Air Dry Clay Coasters
Craft your own super easy air dry clay coasters – a fun DIY gift for Father’s Day, or a practical craft for any time! When you’re done, try these clay napkin rings too. This post contains affiliate links.
If you’ve got a Dad who knows never to put that drink on the wood furniture or there might be (gasp) rings, these air dry clay coasters are the perfect craft! And yes, they can be done by a huge range of ages, making them the perfect Father’s Day gift to craft in a group!
Of course, they are great for any time you want to make DIY coasters, with air dry clay being a low-key material to work with.
It’s affordable, it’s versatile, and it doesn’t require a kiln!
Of course, if you’re up for more of a challenge, try these craft stick pallet coasters instead. Ready to go even further? Craft some DIY epoxy resin coasters and make a set for yourself or Dad (or both!)
My Favorite Technique for Shaping Air Dry Clay Coasters
Sometimes air dry clay can be surprising with how challenging it can be to work with. However, coasters are such a simple shape!
You can simply pull out the cookie cutters in round or different shapes and make your coasters like that! Roll it out to a consistent thickness and cut your shapes.
The “proper” size for a coaster would be about four inches, to cover a wide variety of cup sizes and allow space for some drips, however, you can go a bit smaller (I think mine are closer to 3 inches).
I did a round shape, which I decorated with simple patterns, but I also wanted to show you how different shapes work. So I used a flower shape. Since this post is technically Father’s Day themed, (though you can make it any time coasters are in order) I wanted to make it more Dad-like.
I painted one as a sun, and one as a medallion with a heart, to show you how versatile different shaped cutters can be.
So if you’re crafting this with kids or in a group, go ahead and give them choices for shapes, so that they can have a bit more input in the design choices! Stick to shapes with a good surface area.
You can also do these by simply rolling them out and flattening them into shape, they just won’t look as clean.
How to Paint or Decorate Air Dry Clay Coasters
Air dry clay coasters are like a blank canvas. You can decorate them however you’d like.
There are three approaches to decorating any air dry clay project:
- Add color to the clay itself.
- Add designs to the surface while it’s uncured.
- Air dry and then paint or decorate the surface.
There are so many different ways to finish off air dry clay, and I try to use different methods in all of my clay posts. You can see on these seashell necklaces how I used two methods: I added paint to color the clay, and I pressed in chalk pastel shavings and shells before it was dry. You can mimic that exactly on air dry clay coasters too.
On these, I chose the third method: paint it after it’s dry.
I used standard craft acrylics. Brand sort of matters here – FolkArt (my favorite), Apple Barrel, DecoArt are all great brands. Store brands like Michaels’ Craftsmart are good enough. I just find that the color is a bit less rich.
Pay attention to the finish: I personally really like a satin or gloss finish on something like this.
I also brought Posca paint markers into the mix, adding gilded edges on some, and a face on the sun. Acrylic paint markers are fabulous for adding finer details to painted items.
Another fun technique to add to the “before it dries” list is to make DIY mosaic tiles using air dry clay. Just press in mosaic tiles, treating the clay as grout. You will lose some of the cleanness of the shape.
How to Finish & Seal Air Dry Clay Coasters
How you seal your coasters will make the whole difference in how well it holds up.
If you use glossy paint, you don’t NEED to seal it, it’ll just be more polished and hold up better if you do. If crafting this with young kids, you don’t really need to bother.
Resin will be your most durable finish, but is a pain. Dishwasher Safe Mod Podge is a great choice, even if you just plan to wipe it clean. It creates a durable water-resistant surface. The same goes for Outdoor Mod Podge.
To make your coasters more polished, you can attach some adhesive cork backing to the back, or tack on felt furniture sliders. I skipped that on mine.
How to Make Air Dry Clay Coasters
Watch the YouTube Video
Watch the full-length video on YouTube if you prefer to learn that way! Or scroll down for written instructions with photos.
Materials
- Air dry clay – I used DAS
- Cookie cutters, 3-4 inches. Try different shapes with good surface areas. This is the one I used for the flower.
- Recommended: clay thickness guides
- Large clay roller
- Recommended: a scrap of coarse sandpaper
- Acrylic paints
- Paintbrushes (flat ones are great for this type of project)
- Paint Markers (I used Posca) to add details
- Optional: hard finishing Mod Podge (such as Dishwasher Safe or Outdoor) to finish it off.
Process
1. Take a ball of air dry clay.
2. Roll it out to a good thickness for your coaster. Clay guides can help you roll it to a uniform thickness.
3. Press your cookie cutters into the clay.
4. Gently remove the clay around the cutter and then remove the cutter.
5. Allow your air dry clay coasters to dry full.
6. Use sandpaper to gently sand off any rough bits. This is easier than it sounds – it comes off quite easily – and makes it so much more polished.
7. Paint your coasters!
You’d rather go for a few thinner coats than one thick coat – it dries more thoroughly and you get more consistent color that way.
8. Add patterns and designs as you’d like.
9. If you want, once your paint has dried, use a paint marker to add details like gilded edges and painted faces.
10. Allow your air dry clay coasters to dry thoughly.
Enjoy them yourself or bundle them together in a 4 inch box for Father’s Day!
DIY Coasters with Air Dry Clay
Craft your own super easy air dry clay coasters - a fun DIY gift for Father's Day, or a practical craft for any time!
Materials
- Air dry clay - I used DAS
- Cookie cutters, 3-4 inches. Try different shapes with good surface areas.
- Recommended: clay thickness guides
- Large clay roller
- Recommended: a scrap of coarse sandpaper
- Acrylic paints
- Paintbrushes (flat ones are great for this type of project)
- Paint Markers (I used Posca) to add details
- Optional: hard finishing Mod Podge (such as Dishwasher Safe or Outdoor) to finish it off.
Instructions
1. Take a ball of air dry clay.
2. Roll it out to a good thickness for your coaster. Clay guides can help you roll it to a uniform thickness.
3. Press your cookie cutters into the clay.
4. Gently remove the clay around the cutter and then remove the cutter.
5. Allow your air dry clay coasters to dry full.
6. Use sandpaper to gently sand off any rough bits. This is easier than it sounds - it comes off quite easily - and makes it so much more polished.
7. Paint your coasters!
You'd rather go for a few thinner coats than one thick coat - it dries more thoroughly and you get more consistent color that way.
8. Add patterns and designs as you'd like.
9. If you want, once your paint has dried, use a paint marker to add details like gilded edges and painted faces.
10. Allow your air dry clay coasters to dry thoughly.
Enjoy them yourself or bundle them together in a 4 inch box for Father's Day!
