DIY: How to Make Your Own Ceramic Drink Coasters with Paint Pens

There’s something very satisfying about creating your own drink coasters. It’s a relaxing project and one that allows you to express your creativity.

By customizing coasters, you can create coasters that fit perfectly with your home decor.

Making your own coasters using this method is very inexpensive! You can make coasters for multiple rooms in your house, as well as for a patio or deck. They also make unique gifts.

What You Need:

• 4″ White Ceramic Tiles
• Black Paint Pens (I recommend Fine point)
• Colored Paint Pens (I recommend Fine point)
• Rubber Bumpers or Felt

What You Do:

1. Clean the ceramic tiles to make sure they are dust-free. Make sure they are dry before painting.
   TIP: Cleaning with isopropyl alcohol is an easy method, and the tiles dry almost immediately.
2. Use paint pens and your imagination to create designs and doodles on your tiles. Be creative!
   TIP: Need inspiration? Check out my article Doodles to Zentangles. This link includes videos that guide you through different shapes you can easily draw on your tiles. 
3. Paint pens dry quickly, but make sure to allow your painted tile to dry completely before using it.
   TIP: Paint the sides of your ceramic tile for a more finished look. I like to use a Medium point paint pen for this. 
4. Once your tile is dry, turn it over and adhere rubber bumpers to the corners. The bumpers help protect your table and other surfaces.
   TIP: You might want to sign and date the bottom of your tiles, especially if you’re giving them as gifts. 

Additional Tips:

• Don’t worry if you feel like you can’t draw. Coasters made with swirls, dots, lines, and curly-cues look nice when they’re done, so no art experience is necessary. Just relax and let your hand lead you as you doodle and draw.
• If you don’t like the results of a coaster, or if you make a mistake, use a paper towel and isopropyl alcohol to remove the paint pen marks, then start over!
• Apply a clear finish to the coasters to help protect the paint from scratches. Make sure to use a water-based sealer so it doesn’t remove the oil-based paint. I recommend using a product such as Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic Spray Sealer. Personally, I don’t mind when my coasters get a little scratched from use – I kind of like the distressed look, and the marks just mean people have been using (and enjoying) my coasters!
• Why stop at drink coasters? Use these painted tiles under your houseplant pots for added decor. They also make a nice trivet under jar candles.

My Coasters

Here are some of the coasters I created. Each tile took about 20-30 minutes to finish, and working on the tiles was a great way to relax at the end of the day.

I prefer using just black paint pens because I like the lines and graphics to stand out more than colors. I also like how the black and white coordinates with the throw pillows in our great room.

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