Make These Coasters

Cork has been all the rage over the past few years, and there's no shortage of ways to use the material in craft projects. Here's one of my favorite tutorials on creating lovely modern coasters using cork and a few other key supplies, courtesy of ModCottage.

What You'll Need:
-1/4″ MDF cork tiles
-printed numbers or simple design for the coasters
-X-acto knife
-straight edge
-cutting mat
-freezer paper
-spray paint
-spray varnish
-fine grit sandpaper
-water resistant glue, like gorilla glue
-an iron
-a pen
-tape




1. Cut a sheet of MDF and a few cork tiles down into six 4″ squares. Sand the edges to smooth off any rough spots.

2. Print a few of your favorite numbers in a modern font. Tape one of your number print-outs to your cutting mat. Then tear off a sheet of freezer paper and tape it, shiny-side down, over your number. Cut out the shape of the number, in the freezer paper, with a sharp X-acto knife. Do this with all your numbers. These are your stencils.

Photo: Mod Cottage

3. Place one of your stencils shiny-side down on one of your cork squares and press down with a warm iron. The wax on the paper (NOTE: this is NOT wax paper) will melt enough to temporarily adhere the stencil to the cork square. Repeat with each stencil and cork square.

4. Take your cork squares with the stencils stuck to them outside and spray paint them. Remember to move back and forth in light even coats. If you go heavy, the paint will seep under the stencil. The paint will dry in just a few minutes. When you're confident the paint is dry, peel the stencils off. If any of the paint seeped through the stencil and made blurry lines, you can sharpen them up by gently sanding the blurry parts away.

5. Lay out your MDF squares and spray them with the varnish. Get both sides with multiple coats and don't forget the edges. These will be the backings for your cork squares and you want to make sure they are protected from moisture.

6. When the varnish is dry, use Gorilla Glue to glue each cork square to each MDF square. Stack something heavy on the coasters until the glue dries.

7. Done! If any of the glue foams up and seeps out the edges, just sand it off. Say "Voila!" with a flourish and go make yourself a drink.

One last idea: If you have a few wine corks saved around your home, try this easy project courtesy of Design*Sponge.