in order for it to stay on. I have a bunch of HTV, so I automatically knew this is what I was going to use. I still have a Cricut EasyPress (good and faithful first generation) for small projects.
4. So, I loaded the Cricut and cut the HTV (don’t forget to mirror)! Weeded all pieces.
5. I used a temp of 305°F, placed a Teflon sheet on top of the vinyl, and pressed for 10-15 sec on each square
I gauged how the vinyl looked when I pressed. If it was too many wrinkles, I lessened the time a bit. If it didn’t stick, I used a bit more pressure. 15 seconds should be more than enough time, but again you’ll be able to tell once you press that first square.
I did use scraps of regular paper I had around and cut 4x4 paper out on my Cricut (hence duplicating the squares earlier) and placed it on the wall before putting up the actual squares. It helped me see the layout on the wall itself. I just used a small piece of clear tape and had them up for a few days. A rough draft if you will…
Once I was ready, I just replaced the paper with the wood squares on the wall. I used Command strips for picture hanging (large) and cut them in half.
Tile back
PIN Now to Read Later!!
Still not totally straight (as you can see), but they are easily adjustable to get it to where they need to be. Now that’s done, I need to add the remaining décor.
Stay Crafty!
~Kel
