How to Reuse Wine Corks

If you are a wine cork saver like me, then you probably have a drawer full of them, or at the very least, a freezer bag full of them. What should you do with them?

There are so many fantastic uses for wine corks that it will be hard for you to decide. After seeing these great ideas, you may feel the need to acquire some more of those wine corks that up until now, have had no purpose.

Below I have described my 5 favorite ideas for upcycling wine corks. If you want to see several more, check out my Pinterest board Crazy About Corks for more innovativie ways to use wine corks.

Wine cork coasters are one of the easiest projects you will see using corks. They are a cinch to make, attractive, and very effective. These beautiful coasters can be made several ways. Small ornate frames or deep wooden frames can be used, or old coasters can be recycled as bases for the coasters. Depending upon the depth of the frame, whole or half-corks may be used. Corks can always be cut in half length-wise if a coaster with less width is desired. This takes some time but it is not difficult. I have found that using a serrated knife works best and is safest, as it won't slip as easily. Place them in rows or turn every 2 ninety degrees. Use hot glue to secure the corks to the base, leaving no spaces in between them.

I love this cleverly-crafted bath mat idea. It is made from 175 corks all cut in half lenth-wise, then glued to a non-adhesive shelf liner with hot glue. This mat would serve well in front of a sink, in a laundry, by a back door, or even as a welcome mat on a front porch. Full instructions can be found at the Crafty Nest.

Ornamental wine stoppers can be very expensive. Make your own for only a few dollars by reusing your wine corks along with fancy drawer pulls. You can purchase drawer pulls at the hardware store, thriftstore, or remove them from old furniture no longer being used. You will also need a healess screw and craft glue. Instructions for this simple but awesome idea can be found at Creative Bug. After creating you wine stopper, rub the cork with sandpaper to create a tapered shape. This will allow the cork to fit into the next wine bottle much easier.

Created the same way as the coasters, the wine tray is a much larger version and makes a nice matching touch when used in the same room as the coasters. A large frame, old tray, or shallow drawer can be used as a base. These can be any shape you want, round, oval, rectangular, square, or an irregular shape. Some of the corks may need to be cut in smaller pieces to allow all of them to fit snugly. A wine-cork tray can be left bare so that the cork will absorb water, or it can be used in a deocative fashion and covered with a piece of glass. Visit Remodern Ranch for great pictures and detailed instructions on how to create a wine-cork tray.

At Create Craft Love, you will get full instructions on how to create an incredible backsplash in your kitchen. You will need a large amount of wine corks, contact cement, and clear spray sealant. If preferred, you could do a small area, such as the wall behind the stove, or you could do the entire wall between your countertops and cabinetry. I love this unexpected wine-cork upcycling idea!