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The things that go under your cups of tea?
I was thinking of making up a few batches with pour acrylics and resin for Christmas but not sure if they are much used. I don't want to make 50 and have then sat on my floor forever. Looking on Etsy there are listed at £26 for 4 which seems steep to me.
Thoughts?
We use them
We use them.
Yeah, We use them.
we use em
Oak tables dont appreciate water marks
We also use place mats in daily life on the table as well for similar reasons .
have never paid 26 quid for 4 though .
Yep, a wide range.
Yes. For same reason as trail_rat.
More money to be made with place mats... if you're thinking of selling things.
Okay. I might make a batch then.
Ceramic tile, unique art, resin sealed, cork base.
I agree £26 sounds stupid so what price for a set of 4 seems reasonable?
we use them. Expensive tables with a cheap something to protect them. £25 for a set, i doubt we have ever paid that much, but then i don't actually buy them, this is something the mother-in-law buys for us for Christmas...
The ones we just bought were £7 for a set of 6, but they're just made in China jobs... (lovely Morris print though... classy).
yetidave makes an important point... your market is female, in the main
We have coasters everywhere - I think they breed! 🙂
Yes and place mats.
Yes, we use them. Place mats too.
A set is minimum six, more likely eight.
I agree £26 sounds stupid so what price for a set of 4 seems reasonable?
I don't think you need to be overly worried about price at that level, providing you can show quality and at least some uniqueness.
I just paid £25 for 4 pairs of 'Nordic Socks' for my Wife for Xmas, she looked at loads online before deciding on the design. I should have guessed by the 10 day delivery, but they're from China, come in a box proudly saying "enjoy your sock style" and are 15% wool, the rest being stuff woven in a lab somewhere, but they were the pattern she wanted.
As above, coasters and place mats
Yep, sure do.
I just paid £25 for 4 pairs of ‘Nordic Socks’ for my Wife for Xmas, she looked at loads online before deciding on the design. I should have guessed by the 10 day delivery
Ha snap. Same reason given by wife. Delivery wasn't 10 days. If you don't already have them you might just see them before Xmas if you are lucky. Missed her birthday despite ordering nearly 3 weeks before.
I'm supposed to use them LOL!
I'm about to write about coasters. A new low in my life.
We have and even use coasters of various varieties including ceramic somewhere and also spend too much on obviously highly tasteful ceramic items, but zero crossover between these two categories, coasters basically being things that go under cups. I guess there is something about making a table look more classy for a god help us dinner party. You'd need more than four for that.
Place mats for some reason make me think of naff hunting scenes, though we do have some mat type ones which are v occasionally deployed. So in our house, low key coasters ahead of place mats, however it is indeed unlikely that my views would be factored hugely into any decision on their acquisition.
Coaster, or a bit of whatever is lying around, but never straight onto wood.
Coaster, or a bit of whatever is lying around, but never straight onto wood.
The mother in law goes for the triple whammy- table protector, tablecloth and mats/coasters.
I'd go for an extra-large one for my Sports Direct mug.
APF
I use coasters. I have some ace ones that have a picture of a yellow robot on them (the fetching chap on this sweatshirt), and some other ones I made out of surplus waymarkers from Glentress which I am quite pleased with too.
I find the cork base can snag on the lace doily. But at least that matches the antimacassars.
The question is, do you respect wood?
One of the best Curb episodes ever.
I made some coasters out of an old skateboard deck. They look awesome but are a bit thick/unstable to be honest.
You can get them free by running the 7 hills of Edinburgh race. If you run it every year you can collect a pretty decent set!
http://www.seven-hills.org.uk/prizes.asp
Oh, never heard of that, Carnethy 5 was awesome last year, need to look into that!
Yep, cork from Ikea and very cheap (obviously)
Make some that dont stick to the bottom of the glass
So the coaster falls off either into your spag bol or into your lap
Its a classy look either way when your trying to impress the outlaws / latest gf or bf
The look one a mates face when one uncouth acquaintance moved to coaster to one side so he could put his glass on the wooden table was quality but hey, you cant teach manners or some other thing like that
Blimey - who knew coasters were such a hot topic on STW. I shall proceed to purchase the materials and post some pictures when completed.
To avoid the coaster sticking to the bottom of the glass, just tilt the glass to one side slightly and push down before lifting.
Are you inlaying squirrels into the resin?
Decent rigid coasters/placemats that look good, aren't too heavy and don't stain or peel would be a winner in my book. Oh and the placemats need to be bigger all round than a denby dinner plate (square is better than round for some reason). My OH supported a fundraiser and came home with some scrap wood ones which are over an inch tall which is also a bad idea (unless our seats are a lot lower than your table/you're an oompa loompa).
To avoid the coaster sticking to the bottom of the glass, just tilt the glass to one side slightly and push down before lifting.
If you're designing from scratch, some shallow grooves in the surface to avoid making a seal between the bottom rim of the cup and the map would be an elegant engineering solution.
Can I suggest a set of stainless steel (85x85x2mm) plate,laser etched with the words " Are You Bored Enough To Watch Me Make a Coaster".
I would buy a set of those bad boys 🙂
Got two sitting next to me: a San Miguel one and another from La Chouffe. One for the glass of water, another for the tea.
They were free ones that came from my beer club 🙂
Got this one as a gift. Always wondered why it has the grid pattern on. It's a good coaster for that reason it seems
Photo doesn't work. Retro link
https://images.app.goo.gl/XPDLna3b1QJK5Ec59
Are you inlaying squirrels into the resin?
Beat me to it!
Seriously though, are you?
Damn this thread, I now want a "Nice People Ride Bicycles" coaster.
Damn this thread, I now want a “Nice People Ride Bicycles” coaster.
I have an "Arseholes pretend to ride bicycles but really just make bad jokes about it on the Internet" one you can borrow.
mrsmidlife brought some very nice inlaid marble coasters from a trip to India a few years back, they sit out on a corner desk in the living room. Someone tried to use them a while back to protect the (nice looking but) foiled particleboard coffee table and took a bit of persuading that I'd rather protect the coasters than the table. Dining table is always a tablecloth over heatproof protctor, so no mats or coasters at home, really. Doesn't stop us being gifted them now and again, clogging up the sideboard drawers.
Does no one use a saucer any more? Heathens.
But yes to coasters, my personal favourite a nice slice of birch through the chopsaw - but only for in the workshop. In the drawing room something less proletariat, but definitely not stainless steel or 'shivers' coloured glass. I have some beautiful handmade tile coasters I got from a pottery on Tiree - abstract sea colours and marine life. They were about £4 each, I wish I had bought more, absolute treasures.
Using this at the moment.
Similar but with some sort of felt backing would be a great seller I reckon..
perchy,that is very festive of you ,thanks so much.
Could you sign it as well please,cheers.
Well I really don’t know if today could get any better, just had some lovely new emails from international best sellers,so I took the plunge and ordered some fruit that reduces belly fat and bubble gum that is going to repair my teeth and gums. With my new winning smile and buff physique it looks like I am heading for some exciting times so I ordered some of their wonder dust that has you hard in bed all night. I also booked a ticket for this big event in the Shark Tank discussing black market suppression in the Swedish tax system and spy cars. Honestly, what a time to be alive.
[i]Using this at the moment.
You get little sticky silicon bump dots. Stick some of them on the bottom will be better than trying to use felt.
Looking on Etsy there are listed at £26 for 4 which seems steep to me.
That is the low end on i-saw-you-coming.com and they are all made in a factory somewhere cheap
I'd pay it for a nice design and proper materials
Do beer mats and bar towels count? If so, yes.
Yup wooden ones from India. Coffee cup has a saucer though. Place matt's with a cork backing with a print of a track bike on, random tkmaxx purchase!
Local cheap-as-chips summer race series down here in swampland (Oxon) has *a* coaster (nice slate job depicting a local notable building) as the memento for the whole series. But with 2 of us in the house and the years going by we now have ... Counts ... 9 of 'em (think one got broken).
Somehow it's different if they're meaningful to you somehow?
Always have used coasters, was taught to by my gran who had some very expensive wood tables. Current collection ranges from cheap plastic ones from Wilko through novelty ones with bikes or slogans on it to a solid steel one that is in the shape of a Hope rotor that they gave sold with a christmas goodie bag a few years ago. I've also got a really thin plastic one from Chatel too from when they launched the new Vink Line trail but that's next to useless.
Best ones I've seen are just slices off a log coated in varnish/lacquer.
Agree a seal breaker is a must, all of ours are smooth and end up sticking to the glass/mug until you've lifted it about 15cm before clattering down.
Are you inlaying squirrels into the resin?
Savage!
Beat me to it!
Seriously though, are you?
Who knew roadkill was such a hot topic on STW?
We use them but they do my head in. Whaterever you do make then as thin as possible and of a large enough diameter that a wine glass is easy to put on after 3/4 of a bottle 🙂
4" square is the current plan. Not sure how to get a non-smooth finish when I plan to coat them in resin but I have a couple of things to try. I will post up attempts on here. Plan is to do then at £5 a pop posted. Didn't realise how expensive and heat resistant glass clear resin is!
I have a nice Millennium Falcon one next to my laptop for when I am job hunting and drinking the copious amounts of tea involved with such a task
When buying coasters, remember not to put style before functionality.
Rustic looking slate coasters while visually very appealing are not an even surface and when, half-pissed, you attempt to put a large glass of red wine on them, it can actually keel over sideways from the wonkey surface and deposit a load of malbec all over your carpet which can then never ever be removed
So I've heard, anyway.
Ahem...
More to the point, who DOESN'T use coasters? Bastards never coming round my house i tell ya.
If you’re designing from scratch, some shallow grooves in the surface to avoid making a seal between the bottom rim of the cup and the map would be an elegant engineering solution.
Definitely this....
Who knew roadkill was such a hot topic on STW?
If he were still here, Badger will be thinking “at last they’ll not be going on about me and the sealant for the next 10 years”
I keep threatening to get some of my designs printed as coasters. I'll get round to it one day. One idea I had was illustrating favourite film and TV quotes. I did a couple. What do you reckon?*
[img] 
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*sorry for the slight thread hijack WCA
We (my wife and I) use them. Got some arty ones from Cupola Gallery here in Sheffield. They just help keep our side tables scratch free.
I reckon trail marker arrows would make good coasters, pack of 6 each with a different trail name, mix of blue, red and black, sold at the cafe in your local trail centre.
richmtb
I reckon trail marker arrows would make good coasters, pack of 6 each with a different trail name, mix of blue, red and black, sold at the cafe in your local trail centre.
That's the sort of things I made from some surplus markers from Glentress. I've got red, blue, black and orange arrows, plus a 7 Stanes logo, an "escape route" arrow and a name plate for Magic Mushroom. I also have a green arrow I got later, but I've yet to clean it up and give it a cork backing.
One of my mates was able to snag a "Skills Area" marker, I gather he wanted to mount it on his bedroom door.
Old cd's work well.
Yeah they're everywhere in our gaff. They proliferate like cushions and I suspect the same source of infestation. They are marginally more useful than cushions though and you don't have to move 20 of them every time you want to sit on the sofa or climb into bed.
One of my mates was able to snag a “Skills Area” marker, I gather he wanted to mount it on his bedroom door.
😀 😀
marginally more useful than cushions though and you don’t have to move 20 of them every time you want to sit on the sofa
Marginally? They have a use - to protect a surface. Cushions serve no use. A sofa is designed to be sat on, that is its USP. If you need cushions on a sofa then it has failed in its sole purpose for existing.
I do have enough of this bark to make probably a dozen coasters. The rough side filled with resin. Cut into coaster sized circles and then cut thinner. Any takers? Also Any takers for watch / Jewellery stands?
I keep threatening to get some of my designs printed as coasters. I’ll get round to it one day.
That's no use to people who desperately need Christmas present ideas for this year, is it?
We use them.
We've some from brother in NZ, and another set from my trip to Myanmar.
WCA you need a coaster for those lumps of wood.
Yes we use them, on side tables, on the two desks and by each bed.
Got bee ones from here https://www.kitschrepublic.co.uk/collections/coasters recommend Roaster Coaster by Brewdog from Tesco for putting on coaster best supermarket stout IMHO.
Marginally? They have a use – to protect a surface. Cushions serve no use. A sofa is designed to be sat on, that is its USP. If you need cushions on a sofa then it has failed in its sole purpose for existing.
Does your mattress have built in pillows?
Does no one use a saucer any more? Heathens.
Not with a mug, no.
Cushions serve no use. A sofa is designed to be sat on, that is its USP. If you need cushions on a sofa then it has failed in its sole purpose for existing.
Bollocks! The whole idea of extra cushions is to provide extra lumbar support, which most sofas don’t really provide, and/or support under your neck if you’re sprawled full-length on it.
Had coasters around for donks - my brother used to work for a company called Praesidium Melamine, which produced all sorts of promotional coasters and trays and stuff, and we ended up with quite a few trays and sets of coasters with tiny flaws in, and I’ve also got a set of sandstone coasters about a centimetre thick with a Native American design on one side and cork on the other, which I brought back from the States, a couple of which are on the bare wood coffee table in front of me, along with a square one some friends gave me with my Christmas pressy many years ago, with a cartoon of the Madness Hamsters on it. The table came from a charity shop along the road, ‘cos we really needed something cheap but useful for my g/f to work on when sewing, it’s clean but shows wear, plonking mugs and glasses on it would just spoil it.
Re: old CD’s - not for nothing were badly recorded CD-R discs called coaster format...
Jeez CZ, can you use more full stops, I've nearly asphyxiated reading that middle sentence.
We have coasters. Of course we do, and cushions. I have never knowingly bought either though.
To add to it, we have a strange variety of anti-coaster. As noted above, they are flat, and glass (hard/heavy-ish) and always stick to the bottom of the mug.
So while we don't have heat rings or water marks, we do have the accumulated dents of a piece of glass repeatedly dropping onto our coffee table. Progress, I suppose.
Having spent time and money making a beautiful oak and valchromat extending dining table and finishing it with Osmo Polyx oil only to find that red wine and curry go straight through into the grain...
Yes, we now use mats and coasters.
...and deposit a load of malbec all over your carpet which can then never ever be removed
@binners - have you not heard? This is exactly what white wine is for, it's used to clean the red wine stains out of the carpet!