Scrabble Coasters have been popping up on my Pinterest feed lately and I decided it’s finally time to try them myself. I loved thinking of four different themes for the coasters and coming up with words that would fit within each. These Scrabble coasters make for an easy, customized gift for any holiday: birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, weddings, anniversaries, Christmas, graduations, etc!
You’ll need:
- 1 large package of Scrabble Tiles (Double check on the picture that the package includes every letter you are planning on using!)
- E-6000 glue
- 1 thin cork board or pre-cut cork coasters
- Sharp scissors or an X-acto knife
- Clear Polyurethane spray (like this or this)
It’s time to craft:
First chose 16 four-letter words (four words for each coaster). I decided to theme each coaster: Coffee, Tea, Beer and Wine.
After you’ve chosen all your tiles, use leftover letters to test the polyurethane spray. Some people have reported back their wooden tiles reacted to the spray causing the letters to dissolve. Spray a couple of the leftover tiles with the polyurethane and watch to see what happens. If the tiles have a reaction, you may need to try a different kind of sealing spray to be sure the coasters do not get ruined!
Using the E-6000, glue each letter by row to cork. I tried to get a little glue in between each letter so they would adhere together neatly. Align top of first word to top of cork square.
Continue glueing for each letter on each coaster, trying to keep letters in line and straight.
Once each coaster is done, stack under a heavy book to ensure they dry flat. As you can see, the pre-cut cork coasters I bought were larger than my planned square size, but it helped for aligning the letters first to the top. It was simple to trim cork after drying.
Allow coasters to dry for 1 hour. Using sharp scissors or an X-acto knife, carefully trim excess cork from square.
Place tiles on paper bag or newspaper. Follow directions on spray bottle of polyurethane to coat tiles. I coated mine with one layer, let dry for 10 minutes and then coated again. The spray sealed the tiles from water damage and gave them a semi-glossy sheen.
I love the way the coasters turned out and am having a hard time with the thought of giving them away. Maybe I’ll make a second set for a gift and keep this one for myself!
How did your coasters turn out? What words did you decide to use? Tag your pictures on Instagram with @Gourmet_Gab or #gourmetgabDIY. I can’t wait to see them! Happy crafting.
Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela
*Update: After several years of using these coasters, the polyurethane coat has begun to peel off the letters due to liquids repeatedly resting on them. I just want to forewarn you this may happen overtime. When I created this DIY tutorial, I was not sure the longevity these would have, but I think getting four+ years out of the coasters is a great turnout!
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I love this DIY! So fun and I love the words you chose for each group. Definitely a must-try! Getting pinned :)
Thank you Kara! It was a super fun craft and has been a great conversation starter! Can’t wait to see yours!
Just wanted to let you know that I referenced your scrabble tutorial at my new blog:
http://nicoletriesdiy.blogspot.com/
I used this popular idea and made Game of Thrones themed coasters. Thanks!
Thank you so much for the heads up! I hope you found my tutorial helpful! Your coasters turned out great :)
I bought exactly the same spray as pictured in your tutorial, same brand and all, but it turned the black lettering of the tiles silver. Don’t know what happened but it completely ruined them.
What about sealing it with matt mod podge!
That would work, too!
What about using a lite coat of varnish?
Anyone else have problems with the polyurethane? As I sprayed it, it smeared the lettering. I’m going to wait til it dries to see its not completely ruined, hopefully.
I am so sorry to hear that, Terri. I hope it dried without any more problems!
I loved this project. I did have the same issue with the Poly though :-( Some of my letters smeared as soon as I starting spraying the poly. Other than that all was great! FYI – I used a hot glue gun and it worked great so is an option.
This happened to me too. The spray smeared the ink and turned the letters silver. Were they completely ruined? Was there anything you could do to fix it?
So easy! I followed your instructions & they came out perfect. My only suggestion is to maybe super glue the sides of the tiles together so that they’re more stiff. The cork underneath tends to wiggle them around. Thanks! ☺️
This was such an awesome idea! I made these for my boyfriend’s family for Christmas, and they loved them. I just visited their house last weekend, and unfortunately saw that the coasters were ruined. The polyurethane spray somehow wore away, and the cork board warped and the coasters were now curved. I even applied 2 coats of the spray, just like you described. Did you run into any of these issues? Is there a different kind of coaster base that would work better and not warp?
Fun project! I have included it in my latest blog post – DIY Gift Ideas. Thank you!
http://abusylittlebird.com/diy-gift-ideas-quick-easy/
Great idea indeed. Going to do the same you showed here and of course will follow your post. Hope it will be fine.
As a lifetime Scrabble lover, I’ve got to make this project happen!
Pretty interesting. Worth to give a try. I will try by myself at home. Thanks Gabriela.
DIY fanatics would surely love to find any fresh, cool projects to be put into practice, as too many are simple beginners’ ideas for those hoping to enter the world of DIY. However, there are several interesting and practical tips to be remembered, or contemplated, when starting your schemes.
Nope. You just need to get them soft enough to mix evenly. My house is cold, especially this time of year, so I tend to need to at least warm them slightly before I can get them to whip.
This is a nice effort. I will try by myself in the Drawing room. Thanks, Gabriela, you for sharing your article.
What a nice idea, you did great … it’s very creative your designs something new I love it too I’ve seen some resources on this website that is starting and promises a lot: tukitimprimible.com even lets you create your own kit Create Free Printable Kits
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As a lifetime Scrabble lover, I’ve got to make this project happen!
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