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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