Tile Coaster Tutorial
April 7th, 2010
So my good friend Emily just moved into her completely redone house a few weeks ago, and she asked me to make her some unique coasters. I love the look of these from Target, but $15? Get real.
For this tutorial, you’ll need a set of tiles – I got a handful from Home Depot for $0.20 a piece, some scraps of scrapbooking paper or any kind of paper really, some mod podge, clear acrylic spray, and felt pads for the bottom.
First, cut and measure you paper to the fit your tile. The tiles I purchased were 4.25″ x 4.25″ so I cut my paper to 4″ squares.
Next, clean and dry your tiles – they are much easier to work with if you clean them off thoroughly. After you have dried them off, apply a thin coat of mod podge to your tiles, place your decorative paper on top and smooth out all bubbles. Allow this to dry for about 15 minutes, then apply 2 – 3 more coats allowing each coat to dry adequately.
After you’ve applied your mod podge top coats, take your tiles out to a well ventilated area and apply two coats of your acrylic spray (I sprayed mine outside in the grass). The acrylic needs only a few minutes between coats to dry, then stick your felt pads on the bottom – one to each corner. And if all goes well, you’ll come up with something like this!
Cute right! And best of all CHEAP! They are a great housewarming party, or hostess gift. And they take very little time and effort – my kind of craft!
Today I’m going to finish up Emily’s – so excited to see how they look in her new house!
And, I’ve got a few big projects that I am STILL working on, and I CAN’T wait to show you all! So stay tuned!
This post was featured on Handmade Matters & The Rubber Punkin!
Beth – would love to see the monogram coasters when they are done!
Amber – would love to see pics of the final product!
thanks so much for this tutorial! i was wondering if the mod podge acrylic spray that i bought to seal these would cause the warm coffee mugs to stick to them? i had a can of the heavy duty stuff in my hand at lowes, but decided to get the mod podge acrylic spray instead. then i read the comments here about condensation. has anyone had bad experience with the mod podge brand acrylic sealer? (i’m mostly worried about hot coffee mugs “melting” the layers of mod podge and sealer). thanks! ~liz
[...] fruit can feasibly be steeped.Who Would Want This? : Everyone you didn’t meet at AA.6) Coasters. Tiles, personal photos or art that fits on said tile, and laminate, and bam—a thoughtful and one [...]
Liz – have not tried the mod podge spray – but please let me know how it turns out!
I’ll try that, thanks!
I bought specialty lacquer instead of acrylic for the spray. Will it be okay?
Theresa – it should be ok, just be sure to let each layer of lacquer dry completely before applying another coat! That will prevent any tackiness. And you may be able to speed up the drying process by using a hair dryer. Let me know how it turns out :)
I’m new to crafting and had a bottle of the “matte” modpodge laying around – the layer on top of the pictures I used is quite cloudy. Am I doing something wrong or will it eventually clear up? (I haven’t put the acrylic on yet).
Thank you! Proceeding now …. :-)
Kiira – I think I used the Gloss-Lustre Mod Podge. I would assume that the gloss-lustre would dry much clearer than the matte. Maybe try using a hair dryer to expedite the drying process – it might clear it up a little!
What kind of acrylic sealer did you use? Can you give the name?
Anna – not sure of what brand I bought, but it was a heavy duty water resistant acrylic spray. If you’re unsure what kind to get, just ask one of the workers at your local hardware store!
After I applied the first top coat, I realized I had a bubble in one. I couldn’t get it out… any suggestions? (I haven’t sprayed w/ acrylic yet).
Thank you!!
Meg – that happens, don’t worry! I just pushed down with my finger and applied the next coat. Just keep an eye on it as the second coat is drying to make sure it doesn’t pop back up before it dries :)
I got it, THANK YOU! Now I’m having a 2nd problem… I used 3 different patterns of scrapbook paper… one is a little more “cardboard”y than the others and is sticking up around the edges.. :/
Try holding the corners down while the mod podge is wet, and use a blow dryer to speed up the drying (while holding the corners down). Let me know if that works! Or maybe use a dab of super glue in the corners! Good luck :)
Done! *And again THANK YOU!*(Minus the spray because I forgot to buy it, lol) I would send a photo but I’m not sure how to do it within comments. http://pinterest.com/mcott097 I put them on Pinterest as well (along with the link to your website) Hope that’s okay!
Meg – so cute! Nice job :)
[...] I have a bunch of boards, and a zillion pins – so I’ve tried to narrow it down to a board of things I will ACTUALLY make which is why I called the board “No Really, I’m actually going to make these” and it can be found right here. It’s my short list of projects I want to make. The Actual project came from Blueprint Crafts and the post can be found here. [...]
Love this idea =] I am going to buy supplies this weekend. Can’t wait to give them out as gifts! Thank you for this!