How To Make A Tea Coaster By Yourself

A tea coaster is an item you use to rest a drink upon. They are sometimes known as drink coasters, beverage coasters or even beermats. These small mats can be made from plastic, ceramic, wood or other materials, and they have existed for hundreds of years.

The purpose of a tea coaster is to protect the table underneath. For cold drinks, like a glass of water, the coaster protects the wood of the table from damage caused by the condensation on the glass. Coasters can also stop hot drinks like tea or coffee from burning the table surface.

Coasters and beermats are often seen in:

• Homes
• Cafes
• Restaurants
• Bars

As such popular features of tabletops, it is commonplace for them to feature designs that make them decorative. This is one of the goals of tea coaster making at home. It is an opportunity to put your creative skills to work and make coasters that look the way you want them. Decorate with patterns, colours, illustrations and more and make them from any material you please. There are many possibilities and this is a popular choice for crafting products for the home.

Why Do You Need A Tea Coaster?

In your home, you have many surfaces where drinks may rest. You will have bought many treasured pieces of furniture for your home, like:

• A dining table
• Coffee tables
• Counters
• Breakfast bar

Your guests, or even your family, are likely to place drinks on these surfaces. They may even put drinks down on things like pianos or dressers. Any flat surface can be fair game when guests are round, and they are all vulnerable to damage from the liquids in glasses, cups, mugs and tumblers.

Tea coasters are the key to protecting your furniture. Without them, you will inevitably get watermarks and burns on those surfaces, tarnishing their appearance permanently. Explore some tea coaster making ideas, wherein you make them yourself or get custom coasters from a store like ours, and you could solve this issue in your home. And you could add a touch of style to your space and enjoy the whimsical fun of your own brand of tea coaster ideas to personalise your space further.

If you are committed to home tea coaster making, we have compiled a step-by-step guide to doing it. It starts with exploring ideas and gathering materials and goes right through to aftercare for the finished product. Follow this guide for your tea coaster DIY craft.

Creative Tea Coaster Ideas

You want your tea coasters to match your tastes and be a good fit for your home. When you are making something yourself, unique creations are the order of the day. With that in mind, you should explore some ideas and perhaps brainstorm some things that might work for you. Here are some suggestions:

• Holiday-themed coasters
• Coasters that look like orange slices
• Patterned macrame coasters
• Coasters made from bottle corks
• Epoxy resin coasters
• Wooden photo coasters

Incidentally, there are many creative tea coaster ideas in our tea coaster store so be sure to take a look if you are interested. It could be the place to purchase some bespoke coasters or it may just provide some much-needed inspiration.

Essential Materials For Making A Tea Coaster

The materials needed to make a tea coaster depend on the type of coaster you are making and the design you want to put on it. Materials for making coasters can include:

• Tiles
• Craft resin
• Wood
• Plastic
• Upcycled materials

In fact, virtually any material can be used creatively to make tea coasters. And you can decorate them in many ways. It may be that you want to paint a pattern/image or dye the base material. You may use ink or print onto materials. Wood or stone can be ripe for carving and you can also use other techniques for adding designs to your coasters.

As you can see, the materials and tools vary depending on the type of coaster you are creating. You may need:

• Your base material or pre-made blank coaster
• A jigsaw/band saw/scroll saw
• Acrylic paints, paintbrushes and colour palette
• Inks and pens
• Tools for carving
• Equipment for printing
• Resin or varnish for creating a waterproof finish

There is a lot to think about. You will need a good understanding of how to carry out every stage of the crafting. Alternatively, you can use our service to make a tea coaster to your specifications and get a finished, ready-to-use product in whatever quantity you want.

Preparing Your Materials

Before going into the process of making your tea coaster, you should make sure all the materials are ready to use. If you are using an upcycled or found material, for example, you should make sure it is clean and ready to be worked on. If you have bought materials like wood for the task, make sure it is sanded down and prepped for the work.

Have all your tools to hand so that you can move through the process smoothly. If you need to do cutting first, have the relevant saws ready and also sandpaper for smoothing any rough edges. If you are painting, have the paints and brushes you need ready to use. Preparation is key to success, so your planning and gathering of materials should be comprehensive.

Assembling Your Tea Coaster

Now you are ready for the bread and butter of how to make the tea coaster. You will need to cut out or assemble the coaster, decorate it and finish it for use. Here are the steps in a little more detail.

• Step 1: Start by making the coaster. This could mean cutting a thin section from a piece of wood or cutting out your shape using a jigsaw. It could mean pouring resin into a mould or weaving from a material like straw. Or it may mean shaping clay, after which you will need to dry it. Whatever type of coaster you are making, the first step is to create the blank shape that will eventually become your coaster.
• Step 2: This is where you decorate your coaster. If you are painting or inking a design onto it, you will need to carefully apply the paint or ink as desired. If you are using dye or printing, you will need to carry out your process carefully. Whatever type of design you are applying, do it with care and take your time to get it right.
• Step 3: Now you are ready to finish the coaster. If it is ceramic, you will want to apply the varnish and fire it in a kiln. If you have painted or inked a design, you may want to apply a protective coating to make it waterproof. It depends on the material and the type of design you have applied, but you will need to ensure the finished product is ready to allow hot or cold drinks to sit on top without damaging the coaster.

Finishing Touches

As mentioned in the step-by-step guide, the finishing touches of your coaster are an important consideration. Suggestions include:

• Durable paint
• Staining the wood
• Sealing the product
• Leaving it natural

It is down to you to decide what will look best and what will make the coaster fit for use. When considering how to make tea coasters that work for you, both the look and the function are important. Find the right way to finish yours that will tick both boxes and leave you with a great finished product. All coasters we sell are finished to the highest standards so that they are ready to use for the long-term.

Maintenance And Care For Your Tea Coaster

If you finish your tea coaster properly, there should be minimal maintenance required. They should be designed to be waterproof and scratch-resistant. Accidental damage is always something that can happen, but there are a few basic things you can do to care for your DIY tea coasters:

• Clean them every now and then (carefully wipe clean)
• Only use gentle cloths and brushes and simple detergents that won’t cause damage
• Store them safely when not in use
• Encourage care when using them to avoid accidental damage

Different types of coasters will have different degrees of durability. Try to exercise common sense with your coasters and treat them in a way that prevents damage. Or you could choose a protective finish when ordering your custom tea coasters from us.

There are several other important things to think about with tea coaster making. The first of these is to consider what you put on the bottom of them. If they are made from a potentially abrasive material like slate, stone or ceramic, you may want something underneath to prevent damage to your table. Felt can be stuck to the underside for this purpose. You could also add grip by sticking a rubber or wax backing onto the underside.

You may also want to think about the thickness of your tea coaster. This depends on the material, but a wooden or ceramic tea coaster should be at least 3-5mm (¼ inch) thick. This will ensure they can protect your furniture from damage without being too bulky.

When handling different tools and materials, you should always be mindful of safety considerations. Follow the relevant instructions for all these things to avoid damaging your coaster or doing damage to any of your surroundings. This is also important for personal injury prevention.

Finally, there are many materials that can be upcycled for making your own coasters. Here are some suggestions:

• Corks
• Candle lids
• Cardboard
• Old sweaters
• Tiles
• Scrabble tiles
• Weaved magazine pages
• Tree limbs
• Leather

Upcycling is a great way to reduce your waste and make innovative, exciting new things from tired old materials. It is also a great way to stimulate that creative brain of yours.