Decoupaged Table

Decoupaged Table!

The same lovely friend who brought over that gorgeous jarrah coffee table (check out the 'Upcycled Table' post or the 'Upcycled furniture' page) - was kind enough to drop of this little coffee table/side table - how awesome is she?!

Original coffee/side table - kindly gifted by a friend :)

Now this little table isn't made out of a nice thick wood that you can sand back - instead it is a form of melamine wood (some people call it formica). Now I'm sure you're all thinking - well that's not very good, how do you plan to upcycle that if you can't sand and paint it?

Well - never fear all, we have plenty of options! With this kind of furniture you can spray paint, decoupage - or both! 

Now on the right you will be able to see a picture of the original table. As the table had some damage I decided to decoupage the whole thing from top to bottom to ensure that the damage would not be visible on the finished product.

HANDY HINT: 
Never decoupaged before and want to know how? No problem! Hop on youtube and check out some how-to videos.

Here is one I like:How to Decoupage 1
And this one: How to Decoupage 2

STEP 1: REPAIR

As you can see in the pictures, the top layer of the table was coming off on one side and the top layer on one of the legs had burst open. To repair these areas I pulled off any loose pieces of the top layer and then filled in the gaps with wood putty. I then left it to dry properly for a couple of days before I did any other work on it.

Damaged side and leg - were filled in with wood putty.

 

Step 2: Decoupage!

His Majesty (also known as Bay) decided to help with the repairs

 :)

Here's the fun part! Grab all your decorating tools - your mod-podge, your sponge brushes and your varnish spray and get decoupaging! 

Check out His Majesty Bay helping out with the repairs! And by helping I mean modeling for photos, sitting on the table and generally trying to get my attention by meowing incessantly at me hahaha :P

You can use any form of print you like to do your decoupaging. 

Here are some ideas:

* Magazine pictures

* Newspaper clippings

* Pages out of an old book 

Decoupage tools!

* Google pictures of your favourite celebrity

* Pictures from your favourite movie

* Favourite tv show/character 

* Pick a theme like summer/flowers/animals

* Use memes like in the 'Upcylced table' post

 I used 3 sets of prints which I bought online. You can buy uniquely designed digital copies of prints online from www.etsy.com. I used a set from my favourite shop. I also have many other print sets from that shop for various projects.

I turned the table upside down and covered the legs first, then bottom side of the table. When that was complete I covered the top. As always, ensure that you cover the table in 3-4 layers of mod-podge to ensure that it has a thick covering, let the table dry for at least 30-45 minutes between each coat of mod-podge. It is best to leave mod-podge to dry for 24-40 hours, to ensure that it drys completely, then cover the surface with a decoupage varnish.

 

HANDY HINT: Want to buy prints like mine online? No worries! Head over to www.etsy.com and search for digital prints. Check out Cherry Pink Prints - my favourite store and the place where I found my Paris themed picture sets :) 

Cherry Pink Prints - on Etsy

Table - sitting in the living room :)

STEP 3: DISPLAY!

 I placed my table in the living room, between the couches to use it as a side table.

It makes a lovely feature :)

It would also look awesome in an entrance, at the end of a hallway with a plant on top or even as a little coffee table between two one-seater sofas. 

Close-up of the table top.

Have any decoupage theme ideas or projects that you want to share? Have any questions for us? Just leave us a message in the comment section below!

HAPPY CRAFTING ALL!