You can make the most beautiful coasters yourself
Imagine: you have guests over and you want to serve tea, coffee or wine in a beautiful way. You can then choose standard coasters, but also unique epoxy coasters that you have made yourself. Coasters that fit perfectly within your interior. You can easily make coasters with a silicone mold, epoxy and your favorite decorations or colors.
Making beautiful coasters doesn't have to be difficult. However, it is important to delve into making epoxy coasters beforehand. This way, you have everything you need and can get started on your beautiful creations right away. Of course, we are here to help you with this.
Making your own epoxy coasters
Before you start making epoxy coasters, it is important to make sure you have the right supplies. To make your own coasters, you will need the following supplies:
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Silicone mold coasters
A reusable silicone mold provides the shape of the coasters. There are many types of silicone molds for coasters , but also silicone molds for cake stands, wine glass holders and more. -
Epoxy casting resin and hardener
Good quality epoxy casting resin is important when making epoxy coasters. Suitable epoxy resin for coasters is for example Ultra Epoxy . Ultraepoxy is a high quality synthetic resin and is suitable for beginners and experienced hobbyists. -
Dyes and/or decorations
Dyes and/or decorations provide an extra unique effect. The great thing about epoxy is that you can pour almost anything into the silicone mold for coasters. From coffee beans to photos and dried flowers. Think of it and you can make it! -
Mixing cups and stirrers
Mixing cups and stirrers are ideal for mixing the hardener and epoxy. Epoxy casting resin must be mixed in a certain ratio. This is always indicated on the back of the bottles. Epoxy is mixed in a preferably silicone mixing cup and then poured into the silicone mold for coasters.
To make sure you have all the parts you need to make an epoxy coaster, you can also opt for the Epoxy coasters starter kit .
Casting Epoxy Coasters
Before you get started, it is important to have the right products ready. When everything is ready, you can start making your own epoxy coasters. How do you make coasters from epoxy casting resin?
Preparation
It all starts with the right preparation. Make sure you have a clean and level work table. Always work in a well-ventilated area. Lay out all your materials and have all other supplies at hand.
Mixing the epoxy resin
Although most epoxy resins are suitable for making coasters and etagères, our experts recommend UltraEpoxy for this project. This is a high-quality synthetic resin, suitable for making coasters.
Mixing epoxy is not difficult, but it must be done carefully. Epoxy hardens by mixing 2 components together. This is always a resin (a) and hardener (b). The mixing ratio varies per epoxy and is indicated on the packaging. It is important to carefully read and follow the instructions that are stated on the packaging of the epoxy resin.
Mix the hardener and epoxy resin according to the mixing ratio and stir well for a few minutes. Also scrape along the edges and bottom of the mixing cup. Incorrect mixing can cause epoxy to not (fully) harden, cloudy spots or other deviations.
Colors and decorations
Want to add unique color patterns or decorations to your epoxy coasters? Everything is possible with epoxy. After mixing the two components, you can pour this epoxy into the silicone mold. If you want to pour decorations, our experts advise you to do this in layers, otherwise you run the risk of the decorations sinking to the bottom. The advice is to first pour a base and let it harden. You can also give this base a color to add depth. Then you pour the next layer of epoxy with the decorations, as in the example below with the beer caps. You can add all kinds of decorations to epoxy such as: glitter, buttons, beads, shells, beer caps, color pigments, coffee beans, dyes and much more.
Do you want to make geode coasters? Then it is important that you pour the dominant color on the outside first. From the darkest color you work towards the lighter color. The colors then flow into each other and this creates exciting effects.
Casting Epoxy in Reusable Silicone Mold
Always pour epoxy in silicone molds specifically for epoxy casting resin. These are high quality reusable molds specifically made for epoxy. It is recommended to always pour epoxy in layers of 1 to 2 cm. By pouring thin layers you prevent decorations from sinking to the bottom and you reduce the chance of air bubbles.
When pouring epoxy, air bubbles can occur. This is normal and occurs frequently. You can easily pop air bubbles in epoxy by using a heat tool or the Bubble Blaster .
Let the epoxy harden
After pouring the epoxy into the silicone mold, it is time to let the epoxy fully cure. On average, it takes 24 hours for epoxy to harden enough to remove from the mold. However, this is an estimate and it can take longer if the environmental conditions are not optimal. Among other things, the ambient temperature can affect the curing time. The warmer, the faster the curing time. Always adhere to the recommended curing time stated on the packaging. Epoxy only reaches its full strength after 7 days on average.
Removing Epoxy Coasters from Molds
Epoxy coasters are hard enough to remove from the mold after an average of 24 hours. It is important to remove the coasters from the silicone molds carefully, otherwise you risk damaging the mold.
Polishing the epoxy coasters
For the best result, you can use fine-grit sandpaper to smooth rough edges. Do you want to add an extra beautiful finishing touch to your coasters? Then finish the edges with the posca paint pen especially for epoxy. The paint pen is available in high-gloss gold or silver and is water-resistant.
Tips for making epoxy coasters
Making epoxy coasters is not that difficult. Do you want to make your project even easier? Then these tips will help you further!
> Choose suitable epoxy
For epoxy coasters, it is best to use a high-quality synthetic resin. The UltraEpoxy is a synthetic resin that is very easy to use and gives you the best results. This epoxy is specially developed for making epoxy art. You can use this epoxy for transparent applications, but also to mix with pigments or decorations.
> Epoxy spilled on work table, what now?
Did you mess up while pouring the epoxy? If resin ends up on the workbench, this is fortunately not a big problem. With a little acetone you can easily remove the resin. Take into account the material of the table before using acetone.
> Epoxy remains soft
Does your epoxy remain soft? Then it is important to let the epoxy coaster harden longer. In this case you can also use a heat lamp. Does the epoxy coaster remain soft because you did not mix it properly? Then you can pour an extra layer on top of this layer.
Need help?
At itsOkay we are happy to help you with everything that has to do with resin art. It doesn't matter if you are going to make your own jewelry or an epoxy coaster, we are happy to advise you. Also take a look at the Resin Art Manuals written by hobbyists and experts.
