How to Make DIY Epoxy Resin Cat Coasters

Show off your love for your four-legged friend by creating these cat photo coasters with resin! Craft around with those dozens of photos we know you have.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, some of us can say with absolute certainty that we have novels dedicated to our beloved pets. If that’s the case, why not take the opportunity to show off those pictures (and the love you have for your four-legged friends) every day of the week? Today’s craft gives you the chance to do just that by creating cat photo coasters.

Although our focus today is on our feline friends, you can follow this process to encapsulate any kind of photos to create these mason jar lid coasters (like these vacation photo coasters).

To follow along with our quick video tutorial for this project, watch below:

What You’ll Need to Make Cat Photo Coasters:

• Promise Table Top Epoxy Resin
• Photos
• Mason jar lids
• Nitrile gloves
• Scissors
• Safety glasses
• Measuring cups
• Stir sticks
• Optional: Blow torch or heat gun
• Tracing utensil, such as a pencil

Safety first! Remember that safety comes first! Before working with epoxy resin, don’t forget to wear protective eyewear and gloves and work in a well-ventilated space. You can also cover your workspace or use a silicone mat to make cleaning up easier.

Preparing the Photos for Resin

Print out the photos that you’d like to encapsulate. We know it’ll be hard to choose your favorite photos, but these coasters are easy to make, so why not use them all? Print out all of your pet’s adorable antics on either printer paper or photo paper. Keep in mind that you will be cutting up the image to some degree. Think about the composition of your photos and make sure everything is going to fit inside the jar lids you’ve chosen.

Before you use any resin, make sure to cut your photos to fit the jar lids. A great way to approach this accurately is to place the jar lid upside down and centered on your photo. Then, use a utensil to trace the outside of the lid.

Carefully cut around the line you traced with scissors, removing small amounts and test-fitting until it fits snugly in the lid.

We recommend sealing photos prior to coating them with resin for the best results. Resin Spray Sealer works well with photos and won’t smear them like glue-based sealers tend to do. You can also seal the photo to the inside of the coaster to keep it in place and prevent bubbles from forming below the photo.

Prepping the Resin for Coating Cat Photo Coasters

Once you’ve got your photos glued smoothly onto the mason jar lids, it’s time to mix up some resin. Promise Table Top Epoxy Resin is really simple to measure out and mix with a 1:1 by volume ratio. Use one part Side A and one part Side B, combine, and stir slowly and thoroughly to mix.

When properly measured, mixed, and cured, Promise Table Top Epoxy will provide you with a nice, glossy coat that will serve to highlight and brighten up the pictures underneath.

Pouring the Resin

Promise Table Top Epoxy is self-leveling, so when you pour, keep it slow. This will give the resin time to evenly level out and fill the necessary space. How much resin you use will depend on the size of your mason jar lids and how thick you’d like the coat to be. It’s okay to have a little extra, and it’s also easy to mix up a little more.

Bubble Removal and Curing Process

Sometimes, air gets trapped in resin during the creation process, but it’s nothing to panic over. There are actually many different ways to remove air bubbles in resin. Using a blowtorch is one of the most common methods.

If you’re comfortable, quickly light the blowtorch, move it six or more inches above the poured resin, and watch the bubbles disappear. Bubbles may continue to rise before the resin is fully cured, so feel free to come back and torch it a more few times.

Once the bubbles are gone, allow your coasters to sit somewhere where they can cure in a clean dust-free environment, in temperatures around 75°F–80°F. After 24 hours, your coasters will be cured enough for use, and in five to seven days, they’ll be fully cured.

Glossy DIY Coasters with Photos of Your Furry Friends

When you’re finished, you’ll have gorgeous and glossy photo coasters shining the spotlight on your favorite fuzzy friends­—feline, canine, equine, or otherwise! You can use them as coasters or display them in your home. We also think they’d make paws-itively wonderful gifts for a fellow animal lover!

Not only will your photos look even better than ever, but the epoxy resin will also serve as a waterproof seal that should protect them from drink condensation.

Have you ever created a resin project with your favorite animal in mind? Share your animal-themed projects with us on our social media. If you liked this tutorial, leave us a comment letting us know what you think and if there are any projects you’d like to see from us in the future.

As always, happy crafting!