DIY resin coasters with dried pressed flowers

About one month ago, I was on the internet looking for inspiration. I came upon an artist from California who focused on making art using resin. She had several items, all one of a kind, that she sold online. I was particularly intrigued by her beautiful round resin coasters. The coasters contained dried flowers and a butterfly encased in resin. Her DIY resin coasters with dried pressed flowers were gorgeous.

My first thought was this is a great garden project. I’ve always wanted to press flowers but never really had a good reason. In addition, I love a good DIY project. Thus began my quest to figure out how to do this. Well, what I learned is that a lot of people have videoed and written about how to make resin coasters. Then, I thought what can I add to all that has been written? In this post, I will not only share the process to make these lovely coasters but also the lessons learned.

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

Lessons Learned

Do you know the saying “Third times a charm”? Well, for me it took four tries to get a really nice coaster. So, don’t be disappointed if your first try doesn’t come out perfect. There is an art to working with resin and a lot of learning comes with making mistakes. By sharing these lessons, I hope you are successful sooner with your DIY resin coasters with dried pressed flowers.

Molds

1. Coaster molds should be at least 4-inches square or the diameter of a round coaster should be 4-inches. Why, 4 inches? Well, the first set of molds I purchased were 3.4 inches in diameter. When I placed one of our wine glasses on the coaster, it went right to the edge. This made the coaster unusable because the wine glass could easily fall off. Yes, those coasters can be used for glasses and cups with a smaller circumference. However, my goal was to have a universal size coaster. 
2. Thickness of the coaster will depend on the height of the mold. The square mold I used was .5” thick. The round mold was .3” thick. The .3” thickness works better for a coaster. However, you can adjust the amount of resin to have a .3” thickness in the .5” mold.

Epoxy Resin

1. When you purchase epoxy resin, there are two components: resin and hardener. Usually both are sold together in kits. The kits might say something like 16 oz, 42 oz, etc. Those ounces represent the total of the two components. So, in a 16 oz kit, you get 8 oz of resin and 8 oz of hardener. The first time I purchased resin, I didn’t realize this and thought each bottle would have the higher amount of resin.
2. I used two different brands of resin. While each brand worked, they worked a little different. For example, the instructions for mixing were different. Therefore, it is important to read and follow the directions on the specific brand of resin you choose.
3. Working with resin can be messy. You need to protect surfaces. I used an old towel that I folded in half and then placed a brown paper shopping bag on top. A vinyl shower curtain is also a good option.

Miscellaneous

1. If you reuse the resin measuring containers, do not allow excess resin to go down the drain when cleaning. Thoroughly wipe out the containers using paper towels to remove resin. See section below on clearning containers.
2. There are various ways to remove bubbles from the resin project you are doing.
   1. Toothpicks to pop bubbles
   2. Blowing through a straw to pop the bubbles
   3. Using a propane lighter or torch to remove bubbles
   4. A heat gun to remove bubbles
3. The temperature of the room where you cure your resin project is important. Generally, the temperature should be between 70-85 degrees. If it’s too cool, the resin may get wrinkles or may become cloudy. Read the label of the resin you purchase to understand the temperature requirements.

My recommendation is to perfect your method with one item before making multiple. For example, make one coaster and see how it turns out.

Materials

For any DIY project, a list of materials is important. Here is the list of materials for DIY resin coasters with dried pressed flowers.

1. Silicon coaster mold
2. Epoxy Resin – Epoxy Resin is the most expensive component of this project.
3. Dried flowers – you can purchase dried flowers or dry your own.
4. Toothpicks – for moving the flowers around and popping bubbles in the resin.
5. Containers for measuring and pouring the resin.
6. Stir sticks for the resin. I like a plastic stick as opposed to a wooden stick.
7. Plastic gloves – to protect your hands from the resin.
8. Face mask – to limit breathing in the resin fumes.
9. Box – to cover the molds after the resin has been poured.
10. Drop cloth or vinyl shower curtain – to protect your work area.

In many instruction guides, you will also see a heat gun listed to remove bubbles from the resin. For my projects, I did not use a heat gun. Did I have a few small bubbles, yes? I didn’t feel the bubbles took away from the overall beauty of the project. However, depending upon the resin used, bubbles can be a problem. In the lessons learned section, I listed a number of tools that can be used to remove bubbles.

Directions for making epoxy resin coasters

Step One – Design your end product

When using dried flowers, you want some idea of how the flowers will be laid out. Further, you want to know ahead of time if the flowers you plan to use will fit the mold. Therefore, the easiest way to tackle these issues is the layout the design before starting to make the coasters.

• Trace an outline of the mold onto a piece of paper. Any paper will do.
• Lay out the design for each coaster you are going to make. For example, if you are going to make 4 coasters, then you should have 4 designs in front of you.
• Pick your flowers and lay out the design.

Step Two – Set up your work area

Set up your work area. Pick a well-ventilated space. The temperature should be between 70-85 degrees. Protect the area with some type of drop cloth. Put on your gloves and face mask.

Step Three – Clean mold

Clean your mold using a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol. You want to make sure there isn’t dust or other particles within the mold.

Step Four – Determine how much epoxy resin your project will need

Figure out how much resin you will need for your project. The easiest way to determine how much resin is to fill your mold with water and then pour that water into a measuring container. In my example, I am using a 4” square mold that is .5” deep. However, I only want to fill the mold to .3”. Therefore, I fill my square container a little over half full (e.g., ~.3”). Next, I pour the water from the mold into one of the measuring cups that came with my resin. After filling the mold a little over half full and measuring the water, I will need ~80 milliliters (ml) to make one coaster at .3” thick. To make 4 coasters, I would need 80*4 or 320 milliliters of resin (160 ml of Part A and 160 ml of Part B).

For this project, I will do two pours of resin. Each pour will use approximately 50% of what is needed or 40 milliliters. Remember, the 40 milliliters is a combination of 20 ml of Part A and 20 ml of Part B of the resin. In other words, a 1:1 ratio between parts A and B.

Step Five – Prepare your epoxy resin

You must follow the directions on the resin you will be using. For these coasters, we are going to do two pours of the resin. Therefore, you will be following these directions twice. Here are general directions for preparing the epoxy resin.

• In the step above we calculated how much resin you will need. In my example, I need 80 ml for one coaster.
• Since we will be doing two separate pours of the resin, for each pour we will use 40 ml.
• Measure 20 ml of Part A in a measuring cup.
• Measure 20 ml of Part B in a measuring cup.
• Combine parts A and B into a third measuring cup.
• Mix parts A and B based upon the directions that came with your resin. In my case, it stated that I needed to mix the resin for 3 minutes and then let the resin sit for 2 minutes. I have found that it is much better to slowly mix the resin as opposed to vigorously mixing. There will be fewer bubbles with a slow mix.

Step Six – Pour epoxy resin into the mold

If you notice any large bubbles, you can try to puncture the bubble with a toothpick. Alternately, a heat gun, straw, or propane torch can be used to eliminate the bubbles. Ensure that the resin fills all parts of the mold.

Step Seven – Set flowers in the epoxy resin

Place the dried flowers on top of the resin in the pattern that was previously designed. Use a toothpick to gently submerge the flowers into the resin. I like to ensure that the resin completely covers the flowers. When I didn’t submerge the flowers, they tended to float up to the surface. This can result in a bumpy top on the coaster.

Check for bubbles after the flowers have been set and remove. Next, cover the mold with a box or container. This will ensure that no dust or other debris lands on top of the resin while it is curing.

Step Eight – Cure the epoxy resin

Let the mold cure for 4 hours. This will allow the flowers to settle into the resin. However, the resin will not be completely dry. Do not touch the resin. After 4 hours, repeat steps five and six. After this second pour, you must let the mold cure for a full 24 hours or whatever your resin manufacturer recommends. Again, cover the mold with a box or container. This will ensure that no dust or other debris lands on top of the resin while it is drying.

Step Nine – De-mold

After 24 hours, you should be able to de-mold the coasters. I have made these 4 times and 24 hours was always enough time based upon the resin used. Check the cure time on the epoxy resin before you purchase. Enjoy your beautiful DIY epoxy resin coasters with pressed dried flowers.

Cleaning the mixing containers

You have two options when choosing mixing containers. First, you can choose to use disposable plastic cups. In this case, there is no need to clean, simply discard the plastic cups. Second, you can use the containers that came with your epoxy resin and clean them. Here is the process I use to clean the containers.

1. Keeping your gloves and mask on, wipe out as much of the resin from the container using a paper towel. Repeat as necessary until most of the resin is removed. Dispose of the paper towels in the trash.
2. Pour some rubbing alcohol (or acetone) on a clean paper towel and wipe out the remaining resin from both inside and outside the containers. The outside of the containers can get sticky from the resin.
3. After all resin is removed, clean the containers with dish detergent and warm water. Let completely dry. You don’t want resin going down your sink drain. Resin will cure in your drain and cause drains and pipes to become clogged.

One last tip, keep your resin coasters out of direct UV sunlight. Sunlight can cause the flowers within the resin to fade. I hope you enjoy your DIY resin coasters with dried pressed flowers.

Additional Gardening Information

You may want to check out the following posts for more gardening ideas:

• Press flowers the old-fashioned way – DIY
• An easy practical way to store dried pressed flowers
• Wick Watering System – DIY
• Terra Cotta Garden Plant Labels – DIY
• Holiday Wreath, Super Easy To Make – DIY
• Modern Advent Wreath, Super Easy to Make – DIY

References

• Volume Calculator – you can use this for various shapes and determine the volume of resin needed. For my coasters, I used the rectangular converter and set my unit of measure at inches. Then to convert from inches to milliliters simply multiply the number that you get from the volume calculator by 16.39. Here is what I input into the calculator:
  • Length – 4 inches
  • Width – 4 inches
  • Height – .3 inches
  • The resulting answer was 4*4*.3=4.8
  • 4.8 * 16.39 =78.67 ml (pretty close to the estimate using the pour method above)
• YouTube video showing how to fix blemishes in your finished epoxy resin project