I’ve been looking for a set of placemats for around 6 months now. Something modern, not fabric ones and something that was cheap but didn’t’ look cheap. So I gave up and decided to make some. Here’s a little tutorial.
To make 4 you’ll need:
1 piece of plywood 1200 x 396mm ( I chose 7mm but you could use thicker or any another type of wood you like)
Matte spray paint (how ever many different colours you like)
Painting tape
Clear lacquer
Thin felt scraps
Scissors
PVA glue
Electric sander (I used a 120 grade sandpaper )
Method:
First cut your ply into four 300 x 396 mm pieces. I asked an Assistant at Bunnings to do it to save time, the job was done extremely rough and a lot of the edges split which is annoying but I just made these the undersides of the mats.
Next I used my sander to smooth out any of the splitting, and to round the corners and edges of your mat. Make sure you wipe off all the dust before you continue.
I then taped diagonally across the mats and taped newspaper to cover one half (so no paint spray falls on it). Then spray one half of your mat with an even coat, making sure you also paint the edges. Depending on your spray paint, you may need to do a few coats (mine took around 3). I did try doing one with a small roller instead of spray paint but I got too much bleed under the tape. Spray paint is the better option as you get a crisper line.
Once the paint is dry pull off your tape and newspaper. Next grab a brush and apply your first layer of lacquer making sure you get the edges. You can also apply the lacquer to the underside if you like. How many layers you’ll need depends on the product you’re using, so make sure you leave sufficient drying time between each coat. I ended up doing three coats.
While you wait for your lacquer to dry, grab the felt scraps and cut out 16 small triangles (sides roughly around 3cm).
When your mats are completely dry, turn them over and use the PVA to glue one triangle felt piece in each corner, about 1-2 cm in from the edges. The purpose of the felt is to make sure the mats don’t scratch the surface of your table if you don’t like to use a table cloth.
Once the PVA is dry, go cook yourself something yummy, make up your dining table and enjoy your food whilst admiring your not so hard work.
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