Significance

• Trivets are usually made from metal, such as iron, or a durable wood, such as bamboo or cork. Some trivets are a combination of two materials, such as a wooden trivet with a cork center. Pottery is also used for trivets. Trivets can be thin or thick, small or large and can hold one or more pans. You can choose from a variety of different colors and designs, including monogrammed trivets. Some trivets have small feet on the bottom, raising it up off the table top and preventing the heat from going through the trivet to the table. Other trivets rest right on the table.
  
  

Uses

• You can use a trivet as a flower pot holder on your table or floor. They can serve as a pedestal for your table centerpiece or as a platform for snacks served in the den. In addition, trivets made of wood frames and cork centers can be used as wall décor or a small decorative wall bulletin board.
  
  

Craft Examples

• A cork-filled frame makes a durable trivet. Use a small, old kitchen cabinet door made of hardwood for a pre-built trivet. Small doors from discarded furniture will work if the wood is good and hard. The door does not have to be so deep that the corks sit all the way down inside the interior, but there does need to be some depth and a bottom to the door frame. A 12-inch-square frame requires around 35 wine bottle corks to fill it. You can collect corks yourself or ask around at restaurants before New Year’s Eve or Thanksgiving. Arrange the corks inside the frame in the design you want, then remove them to add craft glue before placing them back in place. For a less complicated frame, use a existing wood photo frame with a piece of wood added to the bottom and remove the glass face.
  
  

Consideration

• Trivets made of materials other than pre-cut wood frames will require more materials and skill to create, such as forging iron into a trivet or making a trivet of clay or ceramic. In addition, access to special heating sources is required for these types of trivets. All trivets can be decorated, including wood frame trivets, which can be painted with acrylic paint -- and that includes the corks. However, don't paint corks to be used as heat-resistant trivets. For cork trivets to be used as flower pot pedestals, add a coat of acrylic sealer.