What are your favorite summer pastimes? One of mine is starting the day with a hot cup of coffee and ending it with a glass of Chardonnay on the deck. Last year we gave our deck a complete makeover, including staining our favorite Adirondack chairs. But I noticed it didn't take long for unwanted coffee rings and water stains to appear on the arms. To remedy that from happening this year, I repurposed inexpensive clay saucers into pretty French terracotta coasters using Redesign With Prima decor transfers.

French Terracotta Coasters With Decor Transfers

The clay saucers couldn't be more perfect to use for outdoor coasters and the vintage French floral transfers add such Dans le Jardin charm. They would be lovely in a sunroom too. The nice thing about these French Country coasters is that you can easily make them in an afternoon.


I made a set of six for our backyard deck but I might buy more saucers to hang for wall decor too. Wouldn't they make lovely bridal shower gifts or hostess gifts for a summer soiree? I can't wait to put ours to good use this coming Victoria Day long weekend.

What you'll need to make these terracotta coasters

These are the materials I used to make the terracotta coasters. The 4-inch clay saucers are the perfect size to repurpose into outdoor coasters.


This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. At no cost to you, we receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Many thanks!

Instructions for making the clay saucer coasters

Prep the terracotta saucers for paint

The inside of the 4-inch terracotta saucers is glazed and in order for the paint to grip all you have to do is rough up the surface with 150 grit sandpaper.

Paint the terracotta saucers

The first layer of color is called Upper Canada, a pretty green chalk paint color. I applied two coats but if you'd like the clay color to show through, just brush one coat of paint.


Once the green paint was dry, I simply dry brushed some white Raw Silk chalk paint in random strokes over the green to give them that French Country look. A little goes a long way and dip just the tips of the brush into the paint and dab the excess onto a paper towel. You want very little paint left on the brush.

Add French Country charm with Prima decor transfers

I absolutely love Redesign With Prima furniture and decor transfers. They are so easy to apply and add so much character and charm to painted pieces. I tried them for the first time on this Duncan Phyfe Coffee Table makeover and I'm hooked. The matte finish gives them that handpainted look.

For my coasters, I used the French Pots Decor Transfers (pictured below) and they come with a sheet of nine stunning vintage French graphics and a rub-on stick. I'm using six of the graphics for my coasters.


Cut around each graphic with scissors - make sure to keep the paper backing behind each transfer. Eyeball the graphic to the center of each saucer. Remove the paper backing and rub the image with the rub-on stick provided.

Carefully lift the plastic as you work to check if any areas haven't transferred. If not, set it down and rub some more over those areas. I like to gently rub my finger over the graphic afterward to make sure there aren't any loose bits.


Because I'll be using these as coasters, I protected them with three thin coats of my favorite Gator Hide matte water repellent clear coat.



Once the clear coat is completely dry I added small felt pads to the bottom of each coaster to protect the patio furniture from scratches.

That's it, super easy, right? But they look like a lot of time and effort went into making them.


To see how to get a similar look on large terracotta flower pots, see my Terracotta Pots Get French Country Style post.

For more Summer decorating ideas, visit my DIY Summer ideas page.

If you have any questions about this project, please leave them in the comment section below or press the Contact Me button at the top of the blog to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!



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