Step 6 . After the tiles have cooled down ( 5-7 minutes ), you ' re ready to grout . Before beginning to grout , check that all the tiles are fully adhered . The tiles along the edges of the coaster will be the ones that may not have been heated enough . If you push and pull on them and they pop off , you need to heat longer . If you begin grouting and still have pieces that pop off , clean the area free of grout , place another small piece of adhesive under it and re-heat the tile to activate the adhesive .
Wearing a dust mask , mix a small amount of black sanded grout ( a handful ) in a cup with just a bit of water ( maybe a teaspoon ). Stir the grout around with your fingers until it is thoroughly mixed and about the consistency of peanut butter . Spread the grout on top of your coaster , rubbing the grout across the tiles to force the grout down into the gaps . Don ' t try to push the grout into the gaps vertically , it won ' t pack it in there tightly . After you ' ve got the grout in all of the spaces , stain the edges and underside of the coaster by rubbing the grout against them . ( Alternatively , you can paint the edges and back after you ' re finished with the coaster .)
Step 7 . After you ' ve finished grouting , wait about 10 minutes for the grout to become hazy on top of the tiles . Then , you can polish the tiles lightly with a paper towel . You can call the coaster finished now , or you can add some rubber pads to the bottom to protect surfaces that the coaster will lay on . Otherwise , you can continue with the instructions below to attach a cork backing . The HoneyDoo Powerbond will take a bit longer to cure , but the end result looks very professional .
Step 8 . While waiting for the grout to set up , cut the cork backing ( you can find this at craft stores ) by cutting it slightly smaller than your coaster ( 3-7 / 8 "). After polishing your coaster , flip it over to the back side . Smear the HoneyDoo Powerbond glue in a thin layer around the entire surface of the cork backing , BUT stay at least 1 / 4 " from the edges . While the glue is drying , it will expand slightly and fill in the gap .
Step 9 . After gluing , flip the coaster over to press the cork backing flat and let the glue dry ( 2-3 hours ). You may want to add a grout sealer to protect the grout , and prevent the black edges from smudging .
Now , you ' ve got a gift that dad can take to work with him to remind him of the littles while he ' s away !
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