Make Your Own Gold Agate Coasters

Spruce up your coffee table by making a set of gold trim agate coasters. Agate is a beautiful stone that comes in a variety of rich colors including purple, green, pink, white, brown, black, teal and blue that makes it perfect for whatever your living room decorating style is.

Right now agate coasters are all the rage with many retailers such as Jonathan Adler, ZGallerie, West Elm and more offering their own version of agate coasters that retail from $40 to $125 a set. Save your hard earned money, but achieve the same look with this simple do it yourself version of gold agate coaster costs only $25 to make for a set of four.

What You Will Need

• Agate slices
• 2 small soft paint brushes
• Gold leaf 
• Gold leaf adhesive and sealers (this is often sold together as a kit)*
• Vinyl pads

Time Required: 20 minutes plus waiting time for adhesive and sealer

Difficulty: Easy

Directions

1. Select similar sized agate slices that are larger than the mugs or glasses you will use them on. Agate slices vary dramatically in price depending on size and color, but some affordable online retailers are Pikes Peak Rock Shop (from $1 to $5 a slice) or Black Market Minerals (set of 4 agate slices for under $20).
2. Using a paint brush, paint the gold leaf adhesive around the edge of the agate slices. For a more affordable option, instead of using gold leaf you can use less expensive options such as gold leaf paint or gold leaf marker. The fine tip of the marker or painting with a fine tip paint brushes makes it much easier to apply than using gold leaf and both the gold leaf paint and marker typically cost half the price of a gold leaf kit. While the look of the marker is not as nice, the quick application method and low price tag might appeal to busy crafters.
3. Wait 20 to 30 minutes for the adhesive to become sticky, or the amount of time directed on the adhesive packaging, then apply the gold leaf to the edges of the coasters. Using a clean soft paint brush remove the excess gold leaf by brushing it off. Make sure to go over all the edges with the soft paint brush to smooth out the gold leaf and remove and bumps. Make sure to lightly dust off the gold leaf with the paint brush to not remove all the gold leaf, but just the extra pieces.
4. Apply the gold leaf sealer on top of the gold leaf on the edges to prevent the gold leaf from flaking off over time.
5. On the bottom side of the coasters apply 4 stick on vinyl pads that are used to protect furniture from scratching the floor, this will help protect your coaster from both slipping on the table or accidently scratching it. Once this is done your new gold trimmed agate coasters are ready to use in your home.