Easy to Make Decorative Trivets

These handy trivets or "hot" plates are both easy to make and quite useful too! They incorporate the use of ceramic tiles for their attractiveness, as well as for the inherant heat insulation and protection they'll give to your your dining room or kitchen table. This project can be completed in an hour or two of easy work, but you have to allow time for the finish, adhesive, and grout to dry. But heck, you'll be using them in no time at all!

Here are the very simple instructions.

The first step is actually made by heading off to your local tile supplier. Buy some of those sheets of small tiles which are sort of all joined together in a square arrangement about one square foot. Having chosen the colours which match your decor, the next step is to decide how big you want it to be. Once that has been established, you can cut through the webbing which holds these small tiles together, leaving you with a group of attached tiles in a square shape, the size you have chosen.

Let's say you've decided to make a 6" trivet. You will need a piece of 1/2" plywood cut to that size, to which the tiles will be glued using wall tile adhesive. But hold on: don't glue them on yet. The next step is to mitre cut the 5/8" tall moulding you have decided to use to 45 degrees, making a nice edge frame for your trivet. Once these side moulding pieces are all mitre cut to the appropriate length and while working on a flat surface, nail and glue these pieces into place framing the piece of 1/2" plywood. Allow the glue to dry.

Finish sand the moulding, and then stain and finish it to your preference. You don't have to worry about the plywood. It's going to be covered with tiles on the top and later you will put felt on the bottom, for some protection for your table.

After your now finished but empty frame is dry, put a liberal amount of the adhesive on the plywood framed recess which will be the top of your trivet, being careful not to get any on your finished frame. Place your arrangement of tiles in place firmly and when satisfied as to positioning, put a couple of books on top of it so help the glue adhere the tiles to the base. Let it sit for the prescribed drying time on the can.

The tops of the tiles should be just a bit higher than the top of the moulding, otherwise a hot pot could singe the moulding and ruin the appearance of your trivet.

The next step is to apply the tile grout material to your assembly, being careful not to spoil the finish on the moulding. It will wipe off but be careful. Following the proper grouting procedures on the package, complete the grouting procedure, as well as the clean-up.

When the grout has dried, turn the piece over and apply rubber cement to the bottom. Also apply rubber cement to a slightly oversized piece of felt. Allow both surfaces of glue to dry to a "tacky" feel, and then put the piece of felt into place - the 2 glued sides go together. With rubber cement, two glued surfaces, when put together, will permanently bond INSTANTLY, so make sure your positioning is accurate. That's why the piece of felt was cut a bit too large, so that after assembly, it could be trimmed so as to be neat.

These trivets come in very handy around the dining room and kitchen, and they also make great gifts. Recipients will wonder how they ever got along without them!

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