Here’s a new project we think turned out great: Steampunk Mosaic Coasters Made With Resin
We love mosaics and we especially love making them with resin. The crystal clear resin really lets you see the tiles and embedments in the mosaic. If you’ve never tried resin before, we have some great tips and tricks for you. It’s all about mixing the two-part resin evenly and thoroughly. And we’ll show you how! We’ve included a video so you can see exactly how we mix the resin.
You can make these Steampunk Mosaic Coasters with all kind of goodies embedded in them. We love steampunk so we used little locks, keys, and bees plus vitreous glass tiles. Pick your own goodies and make yours one-of-a-kind. (Or four-of-a-kind!)
To make these Steampunk Mosaic Coasters or your own version, follow the steps below. And if you have any questions along the way, drop us a comment and we’ll reply. We’re always here to help!
How To Make Steampunk Mosaic Coasters With Resin
Materials (for each coaster)
1 jar lid, 3¼” to 3½” diameter (love to recycle!)
40 vitreous glass tiles, mini size 3/8”
Round stamped metal filigree, 1½” to 2″ diameter
Stamped brass bee, 1″
2 Locking washers, ¼” diameter
2 Locking washers, 1″ diameter
2 key charms
1 heart charm
1 lock charm
4 self-adhesive felt pads (optional: to put on the bottom)
Supplies
Spray paint, silver
Permanent adhesive glue or silicone
Envirotex Lite Pour-On Finish (resin and hardener kit)
4 straight-sided cups
2 paint stirring sticks
Protective goggles
Protective gloves
Timer (or cell phone!)
Toothpick
Steps:
1. Clean and Paint The Jar Lids
Start by raiding the recycle bin. We’ve made these coasters using peanut butter jar lids, salsa lids, and cookie tin lids. Just make sure the lids are metal, not plastic, and big enough to set a glass on! Wash and dry the jar lids and spray paint them silver inside and out. When the lids are dry, stick the four felt pads to the bottom of each lid.
2. Glue The Tiles
Start by gluing the mosaic tiles into each lid. We used different colors for each coaster, but you could make them match. Put a dab of glue (you don’t need much) on the rough side of each tile and arrange them in a circle to make a border around the edge. Then glue more tiles in the center. (One side of each tile is rough to help it adhere. Put the glue on the rough side and place it facing down in the lid.)
3. Glue On The Locks and Keys and Goodies
We love mixing locks, gears, and keys with brass dragonflies and bees to create a little steampunk chic look! Start layering these goodies in the coaster by gluing the filigree on top of the tiles. Then center and glue the stamped metal bee on top. Or glue down whatever you find for your focal piece.
Just make sure all your embedments are below the rim of the lid so they won’t protrude above the resin’s surface. Arrange and glue the locking washers. (We love these locking washers. They look like gears and are really inexpensive at the hardware store.) Next, glue down the charms.
4. Mix The Two-Part Resin
Before you mix up the resin, make sure your coasters are ready for the resin and you are ready to pour. Once the resin is mixed together, you need to pour immediately. So, cover your level work surface. Put on your protective eyewear and gloves. And be sure your work area is well ventilated.
Here’s a video we made showing how to mix the two-part resin.
If you want to see more of our videos, check out and subscribe to our YouTube channel. We post new videos every week!
Pour the resin in one cup and pour the hardener in second cup making sure the two amounts are the same. (This is important!) Our coasters used 2-3 ounces of mixed resin each so we needed 12 ounces total. This is a lot of resin to mix at one time, though, so we did it in two batches. First we measured 3 ounces of the resin in one cup and 3 ounces of hardener in another cup. Together this will fill two of the coasters.
Once you have measured, pour the entire contents of each cup of resin and hardener into the third cup. Stir the mixed resin together with a paint stirring stick for two minutes. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the cup during stirring. Also scrape the resin off the stirring stick and back into the mix, then continue mixing. After two minutes, pour the mixed resin into a fourth clean cup. Mix again for one minute using a new clean paint stirring stick.
Repeat the process to make enough resin for the last two coasters. Be sure to use new, clean cups for every step!
5. Pour On The Resin
Pour the resin mixture over the embedments in the lid spreading the resin evenly over the tiles and steampunk goodies. Tip the lid to evenly distribute the resin to the edge. Make sure you have covered all the tiles and goodies with resin.
6. Pop The Bubbles
Five to fifteen minutes after pouring the resin, little bubbles will appear. These are a part of the process. Exhale gently over the surface of the coaster to release the bubbles. (The carbon dioxide in your exhaled breath releases the bubbles.) You can pop the big bubbles with a toothpick.
Let the coasters cure on a level surface in a dust-free area for 48 hours.
We hope you have fun making your own Steampunk Mosaic Coasters with resin. These make really cool DIY gifts, especially for guys! And remember if you have any questions or comments while you’re working on your project, you can post a comment and we’ll respond. We’re here to help!
Happy Crafting,
Jennifer & Kitty
We love getting pinned!
What type of “permanent glue” did you use?
We used Beacon Adhesive’s Quick Grip.
J&K
Beautiful projects! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks!
I never, EVER, leave messages. I guess I am a snob about things. But, I LOVE this. This is a very classy project I can do with my teenage grandson for his father who just loves steampunk. Thank you for sharing your talent. and I LOVE the name of your group (running with sisters). It’s very clever. You must be very smart girls. Thanks.
Thanks Fran! What a nice comment. So glad you like the project and hope you have fun making your own. We’re sure they’ll turn out very cool!
I love these coasters. I am definitely going to try doing these. This is the 1st time on your site. I will look forward to seeing other projects.
Thanks Rosemarie!
Beautiful way to recycle bottle lids. You both are very creative.
Thanks Saradha!
Awesome!!
Thanks Josefa!
I have been wanting to make coaster for such a long time, but these are too cool! I cant wait to try them. I am always saving little finds to make things out of. This will be my project. I have shyed away from resin, because i havent been too successful, I will try it again for these coasters. Thanks for sharing
Be sure to watch our video showing how to mix the resin. That method really works for us. Good luck!
J&K
This is a wonderful ideal thank youJ
Thanks Janet!
Love this and have purchased some items to get started. Do you use wide mouth or regular size lids for this project? Believe I would prefer the wide mouth but having difficulty finding one piece wide mouth.
Hi Cheryl,
We used salsa jar lids the first time we made coasters like these. But this time we found cans of Piroulines at Big Lots for a few dollars each. These are Piroulines: http://pirouline.com/shop/?gclid=CPem9KOJ580CFZJlfgodf24Psg Hope that helps! J&K
Love this idea! I make jewelry, but I will be giving this a try.
Yay! They’ll be like jewelry for your table!
J&K
Love this !!!! I’ve been wanting to make some coasters and these look great ! Thank you for all the information on how to do them !!! Looking forward to make more things with you….thanks again. Kathy
Yay! So glad you like them! You’ll have fun putting them together!
J&K
Love all your beautiful projects..can’t wait to make this one
Aw thank you! This is a really fun craft to make!
J&K
Where did you get the charms?
Great question Lynn. Cousin makes the tiny skeleton key charms. They also have hearts and locks to choose from. (Most of the big craft stores carry Cousin, but you can also find them online at http://www.primabead.com . They are a lovely family run company from Florida near where we grew up!
J&K
What pretty coasters – how much do they work out a piece, cost-wise?
Thanks Susie! We’re not really sure. The resin would be the most expensive supply needed and it costs about $10 for the kit. Adding up the charms and glue might total $24 depending on what tiles and things you might already have. So maybe they cost $5 or $6 each?
Hope that helps!
J&K
Love these, easy too.
Thanks Eleanor!
J&K
Besides the tiles is there anything else that can be used for color in the bottom
You could try buttons, just watch out for air bubbles that might get trapped in the holes. You can poke them with a straight pin!
J&K
I love the coasters! I have a question about mixing the resin. I understand the first two cups for measuring purposes and the third cup to mix them together but why the fourth? Seems to me that a little bit of resin gets left behind in each cup as you go along and it would be wasteful. Just curious.
It does waste a little resin and hardener, but it is the best way to ensure that you have thoroughly mixed the resin and hardener. If you skip the last cup, you may have unmixed resin and hardener in your pour. It will not set up if not 100% mixed. It will be sticky. Then the whole batch is wasted. This is the technique recommended by the manufacturer after lots of research and it has always worked for us. Hope that helps!
Jennifer & Kitty
How do I save this so I can refer to it when I am ready to make this project?
Hi Teri, Are you on Pinterest? It is the perfect way to save craft projects (and recipes!) for later. You can “pin” this project to your Craft Board and it will be there waiting for you when you have time to make it.
J&K
Love these!! Christmas presents for sure. Looks like fun picking out the different embellishments and creating that steampunk look! So unique!! Thanks so much. I’m not sure if I can come up with enough lids of the same dimensions though. In search of some to buy on line.
Thanks Carol! We bought Pirouline tins at Big Lots for about $3 each. We served the delicious Piroulines (it’s a yummy pastry/cookie) at a party then upcycled the lids for this project. We saved the tins themselves to use later. You could also use salsa jar lids.
J&K
Love these but where do u find lids like that?
Thanks Barbara! We used lids from Pirouline tins. (The canisters are good for crafts too! http://pirouline.com/crafts/)
Here’s some we made with salsa jar lids: http://runningwithsisters.com/mosaic-cocktail-coasters-2/
J&K
These are amazing.. I just finished a makeover on some end tables and a coffee table.. I have been looking for some unique coaster for my “new” tables…. I am so gonna give these a try…thanks
Thanks Jennifer! Definitely make some! They’re so fun!
J&K
I don’t see ushering 4cups. I think that is just a waste.I have seen people just mix them in 1 cup…
We don’t think of it as wasting the cups, because we are using them to mix in. And we think it’s better to use the cups than risk not having the resin and hardener thoroughly mixed. Then the whole batch is wasted and your project could be ruined. We really want you to have success with this project so we are recommending the very best way to do it to ensure success. This is the technique developed by the manufacturer and we’ve always had success with it. Hope that helps!
Jennifer & Kitty
Can I use pictures and what can I put under the picture.
Yes, Barbara! You can use pictures, but you should laminate them first. Our Scrabble tile necklace project shows how.
http://runningwithsisters.com/picture-pendant-on-a-scrabble-tile/
Hope that helps!
J&K
I love this project. I’ve been looking for something small to do to learn a little about resin before tackling a big project, and these are perfect! I intend to cover a coffee table top with pennies and pour resin over it, but it’s a big project to try as a first attempt and it’s got me a bit intimidated, a few of these will be perfect and useful and cute.
Great table idea! And what a good plan to try a small resin project first. We’ve done resin a lot, including a table, and the experience of doing smaller projects definitely gave us the confidence to do the bigger projects. And with success! Let us know if you have any questions.
Jennifer & Kitty
Hi ladies,
I’m having so much fun making these coasters for Xmas gifts this year. On my second batch I ran into a little problem – the resin has not completely hardened, still sticky to the touch days later. All I can think of that I did wrong was I may not have used “exactly” the same amount of hardener with resin. Anyway, is there anyway you know that I can resolve this? I’m wondering if I can just put a new thin layer of resin/hardener on the top, would that work? Thanks so much for such a great idea and your help, Michelle
Sorry you had trouble Michelle! Yes you can just add another layer of resin. We recommend cleaning the bottom layer with rubbing alcohol if you can do it without the sticky parts grabbing the paper towel. We’ve done that before to fix sticky resin and it worked! Good luck! Jennifer & Kitty
It worked! I did find when using paper towel with alcohol pieces would stick so I stopped using the paper towel and used a popcicle stick to scrap surface of any defects (paper towel pieces included). Then I poured a thin layer of alcohol over the tops and let sit and evaporate. The new resin layer went on fine and hardened nicely. Yeah! Thank you!
* I have been buying Mason jar wide mouth covers at Walmart for the base for these. You do have to glue the lid down into the ring first, but for way less expense…$4.99 for 24 lids & rings!
Yay!!!! Thanks for letting us know. And thanks for the great tip about the Mason jars! J&K
This is a really cool idea but I’m not in to steam punk I wonder if this could be done with beads and old jewelry.
Sure! We’ve also made them with just tiles and with shells. Here’s the shell one: http://runningwithsisters.com/seashell-coasters-made-with-resin/
Let us know what you make!
J&K
Sorry…was about to finish my coasters…looking over the info., “not plastic lids”? Used large birdfood lids…very sturdy, but not metal…what happens to “plastic” so cannot be used?
Hi Barbara,
We know that the resin doesn’t work well with some plastics. But it works with others. The folks at ETI who make the resin are super helpful. You might give them a call and ask. https://www.eti-usa.com/contact
We also found this project from their blog where they used the resin with plastic and it turned out fine! https://resincraftsblog.com/envirotex-lite-in-plastic/
Good luck with your coasters! Let us know how it turns out!
J&K
I really like the coasters ! That’s going to be a Christmas presents. So I need to start now !
How fun!
I have my great-grandmother’s old can of buttons, and I was thinking about sewing them on pillows but this looks like something that I could do with them and still keep him sentimental. I think I would try to glue a beautiful piece of old fabric to the bottom and then glue the buttons on them and use tiny scissors or thimbles to
What a wonderful memento. We do love buttons on pillow too! Here’s one we found at a resale shop. We loved it so much we bought it!
http://runningwithsisters.com/a-pillow-with-a-past/
If you want to use the buttons and fabric in resin, you’ll need to laminate the fabric. Photos and fabric get wet from the resin and don’t look very good in our experience. You can try to laminate the fabric to protect it from the resin. Here’s a project where we laminated a photo. (We are using a different resin but the technique is the same.)
http://runningwithsisters.com/picture-pendant-on-a-scrabble-tile/
Hope that helps,
J&K
These are beautiful! Do you think a photo would survive having resin poured on it?
Great question Staci. Paper becomes wet and transparent in resin. It doesn’t look very good. But you can laminate the photo to protect it from the resin. Here’s a project where we did that. (We are using a different resin but the technique is the same.)
http://runningwithsisters.com/picture-pendant-on-a-scrabble-tile/
Hope that helps,
J&K
Can you do a first layer, let it dry and add more trinkets before adding a second layer?
Yes! You will want to clean the first layer with alcohol before adding the second layer. Let us know if you have more questions or need more help!
Jennifer & Kitty
Beautiful
Thanks, Love this idea and can hardly wait to try it!!
Thanks for the idea I finally finished mine and love them! I used lids from and Body Works 3 wick candles really like the lids which are plated. My husband even got into the project.
Great tip on the lids!
J&K
Love this… now I have to sign up for your newsletter for more cool stuff!!!
Yay! Thanks Cathy!
I love this project Christmas project.
Thanks!
These are so fun looking. Will try them eventually. Great gift and I love to mosaic and resin! Thank you.
Thanks Cathey!
Super cute!! Gotta make some!!
Thanks Linda!
I love the details y’all give when showing folks how you make the beautiful crafts you do!!!
Thank you for doing so!! ?
Thanks Maribeth!