How to Make Resin Coasters
Resin has endless applications when it comes to craft or DIY projects and many people have wondered how to make resin art of all kinds! One excellent way to create a custom (and practical!) gift for friends and family, and practice your DIY resin art skills, is to make them their own epoxy coasters. The steps will vary depending on what inspires you; for a more basic, but colorful coaster, this guide will be a great start. Afterwards we’ll also talk about pouring and casting a coaster from a mandala mold. By the end of this article, you’ll be on your way to creating unique vibrant coasters like the ones pictured above by @expressionsbykati on Instagram!
What You Need For Your Resin Coasters DIY:
- ProMarine Supplies Table Top Epoxy (our pick for best resin for coasters!)
- Gloves and Safety glasses (always wear proper PPE throughout)
- Plastic sheet or shower curtain
- Ceramic tiles
- Acrylic paint or other color additives
- Measuring cup
- Plastic cups
- Popsicle or stir sticks
- Heat gun
- Cork material backing with adhesive
Epoxy Resin Coasters Creation Process
If you are working with ProMarine Tabletop Epoxy for the first time, be sure to familiarize yourself the mixing instructions before starting. Epoxy Resin starts to set up quickly, so you need to make sure that you can work fast.
Prepare your work area. You might want to use a cheap shower curtain or plastic tablecloth to protect it any surface you’re working on. Then, lay out your working materials. Make sure to use all safety precautions, including putting on rubber gloves and working in a well-ventilated area.
Choose which color acrylic paints or color additives that you will be working with and pour each color into a plastic cup. Some crafters have wondered:
Can you mix acrylic paint with resin?
This is not an uncommon question. The short answer is yes! You can use many color additives in resin. However, be wary of using too much.
If you decide to use liquid acrylic paint, be sure to use 1 part acrylic paint to 10 parts epoxy resin. Using too much paint can also alter the chemical reaction of the resin. This can make it clumpy and affect the smooth protective cure.
Keep in mind that you can color resin in a variety of ways! Check out our Tips for Tinting Epoxy Resin post to learn more. We also have a video discussing how to use our Pro Mica powders.
Measure and mix your resin according to the instructions. ProMarine Supplies’ Tabletop Epoxy is measured at a ratio of 1:1 by volume. It’s best to mix your batch in a larger mixing cup and divide the mixture between each cup of paint.
Once your resin is entirely combined, pour into the cups of acrylic paint, using the 1:10 ratio. Mix the resin and the color slowly using a folding motion. Do not stir vigorously or whip as this can create extra air bubbles.
Pour your mixed resin and paint onto your ceramic tiles. You can do this on a flat surface and move the tiles when they are finished. You can also raise the tiles up so that the resin and paint mixture can drip off of the sides. There is no particular pattern or colors you need to follow, just have fun with it!
Use your heat gun to pop any bubbles that have occurred and to move your colors around.
After your finished project is cured, place the cork adhesive to the bottom of your coaster. This protects your table from being scratched. Let it cure for the full 72 hours before placing any items on the coaster, especially extremely cold or hot cups or drinks.
Enjoy gifting (or using) your custom resin art coasters!
What You Need for Casting and Pouring a Coaster Mold:
- ProMarine Supplies Table Top Epoxy
- Gloves and Safety glasses Plastic sheet or shower curtain
- Ceramic tiles
- Color additives like our Pro Mica Powder
- Measuring cup
- Plastic cups
- Popsicle or stir sticks
- Heat gun or blow torch
- Polycolor Silver Glitter
If you’d like, you can follow along with our video below: https://www.youtube.com/embed/USwh7S8VXts
To start out, pour equal parts of our Table Top Epoxy and hardener and thoroughly mix them together.
Next, it’s time to brighten things up with color! Mica powder can give resin projects both vibrate colors and a wonderful shine. In this instance, we used our Jellyfish Purple and added a little extra sparkle with Polycolor Silver Glitter from our friends at Alumilite. Make sure to stir it until it’s thoroughly combined.
Take your coaster mold—whether you’ve chosen a particular silhouette or opted for a mandala style coaster like we did—and pour your resin into it. To avoid bubbles, it helps to pour in a thin stream.
Before setting it aside to cure, you can use either a heat gun or blow torch to get rid of bubbles on the surface of the resin.
Once properly cured and de-molded, we took some acrylic white paint and painted over the entire front of the coaster.
Afterwards, wipe the white paint off to reveal the intricate divots and details highlighted by the coat of white paint. You can use an isopropyl alcohol (around 70-90%) to help your cleaning efforts.
Here are some of our finished mandala resin art coasters! How did yours turn out?
Coasting Along
Now, if you want to push that creativity even further, you have a lot of options. Many artisans have crafted what are called geode coasters, which reflect the natural layering formation of minerals found in real-life geodes. Another common type of coaster casting is encasing items like plants to make resin flower coasters or decking coasters out with glitter and vibrant patterns. Aside from the method shown above, it’s likely you’ll need a mold for your creation.
You can purchase a coaster mold that matches the shape you want or create your own mold. For this, we highly recommend products like the Amazing Mold Maker from our friends at Alumilite! Always pay attention to the instructions printed on any product in order to achieve your best result!
Additionally, pre-cut pieces of tile and wood can be bought to apply our products to, resulting in multi-medium wood resin coaster creations.
Take a look at the many artistic approaches our customers over on Instagram have pursued!
@artdecor_nadi embodies chic in the delicate elegance of her designs.
@merciamoore reflects the natural beauty of agate in her lovely pastel pink pieces.
@resinisity‘s fresh and fruitful clear coasters are a great accompaniment to any summer beverage.
Feel free to share your creations and experiences with us on our Instagram, just like they have! If you have any questions about this process, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on our Contact Us page or check out our FAQs section.
