DIY Marble and Copper Coasters Tutorial

I love creating new projects that add to my overall home d�cor. A super simple one that I create often are new sets of coasters. Depending on which room I want them in, I customize color and materials, and I often give them as house warming gifts alongside wine glasses or as part of a house warming basket and select special colors for whomever I am giving my gift.

Each time I create the coasters I make some change, whether it be a new color or shape, I try to add in something new each time to keep the project fresh for me and for the receiver of the gift. Plus, creating something that not only looks beautiful but serves a functional purpose is something I always strive for.

Steps to Making Marble and Copper Coasters:

1. Paint the wooden disks. For this project, I wanted standard circle coasters, sized large enough to fit my water glasses. I purchased wooden disks, but you could certainly cut them yourself by using a round template and the Fiskars® Heavy-duty Easy Change Detail Knife. Once you have your coaster shape selected, paint the wooden disks whatever base color you want and allow to dry.

2. Apply the marble effect contact paper. Remove the backing paper from the marble effect contact paper and adhere right over top of the painted wooden disk. Smooth out any air bubbles and wrinkles.

3. Apply the copper contact paper. Remove the backing paper from the copper contact paper and adhere to the wooden disk so that it overlaps the marble contact paper. You can overlap in any pattern you wish to create a coaster showing more base color, more copper or more marble.

4. Trim the coaster. Once the two varieties of contact paper have been applied, use your knife or the Fiskars® PowerCut™ Shears to trim the contact papers around the perimeter of the disk. You should end up with a perfectly circle coaster base.

5. Cut geometric shapes in to the contact paper. Use the same knife and the Fiskars® Metal Ruler to cut geometric shapes into the contact paper. You can repeat this step for as many cuts as you want to appear in your final project. Peel back the top layer or layers below to reveal your unique design.

6. Finish the coasters. Use an adhesive to glue cork to the back of each coaster to help them sit nicer on your surface, and trim away the excess with the knife or shears.

Alternative materials to use for DIY marble coasters

A great aspect of this project is that it is completely customizable. If copper and red aren't your preferred colors, feel free to change it up! And you can use more than just different colored materials – try substituting the contact paper with cork, leather, foil or magnet. As long as you can adhere it to a coaster base, like the wooden disks we used in this project, you can choose any material you'd like.

Alternative shapes for DIY marble coasters

You can even try different coaster shapes. The Fiskars® Craft Knives are super versatile and will allow you to cut any base shape you need out of thin wood like balsa, or you can order pre-cut wooden shapes outside of the standard circle. Go geometric with square or rectangle coasters. Try a trendy take with a kite or diamond output. Or go the organic route and free-hand them all!

How much do the materials in this project cost?

Another plus of this project is how easily the materials can be sourced and how little of an investment they require. For less than $20 you can have a dozen coasters, making them a great party favor or seasonal d�cor.