With the introduction of USB drives and memory cards we no longer need CDs and DVDs. We are all either live streaming our movies or downloading them. So they have become obsolete for us. So if your house is anything like mine you will have hundreds of CD’d and DVD’s lying around the house collecting dust.

Because all my projects are made from recycled materials I wanted to try and use them for a project instead of throwing them in the bin. Like most of you out there, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration.  I saw this mosaic birdbath projects and loved it, but felt it was a bit big for a first project.  I wanted to start on something smaller so I decided to do a house number.

How to make a house number using old CDs and DVDs

Making the base

**This post may contain affiliate links. Which means I earn a small commission on links used at no extra cost to you. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.**

You can use any scrap wood for this project because the surface will be covered by CDs and DVDs. This one is plywood cut to  300 mm square but you can make yours according to your needs. A square can be really boring so for cosmetic reasons I wanted to chop off all of the corners.  You can use a compass or any round objects to mark your circles, just make sure they are all even. You can now cut the circles using a jigsaw.

How to separate the DVDs

A DVD is made up of two layers and we only want to use the “shiny purple” side of the DVD, so you need to separate them.  Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to the boil.  Once the water is boiling you can put the DVDs into the water for about 3 minutes. It is easier to remove the DVDs from the water one at a time because they cool down quickly.

Using tongs pull one DVD out of the pot and using your fingernail or sharp knife split the two layers apart. You cant do this with the CDS as they have only one layer

Cutting the CDs and DVDs

You then need to put them back into the water to soften them up ready to be cut.  I used dressmakers scissors to cut the CDs and DVDs.  You can tell I am not a dressmaker, I am sure some of you are screaming NOOOO by now. haha, Normal scissors will also work fine as long as they are strong and not flimsy plastic. Take the CDs and DVDs out of the boiling water one at a time and cut them straight away while soft. You can cut them into any shape you want.

I must mention that not all DVDs are made equal and so not all are suitable for those project.  I did find in my stash the one brand did not work.  You will know you have a dud when you cut into the DVD and the foil chips off like paint. In the image below you can see the chips along the cut line.  If you get this, don’t use that DVD because the glue will not stick to it.

To make the house number stand out you can do a two-toned effect.  I did the inside number purple which was the DVDs and the outside sliver which was the CDs.

I have terrible handwriting so drawing my numbers onto the board was out of the question.  So I found the font I wanted and printed my house number out on to a piece of paper. You can cut out the paper number and use it as a template to trace the outline onto the wooden board.

Glue the CDs and DVDs to the house number

I started on the number first and I found straight bits of DVD to follow the lines and then filled in the rest of the number.  If I could not find the correct shape I just cut one. I used Tarzan grip glue to glue the pieces in place but any glue similar to E6000 will work.

Seal the CDs and DVDs

I waited 24 hours for the glue to dry properly and sealed the number using an outdoor gloss varnish.  Because It is going to be outside in the elements a marine varnish would work better if you have some. Like any mosaic, you can grout your project like the video above.  I did not grout mine because I had no idea if it would scratch the CDs and DVDs.  One of my followers asked if you painted the number would it stand out more.  I had no idea so I did a test run and this image below was the result.

 I like them both so it is all down to personal choice. The results were great and no matter what angle you look at the numbers it looks great.  I must also say that some people have raised concerns about the sun reflecting the light and blinding drivers driving past.  They did not reflect the sun like a mirror, you only see a pretty rainbow effect of colours.

My Amazon picks

More great projects

This regular sand timer was upcycled and given an Egyptian theme.

If you are looking for more house number ideas here is one I made for my daughter.

If you are looking for any of the items used in this project, please consider using our links. By clicking on the links we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Which helps us come up with new and exciting ideas to share with you. Please feel free to share or leave a comment we would love to hear your thoughts.