How to Make Colorful Resin Coasters with Dried Flowers

If you've never worked with resin before, now's the time! It's easy to use, and there's truly no limit to what you can make with the clear substance. Searches for resin crafts have grown 450% in the last five years. This set of custom coasters featuring bright pressed flowers is one of our favorite projects because it's truly easy enough for anyone to make (not to mention they're so cute!).

To make your own set of coasters, all you need is a round silicone mold, resin mixture, and dried flowers. We'll show you how to mix and pour the resin so that the flowers are perfectly suspended in the middle of the clear coasters.

How to Make Resin Coasters

Supplies Needed

• Wax paper or kraft paper
• Respirator
• Nitrile gloves
• Safety glasses
• Round silicone molds
• Rubbing alcohol
• Clear casting kit
• Plastic cups
• Wooden stir sticks
• Heat gun or skewer
• Tweezers
• Assorted dried flowers
• Clear rubber spacers

Step-by-Step Directions

Follow these simple how-to instructions to make your own set of resin coasters. You should be able to complete the project in under an hour, but the coasters will need to cure for up to 48 hours.

Step 1: Prep Your Workspace

Before you begin making your coasters, lay down wax paper or kraft paper to protect your work surface from any resin drips. Be sure to wear the appropriate safety gear before you open the resin. You'll need a respirator, protective disposable gloves, and protective eyewear.

Editor's Tip: Be sure to work in a well-ventilated location. Working outdoors is best, but an open garage is a good second choice. Otherwise, open as many windows as possible and use a fan while working with the resin.

Step 2: Clean and Prep Silicone Molds

To make the coasters, you'll need a set of round silicon molds. Before you mix up the resin, wipe down the molds with rubbing alcohol and let them dry completely. This will keep dust or other small particles out of your finished coasters.

Step 3: Make Resin Mixture

The star of this project is a clear resin mixture. If you've never worked with resin before, don't let it intimidate you! As long as you read the instructions on the kit and follow our easy directions, you can have a whole set of coasters poured in just a few minutes. Start with a two-part clear resin kit that includes one bottle of resin and one bottle of hardener. Mix one part resin with one part hardener; you can use the instructions on the kit to determine how much you should mix based on the amount of coasters you want to make.

Once you've poured two equal parts into a cup, use a wood crafts stick to slowly stir the mixture until it's fully combined and there are no bubbles.

Step 4: Pour Coaster Molds

Slowly pour the stirred mixture to the silicone molds; we filled ours about a third of the way. If you have a lot of bubbles, you can hold a heat gun on low heat above the molds to remove the bubbles. Let the resin sit in the molds for 15 minutes.

Step 5: Place Dried Flowers

After 15 minutes, the resin will be the right consistency to add dried flowers to the coasters. We recommend using several small dried and pressed flowers. You can either press your own flowers, or buy a set of assorted dried and pressed flowers.

Use tweezers to place each flower onto the top of the resin until you've added as many as you like to each coaster. The flowers will stick to the resin, but should sit on top of the mixture. When you're done, let the mold sit for 4 hours.

Step 6: Add a Second Layer of Resin

After the molds have dried for 4 hours, mix a second batch of resin and hardener and pour it over the flowers until the mold is almost all the way filled. Use the heat gun again to eliminate any bubbles, then let the molds cure for 24-48 hours. When they're completely done, remove each coaster from the mold and add clear rubber spacers to the bottom of each coaster so they won't slide around on your counter or table.