That Table?!?!

I needed a table for the entryway in our apartment. I remembered that we had just put a really cheap wood table in the storage locker downstairs. I sweetly asked the boyfriend to go get the table. His reply was "what can you possible do with THAT TABLE?!?!? Nothing will make it look good." That did it. I was set on proving him wrong.

Unfortunately, I don't have a before picture to share (didn't know I was going to need it); but really, all you need is a cheap wood table. Nothing fancy, and probably not your great grandma's antique.

It was super easy to do, and here are the products I used:

You also need some sandpaper, a sponge brush, a rag and a drop cloth. You will need to decide on what type of top you want. Painted or papered? I papered mine, but I think it would look great if I had painted it too.

The first step was to clean and sandpaper the table so that the paint can adhere to it. Once I sandpapered the table, I made sure I cleaned off the dust.

Next, I sprayed painted the table legs. I sprayed an area, and quickly used the rag to wipe the paint down, as I wanted the table to be streaky.

While the legs were drying, I painted the drawer front using the same technique. I did the same for the table sides. I did not paint the top, and did not worry about getting paint onto it as I was covering it anyways.

About a year ago, I had purchased some big wall paper like squares:

For the table top, you can use any paper (even newspaper!) to cover the top, it does not need to have any adhesion on the back. There are some great options that you can buy at the dollar store or craft store. You could even use photographs - just be creative!

I then measured the table top, and cut the paper to size, and covered the back of the paper with the Hard Coat Mod Podge (HCMP); and with the boyfriend's assistance (he couldn't say no, since he was busy eating his words) we lined up the paper and smoothed it down on top of the table. Make sure you get all the air bubbles out before the next step! I applied two coats of the HCMP, allowing them to dry for the length of time that the bottle stated.

The next day, I sprayed two coats of Mod Podge clear acrylic sealer to give the top durability and shine.

For the knob, I first tried to re-use the old wooden one. I got out the hot glue gun and some rope (both purchased at the dollar store) and I just wrapped the rope around the knob. It was alright, but you could see all the glue! Here is what it looked like:

Not my finest crafting moment. So, I went to a local craft store and they had fun knobs on sale, so this is what I bought for about a dollar:

Try antique stores, crafting stores or you can even look at curb side furniture that is being thrown out for some really amazing hardware for your projects.

I was thrilled with the table when it was finished and although there are a few steps, this really was an easy project.

The best part? The boyfriend's sheepish grin when he told me how much he liked it.

Why Not?

My name is Melanie. I live in Toronto, Ontario and am currently out of work.

After many sleepless nights, worrying about what I am going to do in the future, and wondering what my calling is, I wondered if I shouldn't just try to do something that I think I do well.

Crafting.

I have always been the type of person who sees a piece of junk and knows that I can make it functional and beautiful. Because I have been home, I have gotten to try out different crafts (including the table I will show in my next post). You don't need to have a lot of money to craft, as I have found that dollar stores provide a lot of amazing options. I will show step by step crafts that I have done, and am open to ideas for crafting in the future.

So, here I go on my blog journey to turn the ordinary into extrodinary.