Reclaimed Supplies from The Wooden Bee Make Beautiful Faux Granite Coasters

Recently I started doing research into reclaimed building supply houses for lumber or other products that would inspire me to create interesting home decor goodies while working with my faux granite product.  I discovered that there are some places around here but the only problem was everything would be sold whole.  Since I was looking to create coasters and have nowhere to set up a workshop in my apartment, I needed pieces that were already cut to size.  This is how I discovered the awesomeness of The Wooden Bee!

We started communicating about a month ago over on Etsy and I was pleasantly surprised that not only would Bee offer the coolest product (a little more on that later) but that my request for 3" x 3" pre-cut squares could also be satisfied!  Hooray!

After a lot of back and forth and some research on my part regarding the product I placed my order and anxiously awaited my box full of goodies.  Even though Bee said it could take a couple weeks due to an already existing custom order in line in front of me, I only had to wait about a week and this is what arrived at my doorstep...

When I took the azek squares out of the box I was elated!  No matter how much you chat about a product there's something wonderful that happens when you actually get to see it live and in person.  Now a lot of you may be asking, 'what the heck is azek?'  I did a little research before making my purchase and I discovered:

• It is a composite material similar to Trex in its durability factor but it is made from PVC
• It is stain resistant
• The lifespan of the product is slated for over 25 years
• It is recyclable
• The company itself is trying to be as Green as possible:

"As a leading provider of green building products, AZEK Building Products actively contributes to the green building movement through education and, more importantly, by offering durable, sustainable building products.  Moreover, we are diligently working to develop our own corporate cradle-to-grave building systems that reduce landfill costs, reduce fossil fuel use, and reduce carbon footprint of all our operations and products."

Nice!

The product had a slight tooth on it so I lightly wood filled some of the end cut marks that the blade left behind, but left the top and bottom in their original state and got started priming.



The primer from the Chocolate Brown Giani Granite kit that I picked up earlier in the week at Walmart was working beautifully with the composite material.  Once the primer had cured for the designated number of hours I applied faux finished granite paint effect to all six sides (drying in between of course) and once that was fully cured overnight the waterborne resin topcoat went on.  Two coats of topcoat later and I was ready for the eco-fi Craft Felts I had precut to adhere on the bottom.


The felt went on smooth with a super tacky adhesive that I paint brushed on to avoid lumps or bumps, then I used a rounded rollable item to firmly plant it in place.  The side of one of the Giani cans was the perfect size and weight to do the job.  Yes folks, sometimes I have to act like MacGyver on a daily basis inventing the perfect tool for the job on the fly!

After the felt had set up for about 6 hours I flipped them over and voila, instant granite coaster set!  The benefits of these coasters of course are:

• No stone was quarried to create the pieces
• The mineral paints are low odor and low VOC
• Just like real stone no two will ever be exactly the same
• They are much lighter than real stone (less expensive to ship!)
• Speaking of inexpensive...a foot of granite can run $30 - $100 while these are just $15
• Custom colors, patterns and designs are only limited to your imagination!

Are you sold yet?  Want to check out the awesomeness of this colaborative effort to 1) extend the life-cycle of some building supplies by The Wooden Bee and 2) avoid digging up the ground but still providing an amazingly durable and beautiful finished home decor item by Chucka Stone Designs?  Well come on over!



Want a custom color?  Email me at the address located on my CONTACT page and we can get started on yours today!  Thanks so much to Bee for the amazing communication, fantastic product and unbelievably positive and upbeat attitude!  I'll certainly be shopping your supplies section again my friend!