Hot coasters have become an attribute that can be found not only in the kitchen, but also in restaurants, offices and client waiting areas of many companies. They can vary in shape, material, cost, and can even be a business promotion tool if advertising for the establishment is placed on the stand.
What is the main function of this accessory? Why do you need a hot tray? The answer is quite simple:
- Reliably protects furniture and other surfaces from hot cups, plates, pots and pans;
- Even if the dishes are not hot, they can leave scratches or abrasions, which they will also perfectly protect against;
- If you choose them correctly for the interior, they can harmoniously complement it, arranging bright accents and bringing warmth and comfort into the house;
- A loved one can cheer up with a beautiful drawing, a funny inscription or a healing forest aroma if it is made from natural wood.
The history of the origin of the hot pad
It’s quite difficult to say when the first ones appeared, but please tell us where the history of the origin of the modern stand comes from!
Germany is considered the birthplace of the very first cup stand. On German This accessory was called a coaster, which literally means “beer lid” when translated into Russian. What does this name mean? It turns out that according to the customs of the 19th century, the owners of German beer bars covered mugs with beer with felt napkins. This was done in order to protect the intoxicating drink from flies and other insects.
Then they began to put the same napkins under the mugs to prevent them from slipping. Coasters in those days were reusable; they were washed, dried, and used again. A few years later, products made from thick, moisture-absorbing cardboard were invented, but even such an accessory had a very short service life. This story briefly explains the historical origins of the hot pad. Over time, they began to be made from more durable materials that are resistant to moisture and high temperatures.
Modern “napkins” amaze with the variety of choices to suit every taste and budget. They are made from glass, metal, silicone, cork, fabric, porcelain. But the most popular among housewives are coasters made from natural wood. They can be made either from a single block of wood or from several cuts in the shape of flowers, fruits, or simply laid out on a base with an ornament.
It is not difficult to care for such a product; the main rule is not to leave it in water for a long time and store it near central heating.
What are the advantages of a wooden hot stand?
In the last decade, the trend of people returning to everything natural and environmentally friendly has become relevant. Residents of modern cities are tired of ubiquitous chemicals and artificial materials. Many are trying to switch to healthy image life and surround yourself with things of natural origin. Increasingly, wooden accessories are appearing in kitchens, including for hot dishes.
What is their advantage over other materials?
Firstly, wood is a natural material, which means it is absolutely safe for the whole family, including small children. Wood does not emit harmful chemical compounds when heated, quite the opposite. Some conifers trees, for example, if, then they will fill the room with the magical aroma of the forest. Aroma oils which, among other things, are also healing.
Secondly, wooden kitchenware does not harm surfaces, wood will not leave marks, chips or scratches on your favorite dishes and furniture. does not heat up, does not melt, its surface is “tenacious” enough so that the delivered product does not slip off.
Thirdly, their price is affordable for anyone. Thanks to the variety of natural shades of wood and the plasticity of this material, stands can take different shapes, combine with each other in natural colors, harmoniously complementing the interior of a Russian-style kitchen. You can burn your own words of congratulations or warm wishes on the tree and give it to your family and friends as a souvenir when you go to visit.
Hot stands are necessary and important in every home: you can put not only a recently boiled kettle on them, but also a pot of soup, a frying pan with fried potatoes and aromatic cutlets. Coasters prevent you from having to run to the kitchen every five minutes to give someone a refill or add boiling water, and also protect the countertop from various kinds damage.
Equally useful, although less common, are cup coasters. Usually a whole set is purchased, including about six coasters: they look harmonious on the table, even if you are having a festive dinner, without standing out from the overall composition.
And, of course, they are necessary for everyday use both in the office and at home. If you like to drink a cup or two of tea or coffee while working at the computer, the stand will protect the table from wet stains and scratches.
And then, sometimes it’s just nice to see a beautiful stand on the table with a funny inscription, a gentle landscape, or just images of your favorite characters. And if there is also a favorite bright mug on such a stand, then you are guaranteed a good mood.
If you are imbued with the description of all the advantages of coasters and are already putting on your coat in order to quickly go to the store for them, then I have to detain you a little longer: there are a great variety of coasters for mugs, and the first thing you need to decide on before purchasing is the material.
Hot pads - what are they?
The most popular material here is wood. Wooden coasters are made from the most different breeds, but juniper is especially famous, not only convenient to use, but also emitting a pleasant aroma. Wooden coasters are in demand thanks to the recent fashion for environmentally friendly interior items.
The most common form here is saw cuts, which are rough, but have their own charm. For decoration, drawings are often burned onto their surface. Images can also be applied using laser engraving.
The main disadvantage of wooden stands is the ability of the material to deteriorate under the influence large quantity water. Eventually the surface may darken and become cracked.
Cork coasters do not slip on the surface, but they should be washed carefully: the material may begin to crumble in water. In my cork coasters for cups, brought as souvenirs from Spain, the problem was solved in a rather original way: a hard plate is attached to the cork base, which can be easily washed from stains and on which images of city landscapes are applied.
Metal is also used in the manufacture of stands, most often - stainless steel. Such stands are usually not flat, like wooden ones, but are supported on legs. They will serve you for a long time, however, if the design of the model has small parts, then the dirt clogged in the holes will be quite difficult to clean out.
Silicone products, which are lightweight and do not scratch the countertop, also find their buyers. Unfortunately, it is not difficult to accidentally cut them.
Most unpretentious to handle plastic coasters, which are easy and convenient to wash. Their main drawback is that the surface is too slippery. If oil or water gets on it, the kettle can easily slip off.
Ceramic coasters are convenient, but a little fragile. Less common in everyday life are leather products that look very unusual on the table.
Perhaps you know how to sew, knit or felt wool: in this case, you can make coasters yourself. Lace products look very delicate, while coping well with their direct responsibilities.
Every housewife has most of the devices in her kitchen, in this article I will tell you how to make a hot stand with your own hands that will prevent contact hot dishes with a table, it’s not difficult to make.
Having gathered the idea that there was not enough hot pad in the kitchen, the idea was made to make one myself.
Let's start creating the stand, for this we will need:
Maple block, when cutting it must be similar to a square
Tools for cutting parts, it would be better if you have a circular saw or jigsaw.
Sandpaper different grain sizes
Wood glue or good PVA
Heat shrink, in this case black, depends on your preference
Wooden joints, the so-called chopiki.
All the parts were found in my garage, so there were no delivery costs, only costs for a pleasant time spent.
Let's start assembling the stand. First, we need to cut equal parts of the blocks from one solid piece, the thickness of the blanks should be the same, this can be done by taking measurements from the first blank.
Having estimated the size of all the utensils available in the kitchen, the author of the homemade product settles on the size of the stand 3 by 3, therefore you need 9 identical blocks.
The design of the stand is based on connecting these small squares using dowels.
After all 9 parts are ready for further processing, they need to be drilled, so as not to make mistakes in the markings, we put together all the components from the sawn timber, sign them in order and mark on their upper ends the place for the hole.
In the future, in these places it is necessary to make holes strictly 1 cm deep, since the length of the chop is 3 cm, taking into account the fact that in the middle there will be just 1 cm, the diameter of the drill must be selected taking into account the diameter of the chops, but 1 mm thicker than our design connectors .
The next step will be sanding the parts. Everything is done quite simply, first a coarse sandpaper comes into play, then finer and finer until the surface of the bars becomes perfectly smooth.
To create a beautiful look and add charm to the stand, we use heat-shrinkable tubing. To ensure that the heat shrink is not unnecessary, we cut off 12 pieces of 1 cm each, put them on the chopsticks and heat them to tighten and fit the heat shrink tube tightly.
All parts are ready for the next stage, the gluing process.
For gluing, the author uses regular wood glue, you can also use PVA to glue better nearby three pieces together, so the constructor from the bars is assembled better, more evenly, and most importantly, no problems in need of an assistant. Then we fasten all three parts, consisting of three bars, together. Let the glue dry.
After the glue has dried, you can use the stand for its intended purpose; on this stand you can, for example, place a hot kettle or pan that has just been removed from the heat.
Such a small stand looks original and inspires confidence, and now you don’t have to worry that your kettle will accidentally burn a hole in the new oilcloth. Everyone good luck with your homemade projects and success in cooking.
Today you can reuse things and create something from materials that you were planning to throw away. This masterpiece used branches that were cut from a tree and lying on the side of the road. Coasters for a hot cup or can of beer can elevate even the simplest wooden table. This is what the author of the video suggests doing. The base of the stands will be wooden disks of different diameters into which branches are cut.
As a result of fairly simple operations, very stylish accessory that will decorate any table. These coasters can be given as gifts to friends - they look very dignified. The author chose not to varnish his products, as he decided to preserve the natural texture and color of the wood. But if desired, the stands can be painted or treated with a special impregnation.
Step 1: Find suitable branches
Finding the branches you need is very easy. Almost any wood is suitable for stands, the main thing is that it was not cut very long ago. You can visit a forest where sanitary felling has recently taken place, or ask around which neighbors are planning to tidy up their garden.
The author was lucky to find a large cut branch near his home. By that time the branch was already dry enough to be used. Freshly cut branches are not suitable for work; they will have to be dried additionally. Don't cut live ones healthy trees for this craft! You can always find suitable material without causing damage to nature.
Step 2: Cut into pieces
These stands are made from branches ranging from 12 to 40 mm thick. It is most convenient to cut on a band saw.
The thickness of the discs should be about 2-2.5 cm. Make sure your hands are protected while working.
The discs should be sorted by size to make it easier to place them evenly on the stand base. First, large disks are distributed over the base, then the space between them is filled with smaller ones.
Step 3: Measurements
To determine the size of the canvas that will be cut into individual deliveries, you can use a ready-made stand as a basis. With help a simple pencil and rulers make the necessary notes.
If you have an already cut piece of plywood, you can simply divide it into equal parts. In this case, your stands may be slightly larger or smaller than standard ones.
Step 4: Glue the discs to the plywood base
Pieces of branches can be glued to plywood with regular wood glue, or any waterproof glue. Apply a small amount of glue to each disc and then secure it to the board.
To ensure that the discs stick well, you can glue them only with the flat side. If you try to arrange them in a different way, the structure will not be strong enough. Therefore, there is no need to place branches on edge. The author believes that you can add a little more glue so that it spreads and holds the edges of the branches together. When using wood glue, such a workpiece should dry overnight.
Step 5: Cut into pieces
Now the canvas needs to be cut into even strips. When cutting, it is better to advance the canvas with some kind of board to save your fingers. You can use the first cut edge of the plywood.
Step 6: Setting up the electric planer
Since the branches were cut by hand, their height is not the same. To make flat stands, you need to sand the surface so that all the disks are the same height. The master suggests gluing a piece with branches to the surface with silicone glue, and attaching two wooden rails next to it, along which the plane will move during sanding.
The master used a piece of plywood as a limiter when cutting.
The wooden rails should be of the same thickness, which will be greater than the thickness of the stand. Traces of hot glue can be easily removed if necessary.
You need to go over the surface to be treated with a plane many times to get a more accurate result. This method eliminates unnecessary deformation of the canvas. The board must be gradually raised until the surface becomes flat.
Step 7: Sanding
After processing with a plane, the surface will not be smooth enough. Now it needs to be sanded.
First, you need to go over the surface with the coarsest sandpaper, then with finer sandpaper. And so on until the result suits you.
Step 8: Final Cutting
After processing long canvases and bringing them to the desired state, you can cut them into rectangles the right size. For such work, you can make an improvised table of simple design. The cutting is carried out with a band saw.
These are the squares you should end up with.
Step 9: Securing
The author decided to use a wood impregnation based on teak oil. For those who love shiny textures, epoxy resin is suitable. To thoroughly saturate his stands on all sides, the master poured a large amount of oil into them and wiped off the excess with a rag.
Step 10: Coasters
To ensure that the accessory can be used for tables with any surface, you can glue special silicone legs to the base. An alternative would be soft fabric, for example felt.
Step 11: Use
These coasters will be a great addition to any dinner and will decorate the table in any style. And, if you don’t fill them with varnish or epoxy resin, you can enjoy the smell of natural wood for a long time. Immediately after the author presented the result of his work, his friends asked for all the coasters as a gift, so they had to make another batch.
Jan 18, 2018 abraxams
Hot pads are an indispensable item in any home. They not only help protect the surface of the table, but also become a wonderful decorative element, especially if you make them yourself. We offer you 5 original master classes on creating stands from the most environmentally friendly and practical material - natural.
Stand made of clothespins
We will need about 40 ordinary wooden clothespins. We take them apart and drill a small hole in each half at a distance of about 1 cm from the edge. We stretch the wire through the holes and use it to form a neat circle.
Stand made of wooden beads
We take large beads and paint them in different colors (whole or only halves). Then we string the required amount onto a rope and tie the ends together. Take more beads - you will get a stand for a teapot, less - for a teapot or cup.
Coasters with geometric pattern
If you like to craft with wood, then you probably have a lot of unwanted scraps of boards. Now we will put everything into action! We cut out identical squares and cover them with wood impregnation. Now we take the edge tape and cut out different stripes and zigzags from it, and then glue them onto the stands using an iron. Iron each decorative element for about 10 seconds through the foil so as not to damage the surface of the iron.
Rustic stand
In fact, it is just a roughly processed board placed on dinner table right with the bark. Of course, such a stand will not be suitable for a formal feast, but in the process of everyday cooking it will come in very handy. It’s not very convenient to place cast iron cookware on, but it looks impressive!
Hot stand made of dowels
It turns out that ordinary wooden dowels are an excellent material for hand-made projects. To build a stand out of them, you need to take 10 pieces about 20 cm long and drill 2 holes in each - at a distance of 5-6 cm from the edge. We eliminate unevenness with sandpaper and paint the sticks acrylic paints, wait for it to dry and fasten everything with a leather cord. Voila!
