How to Make a Coaster from Scrap Wood and Vinyl

Some days there’s nothing more fun than finding scrap wood tucked into the crevices of my not so tidy garage. A while back (as in two years or so), I chopped a 1” by 4” board into six 4” squares and stained them. My goal was to eventually use them as little canvases for my art. Since then, they’ve been stacked neatly in a corner near my tool wall…unpainted. I still have hope, but in a moment of inspiration, I thought a 4-inch square would also be perfect for a coaster I could position beneath a hot cup of tea while working at my desk. If you’d like to try this project, you’ll need the following supplies:

Supplies:

• A square piece of wood (at least 3” by 3”)
• Wood stain (Tung oil is a great non-toxic option) or you could try milk paint.
• Cricut Maker, Cricut Joy, or a vinyl cutter of your choice.
• Contact Paper
• Vinyl in the color of your choice
• Your cut file of choice (you can create your own or purchase digital art from Etsy or Cricut Design Space
• Cabinet bumpers

Step 1:

I stained my wood with a dark Espresso. It had plenty of time to dry thoroughly. If you choose to stain your wood, make sure you give your wood ample time to dry.

Step 2:

I chose a design. I used the ITC logo. But the possibilities are endless.

Step 3:

Cut your design out using your vinyl cutter. You’ll be using contact paper to apply it so make sure you DO NOT select the MIRROR option in your design app.

Step 4:

I cut from a slightly larger piece of vinyl, so I cut some of the uncut vinyl off to make the design was more manageable when I was ready to apply my contact paper.

Step 5:

Weed or peel away the vinyl so that only your design is left.

Step 6:

I peel away the contact paper from its backing, then I carefully lay it (face down) on top of the vinyl design, smooth it over with my scraper and remove the vinyl paper backing from the vinyl.

Step 7:

Holding either side of the contact paper, I position the design above the center of the design, then carefully attach it to the wood. I used the scraper to make sure it adheres to the wood. Then I remove the contact paper. In this step, I’m careful not to remove the design with the contact paper. If it starts to come up, I use my scraper to keep it in place.

Step 8:

As a final touch you can add adhesive cabinet bumpers (one to each corner of the bottom) to prevent any wood scraping on the surface you’ll be using your coaster on.

And done! Quick, right? Make three more and you’ll have a set.