Homemade wooden coasters
A set of coasters that I made last fall, from scraps of pulled-apart pallet wood.
Some notes & tips on making them:
Paint the sides in a contrasting color, so that the target (the top of the coaster) is clearly distinguishable when you’re putting your drink down.
Make sure to get your boards flat. If they have lumps or curves, they’ll turn out a little tippy. My boards were a little warped, so I used an orbital sander with a very coarse grit to even them out.
Rubber bumpers on the bottom are not necessary, but they give the coasters a sturdier feeling. I used these stick-on bumpers from Amazon. (These are also handy for steadying hard-to-level picture frames on a wall.)
I made mine just about 4″ square, because that’s how wide my available scraps were. After a few months of using them, I can say that’s a comfortable size. Beer bottles, soda cans, and all of our cups and mugs fit well (except for a couple of Chrissy’s giant tea mugs).
Finishing: I spray-painted them a flat black first, then did the sides and the stenciled numbers with a sand-colored spraypaint. I added a final coat of clear polyurethane on all sides to make sure they don’t soak up any moisture or warp.
