How to Make Clever Bottle Cap Placemats

I have a large bottle cap collection and it’s all my Husband’s fault. Shortly after we bought our condo and were enjoying our traditional TGIF bottle of craft beer he put the empty bottle into the recycling, looked at the cap and said, “It’s a shame we have to toss the cap. Can you make something cool out of bottle caps?”

10 years of saving bottle tops later, I have hundreds of metal bottle caps to recycle into arts and crafts.

I need new placemats and I like polka dots and penny tile. Do you know what looks like cheery polka dots and penny tile? Bottle caps!



Pin this post to find my bottle cap tutorial after you collect all of the bottle tops you will need for this project!

Let’s Make Painted Bottle Cap Tile Placemats!

You will need for each placemat:

117 bottle caps

Wood and cork placemat – I bought mine at Marshall’s because I couldn’t find any in a thrift store.

Spray paint made to adhere to metal - I’m using Rustoleum from my spray paint stash.

Construction adhesive and caulk gun - Hot glue might work in the short term but I’m not sure how it will hold up to hot food over long term use.

A long playlist of good tunes to listen to while you work. Optional but recommended! A couple of good movies to watch while you work is good too.

Before I give you the directions for the project, Lacey has a little safety tip she wants to share with you.

Hi everyone! Please remember to spray paint your project materials in a well ventilated area. Lisa is going to do that outside in our backyard so I don’t breathe potentially nasty fumes. That’s what makes spray paint stink so bad!

Make it:

1. Spray paint the placemats a solid color.

Tip:  Remember several thin coats of spray paint are better than one runny thick coat of paint.

2. Spray paint half of the bottle caps blue and spray paint the other have lime green or the color combination of your choosing and allow them to dry.

It is easier to spray paint bottle caps if you put paint them inside a shallow box.

3. Do a dry fit. Place 9 rows of 13 bottle caps on the place mat in a pattern that is pleasing to you. I alternated my bottle caps every other color but you can do whatever you like. Go crazy! Be creative! Change it if you don’t like it to another pattern! That’s why we aren't gluing anything down in this step.

Dry fit shuffle time!

4. Once you decide on your pattern, apply a dollop of construction adhesive to the bottom center of the bottlecap and glue it into place. Repeat the process until you cover the entire placemat with bottle caps.

 

This is a good time to turn on your tunes if you make more than one in an afternoon like I did.

So. Much. Repetitive. Gluing.

5. After the adhesive is dry, set the table, eat, and repeat!

A little splurge on fun napkins to go with the bottle cap placemats I made for our summer table. #bottlecaps #bottlecapcrafts #bottlecapart #bottlecapcollection #craftbeer #diyblogger #reuse

Click here to follow @condoblues on Instagram to see more project sneak peaks like this one in real time!

I treated myself to a couple of sets of fun cloth napkins to go with the new placemats. Recycled Green Living can be Cute Living too!

Did you enjoy this post? Get more like it by subscribing to the Condo Blues RSS Feed or to Condo Blues by Email.