Paint coasters and placemats

Repainting old coasters and placemats with a fun and on-trend tropical theme!

Resene upcycling for good with Sarah Herring - Project 06

Finished project

You will need: Detail brushes, Painter’s tape for masking, Resene Aquaclear waterborne urethane varnish, Resene Quick Dry primer undercoat, Resene testpots in the following colours: Resene Green Pea, Resene Atlas, Resene Cornflower and Resene Paper Doll, Sandpaper, Testpot brush

Finished project

Before

Step one
Clean and sand each placemat and coaster to remove the original images and paint layers.

Step two
Apply one coat of primer to the top surface of each placemat and coaster, and wait for it to dry completely.

Step three
Apply two coats of Resene Paper Doll to the top surface of each placemat, Apply two coats of Resene Atlas to the top surface of each coaster. Wait for each coat to dry completely.

Step four
Mask out some geometric shapes on the placemats using painter’s tape. There is no need to measure or plan these out, just have some fun creating freehand shapes! Paint these shapes with two coats of Resene Cornflower. Remove masking tape once paint has dried.

Step five
Make a tropical leaf stencil. You can find some good leaf stencil shapes on the internet for inspiration. Trace around the stencil to apply the design to each placemat. Again, don’t be too uniform with this, plonk the stencil down in different ways on each placemat to make them all unique. Sarah hand drew the leaf shape on a plain piece of paper and then cut it out.

Step six
Once you have marked out all your leaf shapes, paint them carefully using Resene Atlas. You will need a steady hand to get a clean outline. After the first coat is dry, apply a second coat of Resene Atlas. Don’t let this coat dry though, go ahead and apply some Resene Green Pea on top of the wet paint to get a great blended colour effect. Dab the Resene Green Pea colour in a blotchy style from the centre out so it looks like it is fading out to the edges.

Step seven
While your placemats are drying, take a small detail brush and hand paint small spots of Resene Paper Doll and Resene Cornflower to the coasters.

Step eight
Finish by giving the placemats and coasters a coat of Resene Aquaclear. This will help provide extra protection from scratching by crockery and cutlery etc.

Upcycling for Good

You can find a huge range of treasures, from ornaments and picture frames, to furniture and toys at your local Salvation Army store that you can easily upcycle with a little Resene paint and some imagination.

"Our Family Stores are full of treasures generously donated by members of the public. We value these donations and try our hardest to re-purpose and sell as much as possible. We’re all about re-using and recycling, so teaming up with Resene on Upcycling for Good was a perfect match. Resene’s products and tips are a natural fit with our pre-loved furniture and accessories, which are usually great quality but could sometimes do with a lick of paint to ensure they fly off the shelves.

Each year, nationally, our stores save 16,000 tonnes from landfill. This initiative increases the value of the donated product, improves the range of goods for our customers, and furthers The Salvation Army’s mission and Resene’s community activity.” Gareth Marshall, The Salvation Army's National Family Store Manager.

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Resene Paints (Australia) Limited – www.resene.com