What do you do when you hit the jackpot and find a big bag of wooden blocks at Goodwill?

We could have used them for a tower game but when your passion is to repurpose secondhand finds, well, I just had to make something with them. So today I'm sharing how to make recycled wood tile mosaic drink coasters for autumn.

Recycled Rectangular Wood Block Drink Coasters

The inspiration for the mosaic drink coasters is that I still had a bunch of wood blocks leftover after making fall mosaic wall art recently.  I had numerous off cut pieces already painted so I decided to replicate the look with drink coasters.

The motivation for making the wood tile mosaic coasters is that Mama bought herself a new tool and I was itching to give it a try.

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 qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

I've been wanting one of these portable tabletop saws for some time now. It's going to be a game-changer in the workshop for small projects like our dollhouse series. I've included a short video in the post to demonstrate how easy it was to cut the wood tile coasters with it.

It's the perfect saw for smaller DIY/craft projects to cut thin wood, hardboard, balsa wood, aluminum, ceramic, and plastic. It uses jigsaw blades and has a handy rip fence like a table saw for perfectly straight cuts and it also cuts angles.

Anyway, I figured the perfect project to initiate my new toy was making something with the leftover wood tiles.

I love having seasonal coasters on display in our living room and didn't have any for fall. Thanks to the leftover wood blocks and that handy saw, I now have some unique mosaic coasters in fall colors to use throughout of the autumn season.

What You'll Need To Make It

To make them, aside from the recycled wood blocks, I also used a package of multi-purpose natural cork tiles from the dollar store for the base of the coasters.

Supply List

Rectangular Wooden Game Tiles
Autumn Red Paint
Goldenrod Yellow Paint
Brown Paint or Gel Stain
Clear Coat
2 pack Multi-Purpose 1/8" Natural Cork Tiles
Wood Glue, E6000, or No More Nails Glue
Small Paint Brushes with Script Liner Brush
Utility Knife
Worx Bladerunner Portable Tabletop Saw

Here's How I Made It

The most difficult part in making these wood tile drink coasters is waiting for the glue to cure. The other steps do not take much time. Painting and gluing the wooden tiles are a great project to do while watching television.

Cork Tile Base For Coasters

I found the multi-purpose natural cork tiles for $3 at the dollar store. They come in a package of two dense 1/8-inch thick cork 12 x 12-inch sheets so I was able to get four coasters per sheet.

As you can see in the photo below, one sheet had damaged corners. No worries because the cork is cut much larger than we'll need so I placed the damaged side on the bottom.

Simply cut each cork sheet in four with a straight edge and sharp utility knife. At this point, we won't worry about cutting them to size just yet.

Painting Wood Tiles

I painted the game tiles the same fall colors as the wall art but this time I didn't thin the paint so the colors would be more saturated.

The colors are Autumn from FAT Paint Company, Goldenrod from Wise Owl Paints, and Tobacco Road gel stain from Dixie Belle Paint Company that I had on hand. Alternatively, instead of gel stain, you could use brown acrylic craft paint instead.

At this point, only the tops are painted with two coats of each color with a small paintbrush. These water-based products dry really fast so by the time I finished the last color, they were dry enough to go back and paint the second coat.

Gluing Wood Mosaic Pattern

Use a liberal amount of wood glue, E6000 glue, or No More Nails glue to attach the tiles to the cork base. I found spreading the glue with a small paint brush worked really well to get even glue distribution for good contact with the cork.

To start a perfectly square foundation row for the mosaic pattern, set a full wood tile horizontally along the top of the cork. Next, place another full tile vertically, butting tight against the top tile along the left-hand side of the cork.

The length of the wood tile running horizontally (3 3/4-inches) determined the size of the coasters. In other words, the wood coasters are 3 3/4-inches square. We'll talk more about cutting the wood tiles below.

The average size for square coasters is 4-inches, so our coasters are on the small side. I wouldn't go any smaller than 3 3/4-inches but these coasters have plenty of room for a drinking glass or mug.

You'll notice in the photo above that I didn't use full tiles for the rest of the mosaic pattern. That's because I had leftover cut tiles from the fall mosaic wall art that I didn't want to go to waste. At this point, you have two options for assembling the coasters.

Option 1

You can continue using full-size tiles for creating the rest of the mosaic pattern and cut the coasters to size after the glue is cured. We'll discuss how to do that in another step.

Option 2

Or you can cut the individual wooden tiles to size as you're creating the mosaic pattern with a scroll saw, band saw, or handy portable tabletop saw like mine. The tiles are too small to safely cut with a table saw, chop saw, or miter saw.

Once you have all the tiles glued to the cork, place something heavy on top of the coasters while the glue cures.

Cutting Wood Tile Coasters

If you choose option 1, in this step we'll discuss how to cut each coaster to size. I would not suggest using a jigsaw because the vibration could cause the small tiles to break off.

Use a band saw, scroll saw, or handy portable tabletop saw like we used to cut the mosaic coasters to size. We demonstrate how in the short video in the post.

1. Before you begin, it's important that whatever glue you use is completely cured before cutting the coasters. We waited a couple of days before cutting ours.
2. With the tabletop saw we used a 3-inch wood jigsaw blade.
3. We set the rip fence to cut the coasters the same width as the top horizontal tile (3 3/4-inches).
4. Place a piece of tape on the cut line to protect the edges of the tiles from splintering.
5. Slowly run the coaster through the saw.
6. Turn the coaster 90 degrees and repeat the previous step for the second cut.
7. Lightly sand the wood tiles and the cork with 150-grit sandpaper to smooth the cut edges.

Painting Sides Of Wood Tile Coasters

You can either leave the sides of the coasters unfinished in the natural wood or paint them like I did. With the right brush, it is fairly quick and easy.

Working each color at a time, paint the sides in their corresponding color with a small art brush, making it easier not to get any paint on the cork base. It took fifteen minutes at the most to have the sides of all eight coasters painted.

Protecting Wood Coasters

To protect the painted coasters from getting water ring damage, apply three thin coats of a matte clear coat, letting it dry completely between coats. I used a water-repellent Gator Hide from Dixie Belle Paint Company that I had on hand.

Clear Coat Application Tip

My favorite brush mark-free method for applying a clear topcoat is to use either these car detailing microfiber applicators or these sponge applicators. Either work like a charm!

That's it, enjoy your new wood mosaic drink coasters!

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by these recycled wood game tile mosaic fall drink coasters.

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