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Cedar Drink Coasters

2K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  MillarTime 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I recently made some small planters from cedar fence pickets. I had a little leftover scrap and was thinking of making drink coasters from it.

My question is, should I seal the wood? I always youtube everything, no matter how simple, and in every tutorial they spray sealer on the wood (though I don't think any of them were using cedar). Cedar is rot resistant and absorbs/disperses moisture well. I want coaster that will absorb the water, rather than let it bead or pool on the coaster, and then dry out.

I currently use quilted cloth coasters with a inner layer of some sort of batting that allows the coaster to soak up moisture without soaking all the way through to my tabletop and then it quickly dries out.
 
#2 ·
I see no reason you cannot forgo a finish. The only reason we apply finishes is to alter the appearance of wood, or protect it.

You can wet it to feather it, let it dry, then sand it, so it will be less prone to that when it does get wet. After some use, a quick, light sanding with, say a 320 grit, will get it back to a nice surface.

Of course, it will show wine stains and such. The light color of Pacific Northwest Red Cedar will stain more noticably.
 
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