We just came across an awesome DVD mosaic method and simply had to share it. We’ve seen upcycled CD projects before, but this DVD mosaic method blew us away! It turns out that DVDs are more vibrant than CDs. Who knew? Read on to find out how to use this wicked upcycling technique at home.
In order to make your own DVD mosaic you will need:
- 20+ DVDs
- Scissors
- Hair dryer
- Clear sealant (glue)
- Grout
- A rag
- Clear gloss spray (optional)
The example project for this DVD mosaic method is a birdbath. This was an old cracked birdbath that was repaired with watertight epoxy. The epoxy was a bit obvious though, so the solution was to cover it up with a beautiful DVD mosaic!
These were old computer backup discs that were no longer needed. The coolest part about this technique is cutting the DVDs into tiles. It turns out that DVDs are made of 2 pieces of plastic with rainbow film in between. The trick is to separate the pieces so that the colourful film sticks shiny side up underneath a layer of the disc. This will protect the colourful film with a top layer of plastic. In order to do this you need to heat up the DVD with a hair dryer. Once the DVD is hot you can use a butter knife to help pry the 2 pieces apart. Careful, it will be hot!
Once the 2 pieces are separate you can use scissors to cut the colourful side of the disc into little pieces.
If you had difficulties getting the rainbow film to stick to the underside of the plastic you could alternatively spray the exposed film with a clear gloss spray to secure it.
It’s time to assemble your mosaic. Dab glue onto the backs of your DVD tiles and arrange them into a pretty pattern.
Remember to mosaic your edges as well.
Once your tiles are dried and secure it’s time to add grout. Spread the grout and then use a damp rag to wipe away the excess.
This is what it will look like when you are done:
Here’s a close up, just stunning!
We absolutely love this DVD mosaic technique. The bright rainbow colours of the DVD are just too beautiful!
P.S. You can use the same technique with CDs, but they are not as vibrant as DVDs.
(DVD on the left, CD on the right)
Happy upcycling!
Sources:
Happy Hooligans
i think it is uberlicious!
just awesome!
Mosaic from DVDs? What a great idea, it look very nice
Nice Idea! I have a large box full of old and useless already CDs and DVDs in the garage, and that’s a good reason to recycle them already. I always prefer to keep my old stuff and repurpose than throwing it in the rubbish. Thank you for this post!
Thank you so much for posting. I made one from your instructions.
Love your instructions and art. Thank you! Do all your different colors come from silvery or purple DVDs? Are the reflective side colors like the pinks and greens just from the reflection? Did you use any CDs in your designs, even though they are not as bright – because I noticed that the reflective sides of some CDs have different base colors due to dyes/metals in the CD?
The DVDs look more purple. The different colours come from the reflections 🙂
I tried this. While I didn’t slice my hand open, there is definitely potential with a sharp edge. I found that the silver often feathers, sometimes comes off on both disks leaving only a tiny portion of the silver usable. Since I don’t have a limitless supply of discs, I resorted to simply cutting them with a sturdy pair of scissors. This comes with the bonus of being not mistaking orientation of the silver side and gluing the wrong side up.