Deborah from Pure Sweet Joy is a guest-blogger on homeology. her blog is her creative space where she loves sharing crafts, DIYS, recipes and lots of free downloads. By day she is a registered dietitian, wife and friend hoping to empower the communities around her to follow their passions and live a full, creative life. She believes that everyone has a creative side, sometimes it just needs to be found.
Something I’ve struggled to find is decent coasters for mugs or glasses (without spending a fortune). There are lots of standard options out there, but it’s good to have some pieces in your house that are not standard, pieces that say something about you. These cute DIY cement coasters are practical and rustic, but have a touch of glam. They’re easy to make and you can get creative with your own painted designs. Go on, give it a try, perfect in time for Christmas pressie making.
What you will need
- Template for mould – Download here</li>
- Cardboard, preferably with a shiny coating
- Cement mix
- Spray paint
- Masking tape
- Thin cork board or felt
- Glue or a glue gun
- Sandpaper (optional)
How to?
- Start by printing and cutting out the template. Fold along the dotted lines and tape the hexagon mould closed using masking tape. Using a shiny card, such as the back of an old magazine, will allow the card to peel off the cement easily once it is dry.
- Mix the cement with sand and water. I used a ratio of 1 part cement to 3 parts sand, with 1 part water plus a little extra to make a nice soft paste that will take the shape of the mould.
- Add mixed cement into each mould to about 5mm and allow to dry for a few days. If the cement is too thin, it will be brittle and break easily. However, if thick enough it is durable, especially once the cork or felt is attached to the underside.
- Gently remove the mould once cement is dry. You can see below that normal cardboard can leave some paper residue where the cement was drying on the card. If this happens simply remove as much as you can and then use sandpaper to remove the rest. This is the side that will be the top of the coaster. You can also use sandpaper to give it a bit of a rougher texture on top and to smooth the bottom of the coaster. Be sure to brush all dust off the coaster after sanding it.
- Use masking tape to cover parts of the coaster that you do not want spray painted. Lightly spray, ensuring that all exposed cement is painted. Once the paint is fully dry, remove the masking tape.
- Use the cork template to cut hexagons, slightly smaller than the coasters, from the cork or felt. Glue the cork onto the underside of your cement coasters and they are ready to use!
Happy crafting!
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4 Comments
This is SOOOOO on my next to-do to-make list! Thank you for your creativity!
Glad you like it and please send us pics!
Hi. Which cement did you use for the project?
Hello Becky, This article was a submission by Builders warehouse but as far as I know you can use any brand of cement, it is the standard build cement.