How to Make Mini Pallet Coasters with Popsicle Sticks

Learn how to make Mini Pallet Coasters with popsicle sticks and a wood dowel. Great for rustic decor, or a handmade gift!

Why is it that all things mini are so cute? I have worked in a warehouse and I would never say a pallet is cute. But when it is mini I can’t but say “awwwww!”.

These cut mini pallet coasters really are so stinkin’ cute and I can’t wait to show you how I made them!

Supplies Used to Make Mini Pallet Coasters.

Some links may be too similar items when exact items couldn’t be found online.

• Jumbo Popsicle Sticks
• 3/8 inch Square Dowell Rod
• Low Temp Glue Gun with Glue Sticks
• Gridded Cutting Mat
• Heavy Duty Scissors or Snips
• Small Hand Saw or Razor Blade

Optional Supplies for a Distressed Colored Pallet

• Flat Bottom Dish
• Brown Reinker
• Yellow Reinker
• Isopropyl Alcohol
• Drying Towel

Optional Supplies for Added Text on Coasters

• Cricut Cutting Machine
• Vinyl
• Paint Sponge
• Black Acrylic Paint

DIY Mini Pallet Coasters with Popsicle Sticks Tutorial Video

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Cutting the Wood for your Mini Pallet Coasters

The first step is cutting the wood pieces down to size. My coasters are 3 1/2 inches square. Most coasters measure 4 inches square but I decided to go a bit smaller since my coasters have some thickness to them, and I wanted to keep my mini pallets mini.

I cut the dowel first into three lengths. Each 3 1/2 inches long. You don’t have to get out the saw for this thing of a dowel, a razor blade will work too. I just don’t get to use my little saw often enough. 🙂

Then, using a pair of heavy-duty scissors, cut the jumbo popsicle sticks into lengths of 3 1/2 inches as well.

Popsicle sticks actually cut fairly easily and that surprised me.

Distress Dying the Wood Sticks (optional step)

I want these mini pallets to actually lool like pallets, and if you’ve ever worked with pallets you know they rarely look nice and clean. The wood is discolored and often stained.

To give my pallets the same look, I dipped them in an ink and isopropyl alcohol mixture.

In a flat-bottom dish add just a little bit of water to cover the bottom of the dish. Add twice as much isopropyl alcohol as water, and several drops of brown ink and yellow ink. The ink I used is from an inker drop bottle meant for reinking stamp pads or watercoloring with.

Add the wood sticks and give the mixture a stir. The longer you leave the wood in, the more coloring they will get. You can also redip if you decide they didn’t get enough color as they dry. But of course, you can’t take color away.

Set the wood sticks aside on a towel to dry. The wood must be completely dry to assemble the coasters. If you are impatient like me, you can put the wood sticks on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 350 degrees for a couple minutes to help speed up the drying. But keep your eye on them because they can still burn and change more colors while in the oven.

Don’t the wood pieces look great already?!

Assembling your Mini Pallet Coasters

For one pallet you will need 3, square dowel pieces and 8 jumbo popsicle stick pieces all cut to 3 1/2 inches.

I placed a gridded cutting mat on my work surface to help me keep the pallets nice and square as I was assembling.

Start with one square dowel and 1 popsicle stick. Put a dot of hot glue at the top and adhere the popsicle stick at a 90-degree angle.

Add a second popsicle stick at the bottom of the first square dowel, also at a 90-degree angle.

Take a second square dowel length and glue to the other end of the two popsicle sticks.

Then glue the third square dowel in the middle, between the other two square dowels.

Turn the pallet over so the square dowels are on the underside of the pallet. Glue two popsicle stick slabs into place in between the two outer slabs.

Turn the pallet over and glue the other 4 popsicle stick slabs into place, spacing them out just a bit.

And that’s it! You have made super cute little mini pallet coasters!

Adding Text to your Mini Pallet Coasters (Optional Step)

The coasters are so cute and handy as is, but I wanted to step them up just a bit further.

Using a Cricut and some vinyl, I cut out these little word stencils. Click here if you’d like to use my file from Cricut Design Space.

Apply the stencils like you would a sticker. Simply peel and apply to the pallet coaster.

Using a paint sponge and pick up a little bit of paint. You really don’t need a lot, just the very edge of the paint sponge. Dab the sponge over the stencil until you have it covered with paint.

Carefully remove the vinyl stencil and your text magically appears!

This extra step really does add that wow factor. I can’t get over how cute they turned out!!

What text would you put on your mini pallet coasters? Share and leave a comment below!

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