Agate has been on trend for the past few years, but these gorgeous stones don’t often come cheap. Just to give you an idea, Williams Sonoma sells a set of 4 agate coasters for $155! Bananas! Let’s make our own faux DIY agate coasters for a fraction of the cost and keep that extra cash in our pockets.
As a JOANN brand ambassador, I shopped the aisles of my favorite craft store for all of the supplies and made these chic coasters in an afternoon. Or, crafternoon, if you will.
How To Make DIY Agate Coasters
Supplies
- Sculpey III Polymer Clay
- Acrylic Paint
- Sculpey Gloss Glaze
- Classic Gold Liquid Leaf
- Clear Bumpers (optional)
- Paintbrushes
- Rolling Pin
Sculpey polymer clay comes in a vast array of colors, but I chose white since I knew I would be painting my coasters. I also picked up a ton of different acrylic paint colors – only three are shown here, in an effort to hide my craft supply hoarding tendencies. Don’t judge.
By the way, what’s the difference between geodes and agate? Anyone?
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 275º F. While the oven heats, roll out the clay. Since geodes (agate slices?) are natural, their shape and texture is organic, so no need to make a perfect circle here. Just go with the flow and make them circle-ish. Roll them out to about 1/4-inch thick and 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter.
Step 2
Place the clay on a parchment paper-lined pan and bake in a 275º F oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow to cool.
Step 3
Now for the fun part – paint! I used varying shades of teal here. Don’t stress over this – remember, perfection is overrated and because these are supposed to mimic natural stones, you can be cavalier with your designs. I mixed the colors up, added water here and there, to help the paint behave more fluidly. I liked it when the colors sort of ran together, almost like watercolor. Allow the paint to dry.
Step 4
To add shine to the coasters, brush on a couple of coats of gloss glaze. Allow to dry.
Step 5
Here’s where the magic happens. With a small paintbrush, paint the gold liquid leaf along the edges. The agate coasters just come to life with that beautiful gold edge! Such a small detail, but it makes all the difference. So fancy!
Step 6
Attach adhesive-backed bumpers to the underside of the coasters and you’re done!
You have your very own set of faux DIY agate coasters! Enjoy your favorite beverage on your new fancy coasters – place them on a tabletop or style them on a coffee table – these coasters would make great handmade gifts too!
*This post is sponsored by JOANN and may contain affiliate links. I am a JOANN Brand Ambassador; all opinions and efforts are my own. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.
I just love these coasters. I’m definitely going to give them a try. So, so beautiful.
Is that metallic acrylic paint?
I did this with my stepson for his Papa and Father. They just love handmade things and everyone will ask where they got them. He wrote on the back HFD and HPD. The water addition makes a really nice touch! He is not the craftiness enthusiast but we did it in steps through the week. He gleamed with excitement when they got them. No perfection was needed. Thank you for the idea!
This is stunning!! We’ve decided that for this Christmas we’re not going to spend thousands on fancy mall gifts but rather make each person a diy gift. My sister-in-law will be getting these for their new house!
We’re totally going to do these for the holidays! We’ll be making 6 sets, so 24 in total….How much clay do you think we’ll need?
Hey, for this project did you use the entire 8oz of clay? I am making 4 coasters for about 15 people, so I am wondering how much clay to purchase. Thank you!
A lot more than one package!!! I bough one package and was planning to do then as gifts for the family. In my experience you can get about 8 coasters out of one brick of clay. Hope that helps!!
Are these absorbent w the glaze on them?
Hi Jen! These look fab and I’m going to try and make them as gifts for Christmas! Please can you put a video on or point me in the direction of HOW you painted the coasters to make them look like that? I’m a complete novice here ? would appreciate the advice/help!
It looks gorgeous! I was wondering would it be possible to serve some food on that? Or how we can make them foodsafe?
Hi Jen! These look fab and I’m going to try and make them as gifts for Christmas! Please can you put a video on or point me in the direction of HOW you painted the coasters to make them look like that? I’m a complete novice here ? would appreciate the advice/help!
Omg these are amazing!! Thank you! I have two sets already, but instead of painting (I’m not artistic haha) I marbled diff colours together… They look awesome – if I do say so myself haha!!
Thanks again! These are my Chrissy presents this year ?
These are gorgeous! I have been growing tired of my store bought coasters and have been looking for an alternative…I think I just found it. Thank you for the write-up.
Just made a double batch of these coasters. I did not have parchment paper available, but I did have parchment large baking cups I have used for muffins. I found that if I used a cup on either side of the clay as I rolled them out, both my rolling pin and cutting board stayed clean, and I could peel off on layer and put them on the other on my baking sheet. The cups are also a great template to use to keep the sizes of each coaster pretty consistent.
These coasters turned out beautifully, and I am not an experienced craftswoman! I am excited to give them as gifts this Christmas.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful idea 🙂
Great idea!
Such a great idea! These are so beautiful and I love that you can customize the colors to fit your home decor. Thanks for sharing!
Love these and I have been thinking of making some. Have you used any glitter with them?
I think that a geode is a rock that when broken open reveals crystals, and an agate like you made are thin slices of rock.
Are these washable or is it only ok to just wipe them down? Does the glaze seal them?