"sealed" coasters-are they REALLY?
 

I have made lots of coasters using stazon and tumbled tiles. I don't even seal the ones that I only used black staz on and have used drinks on them all them time and have never had an issue with fading or bleeding.

Then I moved on to making coasters with the images stamped in stazon and colored in with the stampin pastels, then sprayed with 3-4 coats of a matte spray sealer. They look awesome, but I am leary of putting a drink on them even though they are sealed. Will the color hold up? Am I just being paranoid or are these just meant to be decorative? Even though they are inexpensive to make, I just can't bring my self to possibly ruin one for the sake of testing this theory, would appreciate any advice from those who know from experience!

Thanks!

I've been using my sealed coasters that were done with stazon and chalks for a couple weeks now and getting them wet hasn't hurt them at all.


NY Nan

Hi, I'm new to stamping and I was wondering where do you get your tumbled tiles? & what do they look like? Do they just look like one of the stone coasters you buy in the store already decorated, but of course the ones we would use would be undecorated? Thanks for you help ! :)

tumbled tiles
 

Hi Jazz!

I get my tumbled tiles at Home Depot.
They measure 4 x 4 " square. Not very pretty at first. Here's what they look like undecorated:



Here's what they look like decorated:


Much better, eh?
:)
NY Nan

hi nan
if you seal the coaster does it still absorb the water that "sweats" off the glass? or does it just puddle on the tile? i've made these but haven't sealed them.

thanks!
dawn

It just puddles on the tile. But that's better than on your wooden table! :)

I also use it to set my hot coffee cup on so I don't get a heat ring or coffee stains on my table.

Nan

Thanks Nan I appreciate the pict. of the tiles. Now I know what I am looking for. :D

Here's an idea:

Make the ugliest coster you can come up with using the stazon and pastels. Do a bad layout and use your least favorite colors. The tackier the better! Then seal it and then try it with a cup. If it get's ruined, it gets ruined and you'll have no emotional attachment to the coaster and you can just toss it! :lol:

WOW Nan!!! gorgeous!

Thanks greeneyes!

I found that if I stamp the whole tile with a versa mark pad after the StazOn dries, the pastel chalks stick much better and the color intensifies. I then speed up drying with my heat gun before spraying the first light coat of clear acrylic sealer.

Nan

I was wondering how chalks could have such deep color! I don't have the Stampin' Pastels yet, so I wasn't sure if they were that much richer in color than the Decorating Chalks that I do have. Does anyone know how the Stampin' Pastels compare with the Koss Artists' Soft Pastels?

Has anyone tried making the tumbled tiles using Pearl Ex and Future Floor Finish? If so, I would love to see an example of one.

I have made quite a few unsealed tumbled tile coasters using Farbrico and Stazon inks because I wanted them to be absorbent, but this beautiful sample of yours really makes me want to try your technique! This is a great tip. Thanks for sharing. Linda

I stamp on the tiles with StazOn and add color with the Stampin' Pastels and a blender pen. Then I put Crystal Effects on the image (anywhere I put chalk) and spread it around with a paint brush. That seals the chalks and let's the tile retain its absorbency.

HTH,
Merrie Burruss

Good idea, Merrie!
I'll have to try that next time.
Thanks for the tip!
NY Nan

The first time I made tiles I sealed with a couple coats of spray and then scrubbed like crazy with soap and water to test them. Nothing came off. When I scrubbed my unsealed Staz On, some did come off.

Gala Lutz provided the following instruction sheet that she includes with her unsealed tiles done with Fabrico and Stazon, so I always include it with mine:

"This hand stamped tile was made especially for you and is meant to be used as a coaster for your drinks. If you need to clean the tile, just use a damp cloth. Do not use any kind of cleaner, because the inks will blur or disappear if you use anything with alcohol or solvents."

I've taken that to mean no soaps either, but I might be wrong.

Linda

Beautiful tile Nan! Just one more question... how did you appy the chalk after you versa marked? Did you use sponges?
Thanks-
Michele

I used the little sponged tip sticks that come with the SU pastels. But I'm sure a Q-tip would work just fine.
HTH,
NY Nan

Thanks for all the repsonses on this, I just now saw them! I just found out that my computer has been removing all my Splitcoast notifications and immediately tossing them into a SPAM folder-grrr!!