The Difference Between Using Resin Coaster Blanks and Resin Coaster Moulds
Resin coasters are such a fun and easy way to start exploring resin art but there are a couple of ways you can create them. The first way to create resin art coasters is by doing a flat pour over a coaster blank - similar to how you might create a painting or a resin cheeseboard. Coaster blanks are simply just a MDF disk or a piece of wood that you can then pour your resin design onto. The benefit of making your coasters this way is that you can create more intricate designs and you can often get a lot more exciting effects like cells and lacing as the colours can stretch over one another and drip off the sides to create a great flow.
The second way you can create coasters is in a silicone mould. Silicone moulds are great to work with because it is less messy, no clean up is required once they are set, you can achieve a very uniform and precise shape. You can also more easily encorporate bulkier things like dried flowers or shells in a silicone mould without having textural issues like you would with a flat pour. You can also get thicker coasters with a silicone mould compared to coaster blanks. However with silicone moulds it can be much harder to achieve cells and lacing effects because the resin is confined within the borders of the mould. It can also be difficult to control the overall finished look of the coaster in a mould. Resin doesn't stick to silicone which is why silicone moulds are ideal, however you'll notice that when pouring resin into silicone moulds it 'runs away' from the edges of the mould so you have to work fast when layering your colours in a mould to ensure that the base doesn't get consumed with a single colour. Moulds take a bit of practise but once you nail it, you'll have perfectly uniform coasters every time!
So to summarise, coaster blanks are perfect if you're wanting detailed designs and to create cells and intricate effects with your pigments and moulds are ideal for mess free, thicker coasters and are perfect if you want to encapsulate things like dried flowers or celophane in resin. Both are fun, easy and create stunning coasters for you to enojy at home or give as a gift!
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