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Tile Coasters... Questions, Questions & More Questions!
I really want to make some tile coasters for Christmas, but the more I read on how to do them, the more confused I get! <sigh> I'm sure I've come to the right place for help!! Ready?? Here goes...
I've seen tiles both sealed & unsealed. If you seal them, do they lose their absorbency?
Baking the tiles... Is this to seal the colors so they won't bleed or come off? If you bake them, can you use the "Classic" inks to color the images, or do they need to be sealed? Are they baked after the image is colored?
Can you use a blender pen or aqua painter on the tiles after the initial image is stamped with Staz-on?
Am I confusing you now too? LOL Let me put it this way... I know what I want to do, but don't know if I can do it that way. I like the rustic look of the tiles without the gloss of the sealer. I only have black Staz-on & don't want to spend a small fortune right before Christmas buying it in colors, so, I'd like to use my Classic ink if possible. (I don't have pigment ink either & don't care for the "brightness" of the Sharpies). Am I doomed? Can I have my cake and eat it too? Can I make this whole thing harder than it has to be... well, YEAH!! (I kinda have a knack for that)! :rolleyes:
Any ideas, experiences, directions or HELP will be truely appreciated!!!
When I decorate tiles, I stamp with Stazon, and color with my pastel chalks with a q-tip then use a blender pen to smooth the look of the colors. OR you can use the blender pen directly on the pastel chalks right from the start. This makes the colors come out more vivid right from the beginning. Although I have not tried them, I understand you can also use the Pastel crayons.
I use a matte laquer to seal all sides of the tiles once they I am satisfied with them. I can't answer your question about whether this causes them to lose their absorbency though. From what I understand and have experienced, if you don't seal the color it will run. But then, I have never heard of baking them after decorating either.
Lastly, I buy the little clear plastic (rubber??) feet to put on the bottom of the tiles. This keeps the tiles from scratching the surface they are sitting on. I get the "feet" in the hardware section of Wal-mart.
Hope this helps!
Susan a/k/a threefurbabiesmom
I forgot to mention that the "classic" inks do not work well. The tiles are porous and obsorb the classic ink. A friend of mine tried the classic inks when I was teaching her how to do the tiles and it tends to look like it ran when it soaks in.
If you are using pastels, you must seal them. However, be careful when doing this as the StazOn can run if you spary the sealer on too thick. I usually spray a few light coats from a distance and that works good.
They will not be absorbant with this method because you are covering the tile with the sealer, the water will just pool and run off.
I have started using SU craft ink and clear EP. You can stamp with Craft ink and them cover with the clear EP, bake in the oven at 350 for about 10minutes and they are done.
These types of tiles cannot be used as trivets though because the EP will melt.
Regarding absorbancy-whether you seal the tiles or not, they aren't going to absorb the moisture from your glasses-remember that these are tiles designed to hang on the walls of bathrooms and thus are NOT absorbant to begin with-if they were the underwalls of your shower would crumble!
As for what I use to seal mine-super cheap hairspray. The cheaper the better becasue it has more lacquer.
I bought tumbled marble tiles at Lowes. They are very smooth. I wiped the tile with a paper towel, and then stamped the image with Stazon black ink. I then colored the image and the background with Prismacolor pencils and edged with a Sharpie marker. I then sprayed Grumbacher Workable Fixative, which I bought at Michaels, to seal it.
Hope this helps. I learned how to do these tiles from Terry Medaris.
I buy the sheets of cork from Lowe's and adhere it to the bottom of the tile. I don't know if it really absorbs moiture, but it does keep the tile from scratching or leaving marks on your table!
Tile Coasters... Questions, Questions & More Questions!
