A Full & Honest Review of Mixtiles

If you’re anything like me, perusing Pinterest and Instagram for design inspiration, you’ve undoubtedly seen Mixtiles pop up on your feed and have been tempted to try them out.

I was tempted, but couldn’t quite bite the bullet, so I reached out to the company, asking if they wanted to partner with me, which meant they’d supply me with Mixtiles in exchange for a review – and they agreed!

This is something that’s new to me. I’m not a big deal on Instagram (even though I really AM a big deal – wink wink…on Pinterest at least), simply because to be an ‘influencer’, you often have to push products harder than a drug dealer, and that’s just not my jam. I’m a bit more organic I guess.  But, I REEEEAAALLLY wanted to try these photo tiles and didn’t want to pay for them – they would put a big dent in my wine and Starbucks budget (#truestory), so I was pumped when Mixtiles agreed to a partnership.

And now, I want to share with you the whole process, from ordering and receiving them, to hanging them on the wall and LIVING with them – I want to answer ALL of your burning questions. Are you ready?

Please note, just because I was supplied this product in return for a review, doesn’t mean I was bought – that’s not my jam. I’m going to give you the real down-low, so you can fully understand this product and whether it could work for you and your home – no bull.

WHAT ARE MIXTILES?

If you’re never heard of Mixtiles, you’re in for a treat!

• Mixtiles are 8 x 8, peel & stick photos with a frame around them. This is the only size, likely based on the weight that can be supported by the peel & stick strip
• That’s right, NO NAIL, NO SCREWS – just a lovely peel n’ stick styrofoam strip
• You can buy three, or you can get, I don’t know, 70, like me (who’s down with OCD? YA YOU KNOW ME! Epic Naughty by Nature reference for those who grew up in the ’90s)
• They are REPOSITIONABLE. And trust me, I gave them a run for their money as I moved many of them well over a dozen times trying to find their perfect spot
• While you can hang them independently, Mixtiles are generally suited to a gallery wall arrangement
• You can use family photos or even images of artwork you or your kids have done! If you can upload it, you can use it! (ermmm, they may draw the line at nudes…)

WHAT DO MIXTILES LOOK LIKE?

I didn’t know what to expect as I didn’t do any research before I ordered my Mixtiles. I’d simply seen them online, liked the idea, and went for it (also how I picked Tim). When the boxes showed up at my door, I was pretty much frothing at the mouth and couldn’t WAIT to rip things open and get at ‘er.

THE FRAME AND PHOTO SURFACE

• Plastic
• Foamboard of some sort

I was surprised to see that they weren’t QUITE what I expected (so maybe I had a FEW expectations). I just ASSUMED they were traditional frames with mats and glass/plastic over the top. Mixtiles actually have a plastic frame and the photo is printed on what seems to be some sort of foam board. Now, this might SOUND like a bad thing, but it’s not as that’s what helps the whole PHYSICS of it all so they stay stuck to your wall without falling and smashing on your floor, which is usually what happens when I haphazardly hang my usual gallery walls.

And it WORKS, it really friggin’ WORKS!

The photo is a matte finish, which I really like. And because there isn’t any glass on the front, the natural light shining on them doesn’t blind me and I can actually SEE every single photo when I look at my gallery (and it’s a big gallery…).

FRAME AND PHOTO OPTIONS

The Mixtiles I chose have a black frame and a white border with my own ‘reasonable quality’ photos in them. When I tried to load a photo of lower-quality the program let me know that it wasn’t a good idea.

You can also choose from:

• Black frame, white frame or NO frame
• A white ‘mat-look’ border around the photo
• A FULL-photo with frame and no ‘mat-look’ border

And seriously, I just had fun playing around with the different style options and in the end, I chose the ‘CLASSIC’ style…

But DO wish I’d picked the BOLD instead…

I PERSONALLY found that the white ‘mat-look’/but not really a mat look cheapened it a bit for me. Had I done my research before ordering and realized that there were no glass/plastic covering or mat, I probably would’ve nixed the white border and just went with the photo that covers the full 8×8 space. I just find the white printed border took away from the quality of the look a bit for me and I was slightly disappointed (really, only in myself for not researching things more).

WHAT DO MIXTILES COST?

When I was first interested in Mixtiles, the price was the first three for $49 and then $9 for each one after that. That seemed pretty fair.

When I finally committed to ordering Mixtiles, the price was $59 for the first three and then $12 for each one after that. Oooof.

HOW MANY DID YOU BUY AND WHAT DID IT COST YOU?

I ordered 71 Mixtiles. The extra one was for no reason at all, it just happened. 40 of those tiles were supplied by Mixtiles and I paid for the remaining 31 using my kid’s piggy bank savings.

Had I spent my own hard-earned money. My 71 tiles would have cost $875 plus tax, for a total of $980. At this point, I would probably be putting the final signature on the divorce papers as we speak, so thank GOD some of them were free.

It also means that while I LOVE what I have, I WOULD hesitate to order more (I mean, do I REALLY need more than 71?). Maybe. However, if they were $9-10 each, I wouldn’t hesitate to order more for myself or as a gift for a friend.

WERE MIXTILES EASY TO HANG?

If I could do it all over again…I would, and I probably will, because these bad boys can apparently be repositioned over two dozen times! Hands-down, hanging Mixtiles was one of the most fun decorative things I’ve done. For all of the times I’ve filled walls with millions of nail holes trying to hang a regular gallery wall, it was so relieving to just peel…and stick.

And I didn’t just hang them in our family room, I also hung them in Cassie’s bedroom too, integrating them into her already existing gallery wall – she LOOOOOVES the look.

HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU MOVE THEM?

I moved each tile at LEAST 6-8 times as I figured out not just the WALL I wanted them on, but the placement and flow of things.

DID MIXTILES DAMAGE YOUR PAINT WHEN YOU PEELED THEM OFF?

Nope, not even a whisper of residue, it’s like they were never there.

HOW’S IT HANGIN’? 

Well, THAT’S something you’ll have to ask Tim…oh, you mean the MIXTILES! They’re awesome. They’ve been up for about one month and out of 71, only one has fallen off and I GUARANTEE it’s because I just didn’t push it on, seeing as I moved them all so much. I stuck it back up and it’s been on ever since. If a tile(s) WERE to fall off repeatedly, I would assume it’s more about the surface they’re being stuck to rather than the adhesive strip itself.

MIXTILES SHIPPING

Shipping is FREE with Mixtiles. Ermmm, wait, shipping is free, but the cost for the first three tiles is much more than the price for each tile after that, so I DO believe you’re just paying for the shipping within that #freenotreallyfree.

As for the shipping TIME, Wellllll, they took a long time, which could be due in LARGE part to…

a) COVID, I have no doubts.

b) the fact that I’m in Canada and Mixtiles are from, ummm, TEL AVIV, so that being said, I’m not surprised that it took 4-5 weeks for each of my orders. HOWEVER, reading online, there are people who got their orders WAY quicker, like in five days, so I’m optimistic that in normal times, this would be more the norm.

KYLIE’S OVERALL MIXTILES RATINGS OUT OF 10

GENERAL IDEA: 10/10

SUPER cool. If you’ve ever tried hanging a gallery wall, you’ll know the exquisite pain that can induce – Mixtiles is your therapy.

SHIPPING TIME: N/A

Due to COVID.

PACKAGING: 10/10

I love the packaging and because I have a box fetish (along with wine, Ryan Reynolds and toss cushions), I kept the boxes and repurposed them.

COST: 6/10

Mixtiles ARE expensive for the actual quality of the product itself. If I’d spent, say, $600-$700 on my 71 tiles, I would’ve been happy with my purchase. Had I spent the full, almost $1000, as they are $12 per tile (considering I didn’t pay that amount as I was supplied with 40 of them at no cost), I would be feeling a little underwhelmed. That being said, I’m still generally happy with the end product, but the pricing feels a bit high.

FIRST THOUGHTS UPON LOOKING AT THEM: 6/10

I was disappointed when I realized they were plastic and foam board with no real mat. But, as I lay them out and accepted what they were and why they HAD to be so lightweight, I moved into the PUMPED zone as I could already see how cool the end product was going to be.

MY OPINION UPON THEM HANGING UP: 8/10 AND 9/10

FAMILY ROOM: 8/10

If I’d ordered the ones with no white border, it would’ve been 9 out of 10 – only the pricing would knock that one point off. I love the matte photos and the overall look, but it’s a bit too casual for our living room/not quality-looking enough with the white mat #notreallyamat.

KIDS BEDROOMS: 9/10

While they were too casual for our living room or main floor, they’re AWESOME in the kid’s bedrooms. They’re fun and easy to move around, again, just the price knocks that point off.

EASE OF HANGING: 12/10

Seriously, I actually had FUN hanging Mixtiles. Most of them I moved at least 6-8 times, some even more and they just kept on stickin’. I used a credit card as my spacer, a small level and went at it. It was almost addictive.

OVERALL MIXTILES RATING: 9/10

You know what? Aside from the pricing and the whole ‘white mat #notreallyamat’ thing, which I obviously haven’t let go of yet, I still give Mixtiles a SOLID 9 out of 10. Why? It was a fun experience from start to finish, from ordering to hanging. The finished look is friggin’ COOL, and while we haven’t been able to have many people over due to the whole ‘social isolation’ thing, everyone that HAS seen our gallery wall thinks it’s about the COOLEST thing they’ve seen and want one for themselves, and I DO like being coveted.

It’s given personality to a plain area of our home and has prompted MANY conversations as we’ve remembered some of the fun times we’ve had. I also love that when I get bored with where they are – which is INEVITABLE, I can easily move them to another wall. I could do two separate galleries, I could tuck them away, I could give them to grandparents – I don’t think I’d ever really tire of them.

WANT TO PURCHASE MIXTILES FOR YOUR HOME?

USE THE CODE KYLIE10 FOR A 10% DISCOUNT

(Valid until July 07, 2020)

Chat soon,

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