Resin Coasters Vs Terrazzo Coasters: Which Should You Make?

Most people assume a coaster is a coaster. You pour something into a mould, wait, pop it out, done. Then they actually try making one and realise the material decides almost everything: how the coaster looks on a shelf, whether it survives a hot kopi without warping, how long they’re stuck waiting before they can use it, and honestly, whether they’ll enjoy the process enough to make a second batch.

Resin and terrazzo are the two most common paths, and they pull in opposite directions. One is glossy, colourful, and a bit chemistry-lab. The other is matte, stony, and closer to sculpting. Picking the wrong one for your taste (or your table) is the difference between a hobby you love and a drawer full of coasters you never use. So before you commit an afternoon to it, here’s how the two really compare.

What actually differentiates the two

The short version: resin coasters are made from clear epoxy that you tint and pour, while terrazzo coasters are made from a stone-like base packed with chips of colour that you sand back to reveal.

The look and feel

Resin has that wet, glass-like shine straight out of the mould. Light passes through it, so translucent colours glow and anything you embed (dried flowers, gold leaf, a bit of glitter) sits suspended inside like it’s frozen in place. It photographs beautifully and feels smooth and cool to the touch.

Terrazzo goes the other way. It’s matte, slightly textured, and reads like a piece of designer homeware you’d see in a boutique café. The speckled chips scattered through a soft pastel base give it that expensive stone look without the stone price. Pick one up and it feels solid and grounded, more ceramic than plastic.

Neither is better. They’re just different moods. Resin feels playful and jewel-like. Terrazzo feels calm and architectural.

What each is really made of

Resin coasters use two-part epoxy: a resin and a hardener you measure and mix in a precise ratio. Get the ratio wrong and it either stays sticky forever or cures brittle.

Terrazzo coasters, at least the ones made in most workshops here, use a water-based composite called Jesmonite (some studios use concrete). You mix a base powder with a liquid, add pigment, then fold in pre-made chips. Because it’s water-based, there’s barely any smell, which is a big deal if fumes bother you.

The making process, minute by minute

This is where the two experiences split hard, and it’s worth knowing before you pick.

With resin, the actual pouring takes minutes, but the process demands care. You mix slowly to avoid whipping in air, tint your colours, pour into the mould, then chase out the bubbles with a small torch or heat gun. After that, you wait. And wait. Most epoxy needs a full day or more before it’s hard enough to demould, and a bit longer before it’s ready to use. It rewards patience and punishes impatience with dents and fingerprints.

Terrazzo is faster and messier in a fun way. You mix your base, colour it, throw in the chips, and pour. It sets enough to pop out in under an hour. But then comes the part that hooks people: sanding. The freshly demoulded piece looks dull and closed up, and as you sand the surface down, the cross-sections of the chips suddenly appear, like you’re uncovering the pattern that was hiding inside. That reveal is oddly satisfying and it’s the moment most first-timers grin.

Here’s a quick side by side of the two workflows:

• Resin: measure and mix by exact ratio, tint, pour, remove bubbles, then wait a day or more before touching it.
• Terrazzo: mix a water-based base, add pigment and chips, pour, demould within the hour, then sand to expose the pattern.
• Mess type: resin is sticky and permanent if it drips; terrazzo is dusty when you sand but rinses off easily.
• The “fun moment”: for resin it’s watching colours swirl as you pour; for terrazzo it’s the sanding reveal.

Working with them in Singapore’s weather

This part gets skipped in most guides, and it matters more here than almost anywhere.

Epoxy resin hates humidity. When the air is thick and wet, resin can turn cloudy, develop a greasy film on the surface, or stay tacky long after it should have cured. If you’ve ever wondered why your resin looked hazy while someone else’s came out crystal clear, the answer is often the weather that day. Curing in an air-conditioned room makes a real difference, and it’s why serious hobbyists here almost always work with the aircon on.

Terrazzo is more forgiving in the heat, but it comes with its own catch. Jesmonite is porous, so an unsealed terrazzo coaster will happily soak up moisture and stain from a sweaty cold drink. Sealing it after sanding is not optional if you want it to survive a Singapore afternoon of iced drinks. Skip that step and your first cup of teh peng leaves a mark.

Which one holds up on a real table

Coasters exist to get abused, so this is the practical test.

Resin looks flawless until a very hot mug sits on it. Epoxy softens with heat, and a freshly boiled cup can leave a cloudy ring or even a slight dent in a thinner coaster. The gloss also shows every scratch, so it ages visibly. It’s gorgeous, but it’s a little precious.

Terrazzo shrugs off heat far better and hides wear thanks to its busy, speckled surface. A tiny chip at the edge just looks like part of the pattern. The trade-off is that it can chip if you drop it on a hard floor, and if you were lazy about sealing, it stains. Sealed and treated with a bit of respect, though, it’s the more everyday-durable of the two.

Which fits the maker you are

If you strip away the aesthetics, the choice usually comes down to temperament. Some people love precision and colour play. Others want a fast result and a tactile finish.

Choose resin if you:

• Love bright, translucent colour and a high-gloss finish.
• Want to embed keepsakes like dried flowers, photos, or metallic flakes.
• Don’t mind measuring carefully and waiting a day or more for the result.
• Are okay working with mild fumes and gloves.

Choose terrazzo if you:

• Prefer a matte, stone-like, homeware look.
• Want something low-odour and water-based.
• Like seeing a finished piece the same day.
• Enjoy the hands-on sanding step and the reveal that comes with it.

If you’re making to gift or sell

The two materials also send different signals, which matters the moment money or gifting enters the picture.

Resin sells on sentiment and personalisation. Embed the flowers from a wedding bouquet, a couple’s initials, or a birth-month bloom, and you’ve made something nobody can buy off a shelf. That emotional hook is why custom resin pieces do well as gifts and at craft markets.

Terrazzo sells on taste. It fits the muted, minimalist look that cafés and homeware shops lean into, so it can command a slightly premium price and photographs like a product shoot with almost no effort. If you’re eyeing a small homeware line or corporate gifting, terrazzo tends to look “designed” rather than “crafty.”

For a team activity or a first try at either, doing both in a single guided session is the honest way to find out which one clicks for you, which is exactly the point of a hands-on class like the one at CraftLabs. You get to feel the difference instead of guessing at it.

The verdict

There’s no universal winner here, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. Resin gives you colour, shine, and the ability to trap a memory inside a coaster, at the cost of patience and a bit of fussiness with heat and humidity. Terrazzo gives you a calm, premium, stone-like piece that’s quicker to make and tougher day to day, as long as you seal it.

Final takeaways: go terrazzo if you want a confident result fast and love that designer look, and go resin if colour and personalisation are what excite you and you’re happy to slow down.

Looking ahead, terrazzo and Jesmonite are clearly having a moment in local homeware, and low-odour water-based materials are only going to get more popular as more people make things at home. Resin isn’t going anywhere either, with newer plant-based formulas slowly making it cleaner to work with. The good news is you don’t have to marry one. Try both, keep the technique you enjoyed, and let your shelf fill up with the coasters you actually want to use.

FAQs

Which is easier for a complete beginner?

Terrazzo, in most cases. It sets fast, the mixing is more forgiving, and there’s no waiting a full day to see if it worked. Resin is beginner-friendly too, but bubbles and cure time trip people up more often.

Are resin coasters safe to use with hot drinks?

Mostly, but with limits. Very hot mugs can soften the epoxy and leave a cloudy ring or dent, especially on thinner coasters. Terrazzo handles heat better.

Do terrazzo coasters need sealing?

Yes. The base is porous, so without a sealer it stains and soaks up moisture from cold drinks. Sealing after sanding is what makes it usable long term.

Why does resin sometimes come out cloudy or sticky?

Usually humidity or an off mixing ratio. Singapore’s damp air is a common culprit, so curing in air-conditioning and measuring the resin and hardener precisely fixes most cloudiness and tackiness.

Can I make either one at home, or should I take a workshop first?

Both are doable at home once you know the steps, but a workshop saves you the wasted materials and guesswork. It’s also the fastest way to try both and decide which one you actually enjoy before buying supplies.