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DIY Comic Book Coasters

If you’re looking for a great geek chic gift idea, these DIY Comic Book Coasters are perfect. Just don’t cut up someone’s favorite comic book to make them.

For more crafts, check out all of our DIY posts.

If you're looking for a great geek gift idea, these DIY Comic Book Coasters are perfect. Find out how to make them on www.drugstoredivas.net.

I feel like I need to start this post off with a disclaimer. And that is: I tried to find a used comic book to make these DIY Comic Book Coasters.

I went to the thrift store to see if one had found its way into a donation bin. But, no such luck.

And then I tried the dollar store because if I was going to cut up a comic, at least it should be one that was already selling for less (so maybe it was from the reject pile, misprinted and missing pages like that book in Elf). But again, no luck.

Someone suggested a discount store, which actually sells books that I’m pretty sure fell off the back of a truck and into the store.

And still, no comic books. I did find a graphic novel, and it was probably more expensive than a comic book I would have found in a comic book shop. But honestly, I felt guilty heading to the comic book shop just to buy something to (basically) destroy.

Hopefully you just have an old comic book laying around for this.

Homemade coasters, with a cup on top, and the words "7 Easy DIY Coasters" digitally written on top.

These DIY Comic Book Coasters are just one of the homemade coaster tutorial we have on Drugstore Divas.

For more, check out our 7 Easy DIY Coasters post.

DIY Comic Book Coasters

Affiliate links are included in this post and Drugstore Divas may make a small commission if you use them.

Mod Podge, scissors, corner rounder, comic book, paint brush, and coasters.

DIY Comic Book Coasters Supplies:

How To Make DIY Comic Book Coasters:

I was giving this as a gift, so I picked up four brand new coasters from the store for this craft.

If these are for you, you can head to the aforementioned thrift store looking for your comic book and probably come out with four coasters from the thrift store and just upcycle them.

A corner rounder on a corner of a square of comic book.

Cut out a piece of the comic book that’s slightly smaller than the coaster itself.

Use the corner rounder to round the corners of your cut out.

Mod Podge being painted on a comic book piece over a coaster.

Mod Podge the comic book to the coaster by puting a tiny bit of Mod Podge around the edges of the back of your cut out, then pressing that (Mod Podge side down) onto the front of the coaster.

A Comic Book Coaster.

Paint a thin layer of Mod Podge along the entire top of the coaster (yes, straight across the piece of comic book).

Let the DIY coasters dry overnight.

The next day, spray the coasters with triple thick clear glaze. Let that dry overnight or longer, according to the bottle.

Four DIY Comic Book Coasters.

DIY Comic Book Coasters: Frequently Asked Questions

Can you print photos for comic book coasters?

If you can’t find a comic book, just go with a graphic novel like I did. Don’t print pictures of a comic book out from your home printer unless you have a laser printer.

Photos printed from an inkjet printer, which is what most people have at home, will smear all over when you’re applying the Mod Podge on top. And you need to put Mod Podge on top to seal the coasters. If not, any condensation from drinks will completely ruin the coasters.

The only way you would be able to get away with printing photos from an inkjet printer is if you printed the photos then covered them in a clear contact paper. In that case, you would have to change this tutorial completely.

See, the clear contact paper would be too thick for Mod Podge. So you would actually have to use a really strong glue, like E6000 glue, to stick the contact paper down to the coaster.

So, it’s possible. But not exactly what we’re doing here.

Why do you cut the comic book smaller than the coaster?

Yes, it would look very cool if the comic went to the very edge of the coaster. But, that actually won’t work for this project.

See, the edges of the comic book need something to affix onto. If they go all the way to the edge of the coaster, they won’t have anything to stick onto. So they’ll be floating in the air, basically.

That makes it really easy for the paper to catch onto something and tear off and get ruined. So, you want to leave a little surface area around the comic so that the Mod Podge has something to glue it onto.

If you’re using an old coaster from the thrift store and don’t actually want any of that showing, you can spray paint the old coaster before gluing the comic book onto it.

Should you add feet to coasters?

If you’re using pre-made coasters to make these, those coasters will already have feet at the bottom of them. But, if you’re using something like ceramic tile, they won’t have feet at the bottom and could potentially ruin your tables.

So, you have two options.

Option 1: Cut some felt into four small pieces and affix the felt in each corner. Let the glue dry overnight.

Option 2: Purchase self-adhesive felt bumper dots. These are anti-skid dots that you usually affix to things like kitchen chairs or flower vases. The pads help to assure that these items won’t scratch surfaces, which is exactly what you’re trying to prevent by adding feet to these coasters.

How do you fix bubbles in your Mod Podge?

If you’re new to Mod Podge, there’s a chance that you’ll get bubbles in your project. To avoid bubbles from the offset, try really hard to not shake the bottle at all. The agitation will cause bubbles. If you do shake the bottle, let it rest for a while to let the bubbles settle.

If you lay down your comic book cutout and notice photos, you can use a tiny pin to pop the bubbles and let the air out.

You can also, very carefully, go over your project with a rubber roller to try and get any bubbles and wrinkles out. You need to do this before your project is dry. Also, make sure that your rubber roller is completely clean before you do this or you’ll be adding dust and dirt to the top of your coasters.

Comic Book Contact Paper.

Homemade Comic Book Coasters Using Comic Book Contact Paper:

So, believe it or not, you can purchase comic book contact paper online.

If you purchase that, cut it to the size of your coasters, and then affix it to the coasters, you’ll have homemade comic book coasters without having all the work of the tutorial above.

Superhero Coasters.

Purchase Comic Book Coasters Online:

If you love these homemade comic book coasters, but you don’t feel like making them, you can purchase comic book coasters online, like the Superhero coasters above.

You can purchase them at the links below:

Don’t forget a store’s minimum cart total to qualify for free shipping. Also consider curbside or instore pickup to avoid shipping charges.

A homemade Amazing Spidey and Friends picture frame with the words "DIY Comic Book Decoupage Picture Frame" digitally written on top.

More Comic Book Crafts:

If you have extra pages from the comic book leftover, use them to make these our DIY Comic Book Decoupage Picture Frame.

Yield: 4 Coasters

DIY Comic Book Coasters

If you're looking for a great geek gift idea, these DIY Comic Book Coasters are perfect. Find out how to make them on www.drugstoredivas.net.

If you're looking for a great geek gift idea, these DIY Comic Book Coasters are perfect.

Active Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 1 day
Total Time 1 day 15 minutes

Materials

  • 4 ceramic coasters
  • Mod Podge
  • Comic book
  • Triple thick clear glaze

Tools

  • Paint brush
  • Scissors
  • Corner rounder

Instructions

    1. If you're looking for a great geek gift idea, these DIY Comic Book Coasters are perfect. Find out how to make them on www.drugstoredivas.net.Cut out a piece of the comic book that’s slightly smaller than the coaster itself. Use the corner rounder to round the corners of your cut out.
    2. If you're looking for a great geek gift idea, these DIY Comic Book Coasters are perfect. Find out how to make them on www.drugstoredivas.net.Mod Podge the comic book to the coaster.
    3. If you're looking for a great geek gift idea, these DIY Comic Book Coasters are perfect. Find out how to make them on www.drugstoredivas.net.Then, paint a thin layer of Mod Podge along the entire top of the coaster.
    4. If you're looking for a great geek gift idea, these DIY Comic Book Coasters are perfect. Find out how to make them on www.drugstoredivas.net.Let the DIY coasters dry overnight. The next day, spray the coasters with triple thick clear glaze. Let that dry overnight or longer, according to the bottle.

Would you make these DIY Comic Book Coasters? Let us know what comic you would use in the comments.

Jackson

Thursday 10th of February 2022

Be careful, some of these old junky comic books are worth thousands of dollars. Best idea would just make a copy of the pages and use the copy for your craft. A copy will keep colors from bleeding through from the reverse side of the pages. If you want antique looking pages, just use manilla colored copy paper.

drugstore diva lisa

Thursday 10th of February 2022

My copier is my scanner/printer, so that wouldn't work. But making a copy at a copy shop would work.

Val

Monday 15th of February 2021

Hot drinks will leave imprints in your mix lodge and stick to the tile. Not a good idea unless you use a good sealant on top.

drugstore diva lisa

Monday 15th of February 2021

You're right. I definitely suggest sealing these with a triple clear glaze.

Adree | The Keele Deal

Wednesday 22nd of January 2020

This is such a cute gift idea. I love how simple it is and that the kids could help make them.

Annette, 3 Little Buttons

Monday 13th of January 2020

Ahh this is a brilliant idea! I can see how these would make a fantastic gift, especially as they can be so personalized with exactly what the recipient likes. Thank you for sharing this idea :-) Happy New Year!

Karren Haller

Sunday 12th of January 2020

So many possibilities, they turned out cute!

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