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Do you have no plans this weekend and want to try something artsy and crafty? Well, have I got a solution for you. Do It Yourself (DIY) Beer Coasters are the perfect idea either as a gift, a way to spruce up the man cave or bar, or just a way of getting much cooler looking drink coasters around the house! They’re fairly inexpensive, too.
This project was inspired by this article: Post-Grad Crafting: DIY Beer Coasters. I added my own little tweaks and touches to make them exactly how I wanted. Continue reading to figure out exactly how I did it!
Observe the checklist below and gather the things you’ll need. I included Amazon links for supplies that were on Amazon and were reasonably priced (you can read my Disclosure Policy regarding Amazon affiliate links). A lot of the supplies needed will be cheapest at your local crafts store, but I found that some things are cheaper to get on Amazon. Most of the supplies on Amazon are also Prime eligible which means you get free 2-day shipping if you’re an Amazon Prime member so if you don’t want to go to the crafts store, you could order the supplies today and have them the next day. If you aren’t an Amazon Prime member, they offer an Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial if you want to try it out!
DIY Beer Coasters Checklist:
- 6-pack cardboard beer holders
- Ceramic tiles (Amazon: Set of 10 Ceramic Tiles 4 1/4″ x 4 1/4″) or Shaped Mirrors (more rectangular)
- Scissors (Amazon: Scotch Precision Scissor, 8-Inches)
- Felt Sheets OR Felt Pads (Amazon: Waxman 1-Inch Self-Stick Round Felt Pads 48-Pack)
- Mod Podge – Gloss Finish (Amazon: Mod Podge Original 16-Ounce Glue, Gloss Finish)
- Polyurethane – Gloss Finish (Amazon: Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane Clear Gloss) OR Gloss Lacquer Aerosol Spray (Amazon: Deft Gloss Lacquer, 12.25-Ounce Aerosol Spray)
- Paintbrush (Amazon: Wooster Paintbrush, 1-Inch) OR Foam Brush (Amazon: Royal Foam Brush, 3-Pack)
- Pen or marker (not pictured)
- Blow dryer (optional to help drying go much faster – not pictured)
Follow the 10 steps below to create your own custom beer coasters!
1. Trace line on 6-pack packaging and felt sheet around your coaster
I used shaped mirrors for this project. They were about $1.50 each at my crafts store. The reason for this is because they are more rectangular in shape and provided more room for the 6-pack design to show. However, ceramic tiles will work just as well!
Line up your coaster on top of the 6-pack beer cardboard packaging. When you have it in place of what you’ll want to see on your coaster, take your pen or marker and trace a line all the way around the coaster. Also, do this on one of your felt sheets so that you have a shape lined out for that as well. If you’re using felt pads, don’t worry about the felt yet.
2. Cut out the cardboard and felt pieces
Once you have the lines traced, cut out the shapes on both the cardboard and the felt sheet. Hint: It’s always better to cut a little bigger than what you think you’ll need because you can always trim it down to get the perfect fit.
3. Apply Mod Podge to underside of cardboard
Use your paintbrush or foam brush to apply a layer of Mod Podge to the underside of the cardboard piece you cut out. Make sure to apply the Mod Podge evenly on the whole underside including the edges and corners so that nothing lifts up later.
4. Place cut out piece onto the top side of your coaster
Once you have the Mod Podge applied to the underside of the cardboard, flip it around and place the glued side against the top of your coaster. The Mod Podge will still be wet, so shift it around slightly as needed to perfectly line up with the edges.
5. Apply Mod Podge to underside of coaster
Once the cardboard is placed on top of the coaster, flip the coaster around and apply a layer of Mod Podge to the bottom side of the coaster similarly to what you did in the previous step. If you wish, you can wait to let the Mod Podge dry from step 4 before beginning this step.
6. Place cut out felt sheet onto the bottom side of your coaster
Once you have the Mod Podge applied to the bottom side of the coaster, place the felt sheet against that side and press it down evenly. You can shift it around slightly as needed to perfectly line up with the edges.
If you are using felt pads, place the sticky side of the felt pad onto the bottom of the coaster in all four corners and apply pressure to make sure they stick well.
7. Set heavy object on top of your coaster and let dry
You now should have both the cardboard piece attached to the top side of the coaster and the felt piece attached to the bottom side of the coaster. In order to prevent things from lifting up, set the entire coaster under a heavy object like a book and wait for it to dry.
8. Apply a layer of Mod Podge to top of the cardboard and let dry (Repeat 3-4 times)
Once everything has dried, remove the coaster from underneath the heavy object and get the Mod Podge out again. Apply a layer of Mod Podge to the top of the cardboard where the design is as shown in the picture. DON’T WORRY! The Mod Podge dries perfectly clear and gives it a nice gloss sealant.
This is where the optional blow dryer comes out. Once you apply an even layer of Mod Podge to the top of the cardboard, you can use a blow dryer to help the drying process. I found that this speeds things up greatly and will help you finish quicker. Once the first layer is dry, repeat and apply another layer of Mod Podge 2 or 3 more times. I used 4 layers of Mod Podge.
9. Apply a layer of polyurethane to top of the cardboard and let dry (Repeat 2 times)
After the multiple layers of Mod Podge have dried, the last thing to do to help seal the coaster and protect it from liquid is to use the polyurethane or the lacquer spray. I used polyurethane. Apply an even layer of polyurethane to the top of the cardboard design just like you did in the previous step, and let that dry. Again, you can use the blow dryer here to speed up the drying process. Once that has dried, add one more layer of polyurethane and let it dry to give you 2 coats.
If you’re using the lacquer spray, spray an even layer all around the top of your cardboard design and let it dry. I would use a couple of layers just to be safe as well.
10. Touch up and enjoy!
After you have done all that, you’re done! You may need to touch up the coasters some to make them look extra neat. This might include scraping off excess Mod Podge or polyurethane that dried on the thin sides of your coaster or that oozed out of the edges. It’s good to let them sit out once you are done or reapply a heavy object on top of the coaster for a while to make sure that none of the edges or corners become detached and flair up.
Enjoy your brand new custom beer coasters! Show them off to your friends and make them jealous. Hope this helped!
