DIY Resin Coasters For Beginners that are surprisingly easy to make with pretty Damask Chipboard.

Today is our first Int'l Bloggers Club challenge of 2021 and the theme is I Love Resin. Which I do and have been admiring resin art on Pinterest for years. But the truth is, I've never made anything with resin in my life. Never, not even a paperweight in grade school.

So to say I was a little nervous about our theme this month would be an understatement. But I'm always up for a challenge and decided to dip my feet into the resin pool with something simple. And if you too have never made anything with resin, I'll show you how easy it was to make these drink coasters.

DIY Resin Coasters For Beginners

If you haven't heard of our Int'l Bloggers Club, we are a group of blogging friends from around the globe who come together on the third Monday of every month to share a themed DIY project.

We have members from Spain, South Africa, Australia, the USA, and Canada. The theme for our last challenge in 2020 was Christmas where I made a Scrap Wood Scandinavian Village.

After taking down Christmas and packing away the DIY Ornament Coasters, I realized the ones we use year-round were looking a little worse for wear. That's when inspiration struck for this month's challenge to replace them with unique handmade resin coasters.

The biggest challenge for this resin craft was finding the supplies I needed during a lockdown. After a few failed attempts at finding supplies for other coaster ideas I had swirling around in my head, I managed to find these at Michaels for curbside pickup.

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from any qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

I was instantly smitten when I saw the pretty damask chipboard sampler on the website and knew it would be so pretty set inside the resin. My choice for resin was limited to this fast cure kit but there are many other choices like these clear casting resin kit alternatives.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to make the DIY resin drink coasters, almost all of the DIY projects shared here at Interior Frugalista have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

So let's get started.

How To Cut Damask Chipboard For DIY Coasters

I used my Cricut Machine to cut the damask chipboard shapes for the silicone coaster molds.

What If I Don't Have A Cutting Machine?

No worries if you don't have a cutting machine. You can easily trace the shapes onto the chipboard and manually cut them on a cutting mat with either a straight edge and sharp craft knife or rotary cutter.

Cricut Machine Set-Up

1. First, make sure you have the knife blade in your Cricut Machine.
2. Next, move the white star wheels on the roller all the way to the right otherwise they may leave an imprint on the chipboard material.

Cutting Mat Preparation

It is recommended you use a strong grip mat for cutting chipboard but I spared the expense of buying one and tried the standard grip mat and it worked just fine.

Set a sheet of chipboard onto the cutting mat and use a brayer to get a firm bond between the chipboard and the mat's adhesive surface. It's important that you secure the chipboard to the mat with masking tape or painter's tape, making sure not to tape over the cutting surface area.

Create Coaster Shapes In Design Space

1. In Cricut Design Space open a new project.
2. Click on the shapes icon on the left menu.
3. We'll be using a circle, square, and hexagon shape.
4. Adjust the size of the circle and square shapes to 3.5 inches.
5. For the hexagon shape adjust the width ONLY to 4.0 inches and let the length adjust accordingly so it retains the correct shape. Ask me how I know. 😉
6. If you plan on having a different Damask pattern for each coaster, like I did, then you'll have to cut each shape separately.
7. Press the make it button and let the cutting begin.

Now here's where you can get all fancy-schmancy and have the damask pattern line up perfectly center within each shape.

In the Design Space cutting mat screen, move the shape on the mat to best align with the damask pattern. You'll have to do some measuring here. I on the other hand was too lazy and just let the pattern fall where it may.

1. Once you have the shape aligned on the cutting mat, press the Browse All Materials on the top right.
2. Select the Chipboard 1.5mm option.
3. Then click the Done button.
4. Feed the mat into the Cricut machine and press the cut button.
5. Note that the blade will make several passes when cutting the chipboard.
6. It's a good idea to babysit the cutting process in case anything goes array. Mine cut perfectly every.single.time.

Now we're ready to start playing with some resin!

How To Make Resin Coasters

Before we begin, check to make sure your work surface is perfectly level or you'll risk having slanted coasters.

The resin in my kit was enough to make three coasters with a teensy bit leftover. Unfortunately, I didn't have any silicone molds in my stash other than an ice cube tray. Not letting anything go to waste around here I made faux ice cubes for blog photo props with the leftover resin.

Here's what you'll need to prepare the resin for pouring.

It's important that you use equal parts of resin and hardener. If you use red solo cups like I did, I recommend you double them up for added strength.

1. Pour 1/3 of the bottle of resin in the Part A Bottle into a cup.
2. Pour 1/3 of the bottle of the hardener in the Part B Bottle into the cup.
3. For crystal clear resin this next step is very important. Stir the resin for three minutes, scraping the sides and the bottom of the cup.
4. Remove any particles that may have settled inside the silicone molds by tipping them upside down and blowing on them. Do the same on the chipboard shapes too.
5. Pour the resin equally into each silicone mold until it fills the side cavities and thinly covers the center.
6. Set the chipboard shapes (good side down) into the center of each mold.
7. With a stir stick lightly press the chipboard down so they are completely submerged in the resin.
8. Remove any air bubbles (see how below) and let the resin set for approximately 3-hours.

How Do You Remove Air Bubbles?

Ideally, a long neck lighter or butane blow torch is recommended for removing air bubbles in the resin. But if you don't have either here are some other options.

1. I used a heat gun because that's what I had on hand. But with this method, you need to be careful because you can get too much air, and risk blowing dust on the resin.
2. Use a blow dryer with caution because you may not get enough heat, too much air, and risk blowing dust on the resin.
3. Last but not least, you can blow into a straw. The least ideal and most tedious but it does help.

It's important that you cover the molds to prevent any particles in the air from settling on the resin. I had a plastic organizer nearby and grabbed one of the empty drawers. Use whatever you have handy that won't shed any particles.

Be forewarned, you'll need to babysit the coasters because those sneaky little damask chipboard shapes may want to slide off-center on you.

1. Set a timer for 30 minutes and with a stir stick carefully move the shapes back to the center again.
2. Remove any air bubbles that come up.
3. Set the timer for another 30 minutes and repeat the process if necessary.
4. If the resin has started to solidify, don't touch them or you risk having permanent impressions etched on your pretty coasters.

After they have been set for approximately three hours we can top the silicone molds with more resin.

1. Pour the remaining 2/3 of the bottle of Part A into a cup.
2. Pour the remaining 2/3 of the bottle of Part B into the cup.
3. Stir the resin for three minutes, scraping the sides and the bottom of the cup.
4. Remove any particles that may have settled inside the silicone molds by tipping them upside down and blowing on them.
5. Pour the remaining resin equally into each silicone mold.
6. Remove any air bubbles (see tool suggestions in the previous section).
7. Cover the coasters again with the plastic container to prevent any particles in the air from settling on the resin.
8. Let the resin set for at least six hours or better yet, overnight.

After The Resin Has Set

1. Once the resin is completely set, remove the coasters from the silicone molds and gently smooth the bottoms by rubbing your finger or fine sandpaper along the edges to remove any bits.
2. Attach some clear vinyl pads to the bottom of each coaster.
3. Let the coasters cure for another 48 hours before setting drinks on them.

Enjoy your new coasters!

I was really nervous going into this resin project but was pleasantly surprised by how easy they were to make. They are not perfect as you can see there are some small air bubbles but practice makes perfect. This gave me the courage to maybe try geode coasters next with dye colors and glitter.

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today. I hope you were inspired by the handmade resin coasters.

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

If you enjoyed these DIY resin drink coasters, I'd be so thankful if you shared them with a friend and pinned it to your favorite board on Pinterest.

Now let's see what my talented friend's made for our I Love Resin challenge by clicking the links below.

Spring Heart Wreath - A Crafty Mix
Wooden Suncatcher - Unique Creations By Anita
How To Make Simple Resin Tags - What Meegan Makes
Thrifted Wooden Valentines Paint Pour Heart - Raggedy Bits
DIY Resin Coasters For Beginners - Interior Frugalista

I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.