Not every resin project turns out perfectly — and that’s okay! It’s normal to end up with a few pieces that don’t go as planned, especially when you’re learning new techniques. If you’ve found yourself with a stack of resin coaster fails, don’t throw them away! With a little creativity, these imperfect pieces can become something beautiful and brand new.
Artist Rakhi Jha of @mohanima_art, is known for using resin fluid art to transform plain furniture into stunning, nature-inspired pieces. With over 20 years experience in art, architecture, and interiors, Rakhi has come up with a creative way to rescue resin fails:
"I know a lot of us have failed resin coasters at home. Instead of throwing them away, I re-use them by creating a new design with a simple resin pour — and they turn out so fabulously!
"You may have heard of a fluid art technique called a Dutch Pour, where a hair dryer is used to move paint into beautiful, organic designs. I use a similar technique — but with tinted resin instead of paint."
In her video tutorial, Rakhi shares tips and techniques for giving coaster fails a glow up with fluid art, transforming them into pieces to be proud of. You can even use her method on wood coasters or tiles.
Follow along and see just how easy it can be to upcycle your less-than-perfect resin coasters!
What You’ll Need:
- Resin Coaster "Fails" — Rakhi used 6 for this tutorial
- Liquid Latex —to protect the back from drips
- A foam brush —to apply the liquid latex
- ArtResin
- Disposable gloves —for safe handling
- Mixing container
- Stir stick
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Small mixing cups and stir sticks —one set for each colorant
- Plastic stands —to place the coasters on
- Resin paste – Rakhi used Epoke Resin Paste in Dark Green, Pine Green, Aquamarine, & Ultra White
- Mica Powder - Rakhi used copper, but you could use the metallic of your choice
- Gold leaf marker — Rakhi used DecoColor's chisel tip gold leaf marker
- Maker’s Studio Torch —for popping bubbles
- Hair dryer with nozzle attachment — for blending resin layers
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Dust cover —to protect your piece while curing
Step 1: Prepare the Coasters
Rakhi starts with 6 coasters from past projects, including bloom and alcohol ink experiments. She has already poured a new resin design on one side, so to protect it she will first apply a coat of liquid latex to the back of each coaster. This way, if any resin flows over the sides, it will cure onto the liquid latex instead of the coaster.
Once the resin has fully cured, simply peel off the latex along with any drips, leaving a clean, smooth back — no sanding required!
Wearing gloves, Rakhi applies a coat of liquid latex to the back of each coaster using a disposable foam brush. She prefers one thick layer, though two thinner layers can work just as well.
💡 TIP: There’s no need to coat the edges of the coasters: Rakhi likes to let the resin design flow naturally over the sides and she plans to finish the coasters with gold edges for a polished look.
After coating the backs, Rakhi props the coasters up on stands — she uses upturned paper cups — and lets them dry for about an hour. Once they’re dry, they’re ready to be flipped over and the new design work can begin!
Step 2: Prepare the ArtResin
Wearing gloves, Rakhi mixes up 8 oz of ArtResin for her six coasters, combining 4 oz of resin and 4 oz of hardener. She mixes them together slowly for 3–5 minutes, carefully scraping the sides and bottom of the cup to ensure everything is thoroughly blended.
Once the resin is mixed, she portions it out into separate cups to tint with color.
For this project, you’ll need one base color plus four accent colors. Her palette is inspired by nature, with deep greens, turquoise, white, and copper that will blend together beautifully.
💡 TIP: Rakhi recommends using resin paste rather than mica powders alone, as the paste tends to give richer results and finer details.
Rakhi chose a deep translucent green as the base color for her coasters.
As her accent colors, Rakhi chose a Pine Green, Aquamarine, and Ultra White. This color palette will blend beautifully and the white will help create a greater range of blues and greens, as well as form cells in the resin.
Metallic accent: Mica powder works best here to give a shimmery metallic pop. Rakhi opts for copper — though gold or any metallic you prefer would also work well.
After mixing each of her colors in the cup, she gives each one a quick pass with a torch to pop any surface bubbles, getting them ready for pouring.
Step 3: Pour the Resin
First, Rakhi wipes each coaster down with isopropyl alcohol to create a clean surface for the new resin layer.
Next, she covers the entire top of each coaster with the green base color. Using her stir stick, she gently guides the resin toward the edges.
💡 TIP: Not to worry if the resin runs over the sides. The hairdryer in the next step will blow the resin over the edges, and Rakhi plans to finish the sides with gold.
Before moving on to the accent colors, Rakhi gives the surface a quick pass with a torch to pop any bubbles.
Now the fun part—creating your fluid art design! There are so many ways you can apply the accent colors — you can pour them in puddles, layered one on top of the other, or create overlapping lines. For these coasters, Rakhi chooses to apply the colors in lines.
Rakhi starts by pouring a line of the darkest green first, followed by turquoise, then white, and finally a line of copper on top.
With the hairdryer on low and the nozzle attachment in place, Rakhi creates the design. She holds the hair dryer upside down and at an angle, gently blowing the resin outward toward the edge on one half of the coaster, rotating the hairdryer to follow the curve of the piece.
💡 TIP: You can use a heat gun if you prefer, but Rakhi finds a hairdryer offers better control and a softer, more detailed pattern.
Then she turns the hairdryer around and repeats the process on the other side, leaving a little negative space for balance.
Rakhi suggests that once you’re comfortable, you can start playing with the movement of the hairdryer to find the effects and composition you like best.
Next, Rakhi gives the surface a quick pass with the torch. This will pop bubbles but also encourages cells to form and helps the copper color rise to the surface. Let the piece sit for a few minutes to allow even more cells to develop.
If you like, you can pick up some of the resin drips from your tabletop with your gloved finger and gently apply it to the sides, wherever you feel that the resin is missing.
Once all the coasters have been poured, let them sit for 5- 10 minutes to allow the cells to develop. Use the torch again if needed to encourage more cells to form. When you're happy with the design, cover the coasters with a large dust cover and leave them to cure overnight.
Experimenting: Using Thickened Resin
Instead of pouring the resin immediately after mixing in the colorants, allow it to sit in the cups for 10–15 minutes. As it sits, the resin will start to thicken, which helps the design hold its shape better and reduces blending compared to freshly mixed resin.
After about 15 minutes, apply the resin the same way as before. You may find that, since the resin will be quite a bit thicker, it may need a little extra spreading with the hairdryer to create a design.
Run the torch over the design to encourage cell formation, which will become more defined as the resin sits. In fact, you’ll find that this method can result in even larger, more defined cells!
Experimenting: Puddle Pour
Instead of applying lines of color, apply small puddles of green, turquoise, white, and copper, layering one on top of the other. Then blow the resin outward in one direction, and then the other, making sure to leave a little negative space.
This technique creates a slightly different, organic composition with large, defined cells.
Step 4: Final Embellishments
Next day, once the resin has cured, peel away the liquid latex and the drips. The latex should come off easily, though you may need to apply a little pressure to release any stubborn drips.
Once the latex has been removed, Rakhi suggests applying a clear coat of resin to both sides of the coasters for a polished finish. She loves finishing her coasters this way for extra shine and depth.
Then, once the coasters have cured, use a gold leafing pen to carefully finish off the edges. If there are any sharp or uneven areas, you can lightly sand them smooth before applying the gold.
💡 TIP: Chisel tip gold leaf pens — such as the DecoColor pen Rakhi is using, Krylon, or similar brands — work best for this technique.
Rakhi also likes to carry the gold design slightly over the top edge of the coaster for a more finished look.
💡TIP: Work quickly with the pen before the gold paint dries. If you need to clean up any mistakes, a little isopropyl alcohol on a paper towel will do the trick!
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning how to upcycle your coaster fails — it’s a great way to grow your skills and make the most of your materials. Every artist hits a few bumps along the way, but that doesn’t mean your work is a lost cause!
A huge thank you to Rakhi for showing us that with a little patience, creativity, and the right techniques, you can turn “fails” into brand new beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces.
Don’t toss those imperfect coasters — transform them!
To see more of Rakhi's work:
Visit her website: www.mohanima.com
Follow her on Instagram: @mohanima_art
Watch her YouTube tutorials: @mohanimabyrakhijha5276
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