As sad as it may be, we don’t all know how to sew or knit, so those articles and books that tell you how it easy it is to crochet coasters might just make your eyes glaze over. This one is for the folks who want a DIY project, but don’t want to use needle and thread to make it happen.
Are you a beginner? No worries! It’s really easy to make coasters with just a little bit of material and time. Take a look at this handy guide!
What Can You Use to Make Your Coasters?
You want homemade coasters that look good, but don’t require too much effort to make. Try one of these materials!
Fabric
Take a quick trip to a craft store and pick out your favorite pattern. You can also use old t-shirts, leather jackets, or scarves with a cool print on the front. The end result is stylish coasters for your living room or bedroom.
Cardboard
Do you have a party coming up? Cardboard coasters won’t cost you a ton of money and are super easy to make. You can then toss them in recycling when the night’s over!
Cork
Cork is a classic style that’s great for wine glasses and soda cans. This style is similar to cardboard as it’s great for one-and-done parties.
Wood
Go for a rustic vibe with wood coasters. You can be super creative and paint the outside or add a sheen on the top for a polished look. Either way, you’ll get sophisticated home décor.
Ceramic
This is the laziest DIY project on the planet! Run to the hardware store, grab a few tiles in your favorite pattern, and hot glue a small piece of cork or rubber on the back. Boom – you’ve got yourself some new coasters!
DIY coasters is a fun arts and crafts project for the kids. It’s also a great thing to do if you’re feeling really bored on a rainy weekend. Now that you know some of the materials you can use, it’s time to start putting it all together.
How to Make Coasters from Fabric Without Sewing
Estimated Time: 15 – 20 minutes
What you’ll need:
- Decorative fabric
- Felt
- Medium-sized paintbrush
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Fabric Mod Podge (all-in-one glue, sealer, and finish that’s found at most craft stores)
-
Step 1 
Measure and Cut
Use your ruler to measure 4” x 4” squares of the felt and 5” x 5” squares of the decorative fabric. Note, the size doesn’t have to be exact, but you want to make sure the fabric is slightly larger than the felt. Take your scissors and cut out the squares from both materials.
-
Step 2 
Apply Mod Podge
Now that your squares are cut, take your medium-sized paintbrush and apply the Mod Podge over the felt square.
-
Step 3 
Layer on the Decorative Fabric
Firmly press the decorative fabric down on the felt and smooth it all out so there aren’t any bubbles or uneven ends. It’s optional to add another layer of the Mod Podge on the decorative fabric on top to give your coasters a shiny appearance.
-
Step 4 
Snip Off Loose Threads
Make sure the Mod Podge is completely dry and take your scissors to trim away any loose threads.
-
Step 5 
Ready to Use
Just like that, your coasters are ready to use. Set them on the end tables in your living room and watch the compliments come pouring in!
Bonus Craft
You can also cut pieces of linen into 5” by 5” squares and snip the ends for a fringed look. These are easy coasters to make for holiday dinners or cocktail parties!
How to Make Coasters from Cardboard
Estimated Time: 10 – 15 minutes
What you’ll need:
- Pieces of cardboard
- Decorative duct tape
- X-Acto knife or craft knife
- Scissors
- Glass cup
- Sharpie marker
-
Step 1 
Trace the Bottom of the Glass Cup
Grab your sharpie and trace around the rim of the glass to create a circle on the cardboard.
-
Step 2 
Cut Out the Circle
Use your X-Acto or craft knife to cut out the circle. You may have a few jagged pieces so snip those away with your scissors.
-
Step 3 
Wrap with Duct Tape
Cover the top of the cardboard cutout with decorative duct tape. You want to make sure the duct tape is completely smoothed out on top and wraps all the way around the cardboard.
-
Step 4 
Ready to Use
That’s it! You can now use these coasters at your next party. Remove the duct tape and recycle the cardboard when all your guests are gone!
Bonus Craft
You can also make cardboard coasters with Mod Podge and scrapbook paper. Brush the Mod Podge on the cardboard and then fold the paper around the edges.
How to Make Coasters from Cork
Estimated Time: 30 – 45 minutes
What you’ll need:
- Corkboard
- Craft knife or scissors
- Acrylic paint
- Paintbrushes
- Sharpie marker
- Glass cup
- Clear Sealer (found at most craft stores)
- Painter’s tape (optional)
- Stencils (optional)
-
Step 1 
Create Your Shape
Take your sharpie and use it to trace the bottom of the cup on the corkboard. This will help you get near-perfect circles for your coasters. You can also use stencils to make other fun shapes like hexagons, hearts, or autumn leaves.
-
Step 2 
Cut Out the Shape
Follow the lines and cut the shape you traced from the corkboard. You can use either scissors or a craft knife for this step.
-
Step 3 
Paint the Shape
Now it’s time to be creative! Paint a fun design on the cork shapes or use a stencil to make something specific like your initials. You can also use painter’s tape to create lines, polka dots, and other interesting shapes.
-
Step 4 
Cover with Clear Sealer
After the paint is dry, layer the Clear Sealer over your design. This will protect it from any damage when you’re using the coasters.
-
Step 5 
Ready to Use
Your coasters are ready to go! They may not be as high-quality as the ones you get from a home goods store, but they’re great for small events or gatherings.
Bonus Craft
Cut out a cool shape from a piece of corkboard and sandwich a piece of felt between another piece of corkboard in the same size. Hot glue around the edges to hold everything together.
How to Make Coasters from Wood
Estimated Time: 30 – 45 minutes
What you’ll need:
- Precut wood pieces
- Sander
- Safety goggles
- Paint
- Paintbrushes
- Sharpie markers
- Clear Sealer (found at most craft stores)
- Painter’s tape (optional)
- Stencils (optional)
-
Step 1 
Sand Your Wood
You want to make sure there are no random bumps when painting your coasters. Start off by smoothing each piece of wood with a sander. Remember to always be careful when using these power tools and wear safety googles!
-
Step 2 
Paint Your Wood
This is now dealer’s choice! You can add any design you want to your coasters with the paint, whether it’s a metallic accent or flower. Feel free to use painter’s tape or stencils to create your unique design.
-
Step 3 
Or Decorate with Sharpies
Do you not want the mess that comes with paint? Simply use Sharpies instead! You can still use the stencils to design something fun on the top.
-
Step 4 
Cover with Clear Sealer
Make sure the paint or Sharpie is completely dry, and then add a layer of Clear Sealer to the top of your coasters. This protects your design from any damage.
-
Step 5 
Ready to Use
Enjoy your coasters! You can now humble brag about your crafting skills every time someone notices them in your living room.
Bonus Craft
You can also use colored pencils and a stencil on thin pieces of wood for super easy coasters. Cover the design with Clear Sealer so it doesn’t get damaged.
What Recycled Materials Can You Use to Make DIY Coasters?
You don’t have to stick with just fabric, cardboard, cork, or wood to make your coasters. There are many creative ways to upcycle old items as well. Here’s some inspiration!
CDs or Old Discs
Now that Spotify is here, we don’t really need our CDs anymore. Simply hot glue or Mod Podge fabric to the top of your discs to craft them into coasters.
Magazines
Use cardboard, cork, or any other material as a base and then add Mod Podge over old magazines to create cool coasters. Newspapers, mailers, comic books, and old calendars also work great!
Chopsticks
Chopvalue, an online furniture shop in Vancouver, uses chopsticks that would otherwise be thrown away to create eco-friendly coasters. You can do this yourself by taking small pieces and hot gluing them together.
Plastic Grocery Bags
To make these coasters, you need to simply cut circles from grocery bags and then cut circles of the same size from blank paper. Hold another piece of paper over the plastic circle and then use a hot iron to carefully fuse the plastic bag to the paper circle.
Jar Lids
Take some spare rope and wind it around leftover jar lids. Secure them with hot glue and voila – you’ve got yourself some cool new coasters.
Wine Corks
Why should you throw those wine corks away? Repurpose them into coasters by taking 8 corks, setting them up in a two-by-two pattern, hot gluing them all together, and then hot gluing them to a piece of corkboard.
Popsicle Sticks
Simply paint popsicle sticks in any color and hot glue them all together. You’ll need three support sticks going horizontally on the other side to hold your coasters in place. FYI – this is an especially great upcycling project for kids!
Scrabble Pieces
Do you have an old game of Scrabble with a few missing tiles? Hot glue the remaining letters together to create fun message coasters for your living room or bedroom!
Rubber Tires
Jason and Kaitlyn Mailot, the husband and wife duo behind East Coasters, upcycle rubber into cool coasters. This is a bit more complicated to do on your own, but you can still use old pieces of rubber at the base of your other DIY coasters to create better grip.
Drinking Straws
It’s possible to turn drinking straws into coasters with just a pair of scissors, tweezers, card stock, and a hot glue gun. Craft Passion, a free tutorial website, will take you through the entire project one step at a time.
Check out Craft Passion’s tutorial on turning drinking straws into coasters!
People should try to use recycled materials for their coasters whenever possibly to prevent more from going to landfill. Plus, sometimes you can get free or low cost “waste” to use for your project!
– Jason Mailot, Founder/President of East Coasters
A Few Extra Design Tips and Ideas
Do your coasters need a little something? Give one of these extra decorative touches a whirl!
Stamps
A stamp dipped in colorful ink is just as good as a painted or hand-drawn design. Give it a try on coasters made from cardboard or light wood.
Glitter
Do you want to create a cool shimmery effect? Sprinkle some glitter on your coasters! It’s a must if your coasters are painted in mermaid blues and greens.
Photos
White tile coasters are one thing, but they’re even better with a personal touch. Add your favorite pictures to the top with just a little bit of Mod Podge.
Lace
You can add lace to the top of tile or wood coasters. This classy look is especially great for the tables at a wedding reception.
Ribbon or Twine
Stack your coasters together and tie them with ribbon or twine. Now you’ve got a fun set you can give out as a gift around the holidays!
The Bottom Line
You don’t always want to go to the store and buy brand new coasters, especially if you have a small party planned. The good news is there are a bunch of different ways to make coasters, whether you use cardboard or rubber tires. Get crafty!
References
Mod Podge Rocks Blog. (2019, February 24). No-Sew Fabric Coasters (Vintage Style!). Retrieved from,
https://modpodgerocksblog.com/no-sew-fabric-coasters/
Better Home & Gardens. No-Sew Fall Crafts. Retrieved from,
https://www.bhg.com/crafts/easy/30-minute-projects/no-sew-fall-crafts/
Hua, N. DIY Coasters from Cardboard. Retrieved from,
https://www.instructables.com/DIY-coasters-from-cardboard/
Bright Nest. (2015, August 3). Cork Coasters on the Cheap: 3 DIY Ideas. Retrieved from,
https://www.angi.com/articles/cork-coasters-cheap-3-diy-ideas.htm
Sugar and Cloth. DIY Coasters: Geometric Coasters for Home Décor. Retrieved from,
https://sugarandcloth.com/diy-geometric-coasters
Southern Revivals. DIY Metallic Dipped Wooden Coasters. Retrieved from,
https://www.southernrevivals.com/diy-metallic-dipped-wooden-coasters/
Cardstore. (2016, August 21). DIY How to Make Photo Coasters. Retrieved from,
http://www.cardstore.com/blog/diy-photo-coasters
