FREE DIY Colorful Coasters

This little project was free and sooooo simple, and I'm so happy with how they turned out (after a bit of trial and error, which I will share with you so you don't make the same mistakes I did :)).

All that's required is some (free) laminate flooring samples (available in any home improvement store), some (free) paint swatches and some glue and sealer.  Behr swatches are the best because they are already square so there's no cutting required.

I traced the corners of the paint swatches onto my flooring samples and rounded off the edges (regular scissors did the trick), but that step is optional if you're ok with square corners.

Then you just spray the back of the paint swatches with some glue, place it in the center of the flooring sample, let it dry for about an hour then apply a few coats of sealer. I used a glossy shellac, but I imagine any type of multipurpose sealer would work. As for the glue, I tried three different kinds and this elmers craft glue (shown below) definitely worked the best. Also, the shellac is some strong stuff so you'll want to do that step outside or in an open garage, but I found that really cold temperatures caused some bubbles to form in the coating. The first set I did when it was about 45 degrees was fine, but the second batch was done in below freezing weather and those formed some tiny bubbles in the coating.

These could make a great housewarming gift paired with some wine glasses or a six-pack of your favorite beer!