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13 votes
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30 votes -
Why are drink coasters flat?
A drink coaster goes under a glass or cup, and is intended to catch any condensation or spillage from the glass, to protect the tabletop underneath. But most coasters are flat.* Any liquid that...
A drink coaster goes under a glass or cup, and is intended to catch any condensation or spillage from the glass, to protect the tabletop underneath.
But most coasters are flat.* Any liquid that gathers on them can roll off the edges onto the table. Some coasters are made of a water-absorbing material, like cardboard or cork, but some are made of materials that repel water, like metal or ceramic or plastic.
I ask this because I recently discovered a small coaster-like tray with an upraised lip around the edge. Strictly speaking, it's not a coaster, but it's exactly the right size to be used as a coaster - and, with the upraised lip around the edge, it actually prevents liquid from escaping onto the table.
So why are coasters flat?
(I bought some of the lipped not-coasters to use as coasters. This design makes sense to me. And they happen to look nice as well.)
* It was only while researching coasters online prior to making this post that I discovered that some coasters have lips. Every coaster I've seen in real life is flat.
20 votes -
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10 votes -
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18 votes -
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13 votes -
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21 votes -
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26 votes -
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17 votes -
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36 votes -
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15 votes -
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8 votes -
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5 votes -
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7 votes -
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3 votes