DIY Coasters

To go with the tray I made last week, I decided to use the left over material to make coasters. There were only two things I had to buy for this project but they were both inexpensive and can be changed out for other options.

Materials

• Coaster Bases
• Tile
• Grout
• Tile Adhesive
• Grout Sealant
• Grouting Kit

The two items I had to buy were the coaster bases and the grout. Both can be substituted with other things if needed but they were both extremely cheap.

Much like the tray, I started with adhering the tile to the tile base in the same pattern. My goal was to make a matching set with all of the left over tile pieces I had. 

After waiting five to six hours to let the adhesive cure, I used grout like the last time. It's a bit messier this way and I had to check the edges to make sure they were fully grouted. Occasionally, there will be some spaces to fill.

Once it set for 24 hours, I added the sealant to the grout. I let it set for the amount of time it suggested  and now they are done. They matched the tray perfectly and I managed to make 6 of them. If there was another coaster base, I could have made another with the extra tiles I had.

Since I still had a lot of stuff left over, I made another tray. I decided to try something different and I used the cheaper things I had. The tray I bought from Micheal's and I got it 50% off so it only coast $3. The stuff I used for the base were these little glass pebbles I bought from dollar tree. It only needed 2 bags to fit the bottom of the tray.

I stained the tray with the left over stain I had from the first tray and used the grout I had left over from the coasters to make this. It's a cheaper alternative to the tray I made. This is going in my bathroom once I treat the wood. I really like how the pebbles reflect the bottom. I stained the bottom so it would look grayish on top. It looks pretty bland but it gives me an opportunity to mix and match different colors.

DIY Tray

For one of my home decor projects I decided to make my own tray. These things usually run pretty expensive, at least for the ones that I liked so I decided to make my own. Though my total ran up pretty high, money-wise, a lot of the things I purchased will be used again for other projects down the road since I had a lot left over. Not to mention, I used my coupons from the craft stores.

The supplies I used:

• Plain wooden tray from Hobby Lobby
• Tile Adhesive from Hobby Lobby
• Sealant from Hobby Lobby
• Tile from Lowes 
• Grout from Lowes 
• Grouting tools from Hobby Lobby
• Sponge Brush
• Paper Towel
• Stain from Micheal's  - optional 

The picture above is the sheet of tiles I bought for about $5 per sheet. I bought two because I plan on making something else with the tiles. I just went for the cheaper variety since this was the first time I've done this.

I arranged the tiles on the plain wooden tray to make sure that they fit. And I had to figure out what kind of pattern worked with what I had. It didn't take long for me to figure out what I wanted to do with them but it is important that you lay out your tile first before you set them.

Next I set the tile using the tile adhesive. I'm sure you could use something else since this is your own project but I decided to get it to see how it set. I used less than a fourth of the bottle so I have plenty tile adhesive leftover for several more projects. Once everything was glued down, everything has to set for about 5 hours, so I just left it over night to dry and cure.

The next day, I did the grout. It was as simple as it got. Just follow the direction on the package and you'll be fine. Make sure to fill in the cracks. I had to let it set before I was able to wipe off what collected on the top.

The difference the grout makes is ridiculous. I wasn't looking to make everything perfect and even but the grout certain took away some of the imperfections. This is what it looked like right after I used the sponge to take off whatever collected on the top of the tiles. Once that was finished, I waited 24 hours before I moved on to the next step. 

Once it set, the tray became sturdy.

Next I stained it. This stain was expensive and I wouldn't have bought it if I didn't have a 50% off coupon at Micheal's. I hardly used any of it on this little project and I plan on using it later for other things I have in mind. Anyway, I taped the edges of the tray so it wouldn't get on the tile and used a brush to apply it. Well, after I cleaned it off and sanded it.

When the stain was applied and it set for an hour, I went ahead and applied the seal to the grout. This stuff is a pain to get off tile after it sets so it is best to try to wipe it off before it starts to set. It was fine on the stone pieces. I didn't wipe it off of those because it didn't take away from them.

When everything was dry/set, this became the finished result. Now, I just need to make some matching coasters to go with it.

With the coupons, I spent about $35. How much material I used on the tray cost about $16. As I said before, a lot of these supplies are going to be used for later projects.