Can't You Hear The Thunder - Tina's Tile Coasters

G'day Crafty Mates!
Tina has a fabulous project for us today - Aussie themed tile coasters. Don't they look amazing with those Aussie bushland papers?
And it's summer here in Oz so you'll want to use these for your COLD drinks (lol.... read on to find out about Tina's hot coffee test....)

Hello everyone. For my second project with the November kit, I wanted to make tile coasters. These were a fun project to make, but the initial research to find an inexpensive, clear coat finish that withstood the hot coffee cup test was the longest part of this project (as well as the drying times). Well sometimes things don't always go as planned because even after all the research I did I still had a little trouble with the hot coffee test. They do however work perfectly with cold drinks. 

To start off I used 4'' x 4'' white tiles. Even though they are labelled 4'' x 4'', they are slightly smaller.
I used white gloss tiles that I scuffed up with some coarse sandpaper.

I then cut my paper smaller than the tiles because I like the white border edge.

Ink the edges with Distress Ink - Vintage Photo.

I used Mod Podge on the tile and adhered the paper on to the tile, making sure to smooth out any air pockets and that all the edges are stuck down well. Let this dry for at least 2 hours.
Then I used 3 layers of Mod Podge on the top of the tile making sure not to leave brush marks and leaving at least 2 hours between coats to dry.

Now for the clear coat sealer and believe me, I tried many. There are products that may work for this but they ranged from $70 to $90 which was a little too much to spend on something that may not work. Trying to keep the cost below $20 wasn't an easy task. I did find a lot of information on the internet and the clear coat that I finally used still wasn't perfect. HERE is a link to one of the youtube videos I found really informative. But I still found that the hot coffee test didn't work..

The coats need to be applied waiting 10 minutes between each coat. I sanded each coat slightly with a super fine sand paper except for the final coat. All  the coats need to be applied within an hour. I used 3 coats. Finally I added some felt squares on the bottom of each tile and now they are ready. Although they are Only For Cold Drinks,  they work perfectly with no marks or sticking.

Sometimes in the crafting world we don't get it right, but that leads us on an amazing, although sometimes frustrating journey discovering new ways and techniques. I will be back with a process for hot drink coasters once I have a product that works (which may be a more expensive one). I would love to hear any feedback on this issue.
Thank you and Happy Crafting.
Tina xxx

The November Kit can be purchased HERE