Tutorial: Magnets that Rock

A couple of days ago I turned the plain magnets on my fridge into some pretty magnets that even the daughters-in-law are loving. And the best part?  No cost!

Well, no money that I had to put out while making the magnets, anyway. I sourced magnets from things that I had in the house. (More on that in a moment.)  The tiles were left over from the ones we bought for the mosaic tile floor that I made and wrote about here and here.  

The glue is the really good stuff--E6000--which I bought for DIY and crafting projects.  I haven't used it much but I honestly haven't been able to DIY or craft much either.

So back to the reason for this post: how do you source magnets from around the house?  For starters, you pay attention to the things in your house.  I tend to take everything apart when it's no longer any good.  Sometimes I find interesting bits; other times I waste my time.  Well, maybe not waste my time.  I discover all sorts of things and add to my knowledge base, so there's that.  I also find things that I have to ask about, but that should be a whole other post.

I found this tutorial on A Beautiful Mess. I made a few changes, but the idea is the same, so this post is mostly about my sourcing the magnets.   I discovered that Sonicare replacement brushes have a magnet that is WOW strong. Really, removing one of these from whatever it has attached to is work you do not expect.  

I've been keeping used brushes for the last year or so thinking I could eventually use something on them. Be forewarned, removing the magnet is difficult. The cover (above the red arrow) slips off easily giving more access to the magnet (the red arrow points to it).  I used heavy wire cutters and needle-nose pliers to cut into the plastic part that holds the magnet, breaking it as much as I could.  

Basically I cut and pinched and pulled at anything I could grab hold of. The pliers helped me to hold onto the metal arms that run from the magnet to the top of the brush; the wire cutters did the hard work of cutting into and breaking off the plastic that the magnets are glued onto.  Eventually everything breaks and the magnet comes loose.  I cleaned off the water residue and calcium buildup and let it dry, and it was ready for a tile.

If you are lucky enough to have more than one of these brushes, keep the magnets far away from each other.  At 4 or 5 inches apart they managed to pull together and separating them was interesting.

The magnet is actually three pieces, but I left them all together because I could not break all three apart from each other.  Trying to separate them is an option you can attempt.  I think they are held in place with the same glue that devils use when they want to punish a wayward soul.  

 My other magnet source is the shower curtain liners that I use in our bathrooms.  I needed to replace the one in our bathroom (which you will not see). 

When I changed it, I cut open the little circle that holds the magnets in the bottom of the liner and snagged all three.  These are not as strong as the brush magnets, but they will hold a photo quite nicely.

Really there's no need to tell you how I glued the magnet to the tile, it's very straightforward: put a dab of glue on the back of the tile and add the magnet.  I was reminded, however, that gluing the magnet backward makes a difference.  I had to fix a couple.  Let's just say it's a good idea to check this out before the glue dries. 

Finally, dropping a small glass tile on a tile floor can cause breakage.  Recovering the magnet from the broken tile is dangerous so wear safety goggles.  Once you're blind the magnets aren't as pretty.

Mosaic Tile Runner~~part 2

Okay, so it's time for part 2 of how I did my mosaic tile runner.  I promised.  Time to deliver!  In case you missed it, part 1 is here.

Really this whole part is quite easy.  After cutting or breaking all the pieces, I hauled them inside and plopped everything as close to my area as possible.  I really intended to sit down on the job and work around myself.  That was a no-go: my legs and feet were just in the way.  I can't kneel, so that left me with squatting and bending.  Whew!  Was I sore!  Toward the end I couldn't squat or bend for more than a few seconds, so having everything very close really made the difference.

I had three sheets of 1 inch by 1 inch tiles.  I cut two sheets into strips one tile wide to make a border and began on one short edge by laying down the strips from corner to corner.  Then I added another strip on each side almost touching the first strips I laid down.  

From there it was really very simple: fill in the center with the rest of the tiles.  Like fitting the pieces of a puzzle, I just put down pieces of tile trying to keep the spacing at about 1/4 inch.  When I couldn't get the pieces to fit tight enough, I just found another tile in a slightly larger size.  

If things got too tight, I picked a slightly smaller size.  It helped to use the extra one inch tiles for big open spaces when I just couldn't find something to work.  Notice in the lower left corner that I have a very small rectangular piece and a one inch square next to each other.  

Originally the one inch squares were meant to add contrasting color and dots of texture, but they worked well for filling in, also.

 In the photo above I've finished putting in the tiles.  The cement glue had to cure overnight before we could add the grout.  Since we did everything on a Sunday afternoon, I wasn't home for the grout party.  I probably couldn't have bent over anyway.  

And the finished product with grout and sealer.  We got a spray sealer that could be applied right after the grout was put in.  The only thing that is left is the mopping.  

Yep, lots of mopping to get all the sand and dust off the floor, but it feels so good and the entire living area looks huge now.  I love it! And I especially love my own little mosaic rug!

If you're interested in making your own little mosaic, know that you absolutely can!  Just think carefully about how much bending and kneeling you can do before you decide how large an area you want to tile in pieces as small as 1 X 1 and no larger than 3 X 4.

Mosaic Runner Tutorial~~part 1

It would be too much to try to post everything I did or learned about creating my mosaic floor runner in one post, so this is part one: prep work.  

One thing I did realize is that if you have more floor to cover than leg muscles to move your body, you will feel the burn, pain, and cramps.  Do yourself a huge favor and choose your runner size carefully.

Secondly, you need lots of tile pieces.  I broke and cut pieces till I was tired and Richard said I had enough.  He was wrong.  That simply meant that while I was cutting, the mud on the floor was drying.  Meaning I was forced to hurry--NOT safe.  I have all my limbs and the rug is no worse for wear, but I do not recommend it.


Let's start with breaking tiles. You'll need an old heavy towel or sheet, a hammer, some tile pieces and a hard surface.  I also used an old aluminum bat because it was handily lying nearby.

If using a sheet, fold it in half and spread it on the hard surface.  You'll use it to keep pieces of tile from flying when you break it with the hammer.  To do this, spread the folded sheet on the hard surface, lay tile pieces on half, then drape the other half of the sheet over the tile pieces.  No tying necessary, but you surely can tie it if you want.  I used the aluminum bat more than the hammer because it worked really 
well--just hit the bat on the row of tiles.  Hit hard but use only one whack and keep the length of the bat flat for a neater, straighter line.  If using a hammer, hit each piece of tile once.  It's easy to "see" the tiles if you pat the sheet down first.

Uncover and remove the pieces that are small enough (I found 4x4 inches or smaller worked well), cover the larger pieces and break again. Continue in this way until you have enough broken pieces.  

Some of the pieces may end up in a triangular shape.  I was worried about the sharp points causing some problems when we walked on them barefooted.  

 To fix that, I held the point up and tapped against it with the hammer.  My idea was to break off the points, but mostly I dulled them only a little.  

About the time I got really tired, Richard decided that I could use the saw.  Now understand, I had a whole lesson on safety.  The blade is a diamond blade and can cut through bone.  It can cut glass.  It can cut porcelain. The blade is diamond and can cut your fingers and hand completely off.  It spins extra fast.  It can pull your hand into the saw and will not stop. It's a diamond blade. 

 Diamond.  Diamond! 

Eventually I had a box of cut pieces. And I was tired of the tough love.  Every time he walked outside, my sweet husband checked on me.  All parts intact?  How's it going?  That's a diamond blade.  It's dangerous.  Stand back away from the saw.  That diamond blade will cut through bone.

Those safe hands are Richard's.  I tell you: I got a thorough lesson.

And now, a couple of photos of the rug.  Later in the week I'll explain how I laid out the pieces.  

See you for Moasic Runner Tutorial~~Part 2.