Tile Mat FAQs and Tips

We've had our tile mat for over three years. Every time I make a new tile mat design, I get lots of questions about it. I thought I would answer the FAQ for you here!

Tile Mat FAQs and Tips | Which Color Mat is Better for Outside?

There are two colors of mats: there's the white with the black border and an all black mat. I originally bought the white tile mat and I thought it would work out perfectly. We have a covered porch, but we do get some direct sun in the evenings, especially in the fall and winter. I noticed the bottom of the white mat started discoloring. I tried cleaning it so many different ways and couldn't get anything to work and so I ended up switching to the black tile mat. I keep that out front and there has been zero discoloration of the mat. It actually looks brand new still and I've had it over a year!

Tile Mat FAQs and Tips | How Do You Clean the Mat?

I really like to use Dawn dish soap and clean it in my sink. I have done it on our front porch with our little pressure washer attachment that goes on our hose just to see if I can get the discoloration off the white mat but Dawn dish soap and the sink or bathtub seem to work the best.

Tile Mat FAQs and Tips | How Do You Clean the Tiles?

The tiles come in little mesh bags and can be put into the dishwasher, which is awesome! I had some tiles with residue on them, I'm not really sure what that was. After washing them in the dishwasher, the bag was still pretty wet, but the tiles looked really good. There was a bit of discoloration on some of the tiles still, but not bad for something that is exposed to the elements.

Tile Mat FAQs and Tips | How Well Do the Tiles Stay on the Mat?

This is the question I get a LOT. I will say, they are pretty stuck on there. You have to really try to get them off. I've tried experimenting by moving the mat around, walking on it, etc. I found if they're in the middle of the mat, you have to pick them off and then you have to really peel them off on the edge.

Tile Mat FAQs and Tips | How DO You Remove the Tiles From the Tile Mat?

Personally, I like to roll the mat and then kind of pick them off as I'm rolling it. It actually helps a lot and I can get whole rows off at a time instead of having to pick them all off individually which can take forever.

Tile Mat FAQs and Tips | How Do You Store the Tiles?

I really like organization containers from Michaels. The bigger one with different sections in it will fit a whole set of tiles in each section. The bigger containers I use for sets of tiles I have a lot of. For example, the Fog and Black tiles and then I have a lot of certain blues and pinks as well. I've also used the photo holder from Michaels which is really great as well. It just doesn't hold as many tile colors, but it's a really great option for a beginner.

Just as an FYI your tiles ARE going to change color in the sun.

Tile Mat FAQs and Tips | Why Spend the Money on This?

It's a valid question. The standard mat is $75 and then you have to pay for each set of tiles that you buy. Personally, I was buying a new doormat every season which meant I was storing four or five doormats all year long or having to replace them constantly because of wear and tear. I felt like an investment of $75 plus the money spent buying tiles was going to save me money in the long term. Also, I got my black one on sale for, I think, $50. I'm a creative person and it's a great creative outlet for me.

You can shop the tile mat all of the accessories I talked about below. I can't wait to see what creative designs you come up with as well!