More Coaster Info

I've received lots of questions about the coasters from yesterday. So I figured I'd address them all in a new post.

I buy my tiles from Lowe's. They are tumbled tiles and come nine to a box. I know it's kind of cheating, but I go through the box in the store to make sure all nine tiles are smooth on top. I figure that the people using the tiles to actually tile a wall won't mind if they get more textured tiles. :)

When you get the tiles home, they will be covered in a chalk like dust. So, you must rinse them off and dry them completely before stamping.

Once dry, stamp away. You can either use solid image stamps with different colors of Stazon or you can you a line stamp with black or brown Stazon. For the Santa, I used Jet Black Stazon. If you aren't planning to color in your tiles, you can stop here. Just set your tiles aside for 48 hours to let the ink cure before using them. I know that some people bake their tiles to set the ink, but I think this is completely unnecessary. Why do extra work?

To color in your images, load a Q-tip up with chalk and then rub in a circular motion on the tile. It's okay if the color is a little lighter than you'd like. Once you seal the tile the color will get brighter and more vibrant.

When you're all done coloring, take the tiles outside and spray two light coats of matte sealant on the tiles. I use Patricia Nimrock Matte Sealant which can be found at Wal-Mart or Michael's. I also let the first coat dry for 15 minutes before applying the second coat.

That's it. Once the second coat dries, your tiles are ready to be used. I've been using one at work for a couple of years now and it looks as good as the day I made it.