top of page

DIY Paper Tiles and Resin Make a One of a Kind Decorated Table


In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how you can create an amazing tabletop with scrapbook paper tiles and covered with resin.


Also check out my resined chair makeover tutorial.


diy paper tile table with resin


Who else has picked up a piece of road side furniture with the aims of repainting it and making it awesome?


I know that I have too many times. You should see my garage.


I hope that I can inspire you today to turn a thrift shop or yard sale side table into a colorful masterpiece.




How do you make a tile out of paper?


To make a square tile, the easiest way is to use a paper punch. Square paper punches come in all sizes, so depending how big you want your tiles, you can probably find a punch up to 2.5 inches or so.


However, you can use paper to make mosaic pictures and designs as well. To do that, you simply cut pieces of paper in random shapes. You would then fit them together in an intentional way that fits the paper pieces like a loose puzzle.


For example:



Your pieces of paper might not fit quite so exactly unless you cut the paper as you go. But if you precut the paper, fitting them the best you can is how most mosaics are made.




How do you make a resin table top?


Resin is so fun to use on a table or counter surface. This is because you can embed small things like paper, or even coins, into the resin and still have the surface be smooth.


You will need to add enough resin to cover them completely. You can do this in coats or if the thickness of the embedded item is small, usually one coat will suffice.


To embed paper, you’ll first need to add Mod Podge to keep the resin from seeping into the paper and discoloring it.


See how it works with paper in my tutorial below.









Step 1

Find a side table or whatever table you want to tile.


I recommend finding it at a non-profit thrift store, but yard sales are a good place to find old furniture too. I actually found the one below for free in an alley.


thrift store table makeover



Step 2

Remove any hardware parts, such as handles or knobs, if there are any.


I ended up using a different knob that I thought went better with my color choices.


remove hardware from table



Step 3

Before you spray paint the table you’ll want to choose a color theme and pick out a variety of scrapbook paper for your tiles.


Usually if you get a pack or book of scrapbook paper the colors are coordinated so you could just use the papers that come with those. Check out the paper packs on Amazon that I recommend at the bottom of the post.

Color combo of scrapbook paper



Step 4

Spray paint the table with a color that will compliment the scrapbook paper you chose.


spray paint your side table


painted side table diy



Step 5

Find a square paper punch in the size you want your tiles to be.


I used a 1 inch square, but as I said before, you could choose any size punch you can find depending on how you want your table to look.


a paper punch to cut tiles


Step 6

Start punching out the squares of the paper you chose.


I find it easier to turn the punch over so I can see where I’m punching the paper. You will save paper that way.


punch out squares for paper tiles



Depending on the size of your table and how many different patterns of paper you’re using, you’ll have to punch the same paper multiple times.


punch paper squares to use as tiles


I like to add the paper tiles at random, so I mixed them up a little bit after I punched them all.


paper punches for tiles



Step 7