Leather Coasters with Natural Rubber
Frequently Asked Questions
10 cm across, round, 4 mm thick. That takes a slim water glass as well as a wide whisky glass.
Chocolate Brown, Cognac and Black. All three in the same vegetable-tanned leather as our sleeves and desk mats.
Yes. Vegetable-tanned leather grows darker and develops a patina. You start to see it after about a year.
No, the DEXTER can be ordered singly. You choose the number in the cart. From four to six pieces we add a gift and storage box.
Because it is a natural material and belongs with the leather. Most coasters in the shops have a plastic coating instead, or nothing at all. The rubber also keeps the coaster on the table when you lift a wet glass.
No. Leather takes neither the heat nor the detergent. Wiping with a damp cloth is enough, then let it dry in the air.
8 € per piece. Six pieces for a dining table therefore come to 48 €, and the box is included from four pieces.
Leather coasters with natural rubber
A coaster is a small thing that lies on the table every day and is seen while it does. This is why we make it from the same materials as our sleeves: Italian vegetable-tanned leather on top, real natural rubber underneath, four millimetres in between.
This collection has exactly one product, the DEXTER at 8 € per piece. That is not a gap in the range but a decision: we do not build four versions for you to choose between, we build one coaster where the top and the underside are both right. Everything here describes this one piece – what it is made of, how many you need, and when another material would suit you better.
The DEXTER at a glance
| Property | DEXTER |
|---|---|
| Top side | Italian vegetable-tanned leather |
| Underside | Natural rubber with an anti-slip finish |
| Thickness | 4 mm |
| Diameter | 10 cm, round |
| Colours | Chocolate Brown, Cognac, Black |
| Quantity | Orderable singly, you choose the number in the cart |
| Gift box | included from four to six pieces |
| Price | 8 € per piece |
Leather, cork or silicone? The material comparison for coasters
Because there is only one model, the real decision is not between our versions but between materials. Coasters are made from cork, felt, silicone, slate and leather. Each material solves a different problem, and none solves them all.
| Material | Character | In daily use | Dishwasher | Right for you if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leather | warm, grows darker over the years | wipe with a damp cloth, develops a patina | no | the coaster stays on the table and should look good while it does |
| Cork | light, pale, soft | takes up liquid, works at the edges | no | it should be light and inexpensive |
| Felt | soft, silent | takes up liquid, marks can stay | no | quietness matters most |
| Silicone | technical, colourful | hard to damage, but looks like equipment | yes | children sit at the table too |
| Slate, stone | heavy, cool | robust, needs a soft underside of its own | usually yes | you like the weight and the stone look |
The honest sentence: if a coaster has to go through the dishwasher every day, leather is the wrong material. If it stays on the table, gets handled every day and should look better with time rather than worn out, there is little that matches leather. That is what the DEXTER is built for.
Why natural rubber sits under the leather
The underside of a coaster is the part nobody sees, and that is exactly where most makers save money. The usual solutions are a plastic coating or nothing at all. We use natural rubber: a natural material that gives the coaster grip on the table and belongs with the leather.
Two natural materials, no plastic in between. You rarely find that in the shops.
The practical use shows when you lift the glass. A coaster without grip on the underside sticks to the wet base of the glass and comes up with it, until it falls off somewhere. The rubber keeps the DEXTER on the table while the glass goes up. We use the same principle on the back of our desk mats, there against the whole surface sliding.
A leather coaster 4 mm thick
Four millimetres is a lot for a coaster. You notice it when you pick it up and when you put a glass down: it lies solidly on the table and has weight. Thin material feels like an afterthought, this one feels like an object.
The thickness also has a sober reason. A coaster has to catch two things between the glass and the table top: condensation running down a cold glass, and the hard rim of a glass base coming down. Both need substance. With a thin layer the rim of the glass effectively stands on the table, only with a sheet in between.
The leather: vegetable-tanned cowhide from Tuscany
We use full-grain cowhide leather from family-run tanneries in Tuscany, vegetable-tanned. It is the same leather as in our sleeves and desk mats. The hide arrives just under 2 mm thick and we bring it down to the thickness each part needs; together with the rubber layer that makes the 4 mm of the finished coaster.
Full-grain means the surface is not sanded down to look even. Pores, fine veins and small scars stay visible, and the colour deepens over the years. A leather coaster that is used every evening looks different after two years than on the first day: darker, calmer, with a patina. If you want a material that always looks the same, a coated leather is the better choice. We deliberately do the opposite.
It comes in three colours: Chocolate Brown, Cognac and Black. Cognac changes the most visibly, because pale natural leathers darken the most. Black stays closest to how it started. How we split, skive and emboss the hides is described in detail on our page Leather sleeves for iPad and MacBook.
Order singly instead of in fours: how many leather coasters you need
Coasters are almost always sold as a set, and almost always there are four. With us you choose the quantity in the cart. Two for the bedside table, six for the dining table, ten because visitors are coming. From four to six pieces a gift and storage box is included.
Because hardly anyone knows in advance how many they want, here are the quantities that are actually ordered from us:
| What for | Pieces | Why this number | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedside table, desk | 1 to 2 | One place, one glass. The second piece for the cup next to it. | 8 to 16 € |
| Coffee table | 4 | The classic set, and the box is included here. | 32 € |
| Dining table | 6 | One coaster per seat, without having to move them around. | 48 € |
| Visitors, a party | 8 to 10 | Because in a group people never drink at the same time. | 64 to 80 € |
The prices follow from 8 € per piece. You do not have to take one of these rows; every number can be chosen.
Leather coasters as a gift
A coaster is one of the few gifts where neither size nor taste gets in the way. It fits into any home, it gets used, and it does not cost so much that anyone feels obliged. From four to six pieces the box comes with it, so there is nothing left to wrap.
If you are looking for more: Gifts in leather holds the rest of the range, from keychains and key cases to the desk mats. For companies we make the same pieces as a series: employee gifts.
Caring for leather coasters
Wiping with a damp cloth is enough. Not in the dishwasher, not on a radiator. Dab leather that has become wet with a dry cloth, do not rub, and let it dry in the air.
- In daily use: a dry or slightly damp cloth. That is almost always all it takes.
- Condensation: dab it as soon as you notice it. If it stands for a long time it leaves a mark in natural leather.
- Wine and coffee: do not scrub. The stain darkens at first and evens out with the rest of the leather over time.
- Grease and wax: use sparingly. Vegetable-tanned leather takes up care products greedily and darkens as it does.
- The rubber: take dust off with a damp cloth. It is meant to grip, and it only grips when it is clean.
From the raw hide to the last edge
In our own workshop in Hamburg. Splitting, skiving, punching, sewing, embossing, hardware and final inspection all happen here, and have done since 2011, with long-standing partners for single steps.
With a round coaster the cutting die decides the result. You do not get a clean edge by reworking it afterwards, you get it from the right tool.
SEE OUR WORKSHOP AND OUR STORY →One sentence to the right leather coaster
One model, several situations. Find the sentence that applies to you.
You may also like: Desk mats · Gifts in leather · Keychains and key cases · Leather sleeves for iPad and MacBook
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