How To: Tile Coaster with Paper

I have recently started making these ceramic tile coasters and though I would share this project with you. It’s very simple and you don’t need a lot of talent to make them but the results are fantastic.
The project will take about 3 days to complete (need to let things dry over night) but there is endless number of projects you could do based on these simple instructions. I will display the process making 1 coaster, for which I will finish the rest at a later time just for simplicity sake).

Materials:
4.5” tiles
Decorative paper
Acrylic spray sealer (any finish will do, I am using satin)
Tack cloth
Water based decoupage medium
Something to cut paper with
Wet/Dry Sandpaper in grits of 400,320, and 180
Paint brush
Dish Soap
4 felt furniture pads per coaster (or 1 large one each)


You can make as many tiles as you like and use any type of tile, from Ceramic (which I am using) to Porcelain, Natural stones, terra cotta etc. To start you will want to Sand off any rough edges of lumps along the sides of you tiles. Do this using the 180 grit paper wet/dry sandpaper. If you are using natural stone tiles consult a sales person to ask them what the best way to sand it down is. Next wash all sides of your tiles with dish soap and dry top thoroughly.

While the tile dries some cut your paper down to size. You can use anything here, photos, decorative papers, old greeting cards, your child’s artwork, anything you can cut into 4”x4” squares and you would like to preserve in coaster form. Here I am using one 12”x12” scrapbooking paper and a guillotine style paper cutter but you can cut by hand or knife, whatever you have that works for you.
If you use scrap book paper you will end up with 9 squares (enough for 2 sets with an extra) you will need to decide which 4 to use. Time to start gluing. I am using Mod Podge Mat finish but you can use any decoupage medium you fancy. I find it helps to thin out the Podge with a few drops of water in a bottle cap lid. I have found using it full strength seems to dry out too quickly and I am left with more ridges from the brush. The brush I am using is a cheap one from the dollar store, any synthetic bristle brush will do, just be careful if it has died bristles like mine, the first couple times I used it, it bled red into the podge. Lay down a layer of glue, position paper equally in the centre of the tile and smooth out with your fingers ensuring that all edges are down and there are no air bubbles or lumps.

Immediately coat entire surface with another layer of glue.

Let the glue dry for aprox 20 min then re coat. Do this at least 3 more times. You want at least 4-5 coats, more if you thin your glue out considerably. If you don’t have enough coats on the next step could ruin it all. Make sure it is good and coated.

Let this dry really well, I recommend over night. After drying we are going to now sand off any ridges, podge gloops, fingerprints left by helpful husbands or children etc. Start by running the tile under water and getting it good and wet. If you have a lot of ridges you are going to need your 320 grit and lightly sand them down. Next take your 400 grit and sand down the whole surface. If you have no ridges to worry about simply use the 400 grit to sand it down. It is very important you have lots of layers of podge on other wise when you start to wet sand you could potentially sand off the surface of the tile and into the paper, wetting it and wrecking the whole thing.

The surface will now be mostly flat with a few shiny spots which were the lows in your finish. You are going to need to let this dry over night. We need to get all the moisture out of the ceramic so that none is trapped in it for the sealing stage which will make the surface haze. I like to lay mine either on the carpet floor or on a towel to help them dry out.

Next day when the tile is good and dry it is time to start spraying. Give the tiles a quick wipe with your tack cloth to remove any surface lint. Working in a well ventilated area, follow the manufactures directions. I am using Varathane Interior Acrylic spray in Satin finish. The first two coats I do very lightly as I am notoriously heavy handed with the spray and if I am not careful yield runs or sags in the finish. A third coat goes on a bit heavier. My dry time between coats is 1 hour, but after the third we are doing a light sand so I give it 3 hours to make sure it is good and dry before I potentially mess it up with sand paper.



Using my 400 grit paper dry I give a very light and quick sand to the surface and follow with tack cloth. The light sand is supposed to help enhance the finish and make it clearer and more brilliant. This is then followed by a 4th coat of sealer. Let this layer dry for another 3+ hours then flip over and spray the back and sides of the tiles with 2-3 coats of acrylic. I then let this dry over night and the next day lightly scuff the surface of the finish with 320 grit paper where I am to attach my square felt furniture pads. I am using 4 tiles for aprox 1” but you could also cut down a large piece to fit the whole bottom, or glue on a piece of cork, foam etc, anything to protect your furniture.


And that is it! I let them dry generally for a week to make sure everything is good and dry before introducing wet glasses to it. You can clean them simply with mild cleaner or soapy water. Not dishwasher safe.



Sound too much like work? Why not check out The Salty Peanut. Bobbi has a wide variety of beautiful coaster available for sale and reasonable prices. Some favorites are:

Miley - Sea Foam Aqua and Brown Tile Coaster Set


Red and Light Blue Tile Coaster Set


Sherri - Purple Violet and Lilac Tile Coaster Set


Like this Post? Leave a Comment you could win! One of the first 50 posters to leave a comment will be randomly selected to win a set of coasters by me! Winner will be selected, contacted and announced in next mondays blog.
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