DIY coasters made from recycled materials

From string to corks, from old CDs to maps, there are so many things you can creatively reuse to create original DIY coasters . They can be used year-round, are completely customizable, and perfect for bringing a touch of freshness to the table.

Spago

String , hot glue, and a pair of scissors—that’s all you need to make a vintage-looking DIY coaster.

• Start rolling the string starting from one end
• Gradually add small doses of hot glue to keep the string in place.
• Continue in a spiral until you obtain a diameter of at least 8 cm.

Old maps

Do you have any old atlases or maps? Instead of throwing them away, reuse the pages to cover DIY coasters, making them from recycled tiles.

• Cut out the maps to the appropriate size for your chosen tiles
• Glue the maps onto the tiles with vinyl glue
• Apply another coat of glue, using the decoupage technique.

Ice cream sticks

Even ice cream sticks lend themselves to creative recycling. Here's how to use them to make DIY coasters. Get nine ice cream sticks for each coaster and glue them together, after painting them with acrylic paint as desired, as shown above, using hot glue.

Plywood circles

Get some plywood circles or squares, all the same diameter or side, and decorate them with permanent markers . Before you begin, choose a color palette and sketch out the designs you want to reproduce.

Cork circles

Buy some cork circles and personalize them by writing your favorite text on them. It could be a fruit, a food, or a drink, such as beer (in the example above).

Wooden discs

Wooden circles are also suitable as coasters. Simply personalize them with designs. We recommend choosing a theme to create a uniform style throughout the set. This way, you won't have to create the exact same design because the various coasters will still have a common thread.

Covers

Remember the old paint can lids or the metal lids on jars? Well, if you have some lying around, repurpose them to make delightful coasters. Simply clean them and paint them with acrylic paints or varnishes of your choice. By exploiting the color stains already present on the lids, you can create abstract effects. If they're in good condition, you can simply line the inside with a cork disc.

Felt Discs

Do you have some leftover felt ? You can reuse it to make original DIY coasters. If you have some white and yellow sheets, for example, draw an egg white on the white felt and a small circle on the yellow felt to act as the yolk. Glue the yolk to the egg white with hot glue. The same goes for lemons or chili peppers. You're spoiled for choice.

Cork stoppers

Recycle corks to make unique DIY coasters. For each coaster, you'll need at least 8, which you'll need to cut horizontally into sections. Then, glue them to a surface of your choice. For example, using hot glue, attach them to a suitably sized felt square, placing them side by side as shown above.

This is the procedure for making coasters with cork stoppers: 

needed:

• Used cork stoppers
• Hot glue or strong glue
• A cutter
• Felt or thin cork for the base (optional)

Procedure:

1. Cut the caps in half lengthwise or leave them whole.
2. Arrange them in a circular, square or hexagonal shape.
3. Glue them together.
4. If you want more stability, glue them onto a felt or cork base.
5. Let it dry completely.

Old CDs

Old CDs become fun coasters: just wrap them in string and attach it with hot glue. Or paint them however you like, letting your imagination run wild with the designs and details.

This is the simplest process for DIY coasters with old CDs:

needed:

• unused CDs
• Fabric, decorative paper or old magazine pages
• Vinyl glue
• Protective clear varnish (optional)
• Felt for the back

Procedure :

1. Cover both sides of the CD with your chosen material.
2. Trim the edges.
3. Apply a coat of protective varnish to make it more resistant to humidity.
4. Glue a felt disc to the bottom side.

Read also:

• Recycling Glass Cups: 10 Ideas for Reusing Them
• How to recycle plastic cups