Decorating Coffee Tables

Materials:

wooden coffee or accent table
paint in color of choice
magazine cutouts or photocopied designs
decoupage glue
clear lacquer or water-based finish
glass tabletop cover

Steps:

1. Paint the wood and allow to dry.

2. Adhere a variety of cutouts or photocopied items with decoupage glue until you achieve the desired look.

3. Finish with a layer of clear lacquer or clear, water-based finish. Allow to dry.

4. Top the table with a glass cover.

Materials:

worn or burnt coffee table
tile
tile floor adhesive
tile-adhesive tool
grout in color of choice

Steps:

1. Apply tile floor adhesive with a tile-adhesive tool. Be sure to use both the flat portion as well as the teeth of the tool when applying the adhesive. This will ensure a good stick from the tiles.

2. Lay down the tiles, leaving enough room for grout in between and let dry.

3. Once the adhesive is dry, spread grout over the tiles.

4. Scrape or wipe off any remaining grout once dry.

Materials:

coffee table
sandpaper
piece of plywood, cut to fit table
gesso
colored pencils
ceramic tiles or pieces
thick terrycloth towel
sledgehammer
thick gloves
safety goggles
tile nipper
tacky or hot glue
grout in color of choice

Steps:

1. Mosaic a coffee table by sanding down a piece of plywood that has been cut to fit the table or sanding down a wooden coffee table.

2. Apply a layer of gesso. Let dry.

3. Sketch out a design with colored pencils.

4. Break ceramic tiles (Mary Ellen used broken china that was purchased at a garage sale) into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces. To do this, wrap the glass into a thick terrycloth towel, then use a sledgehammer to break the pieces. Be sure to wear thick gloves and safety goggles for this step.

5. Use a tile nipper to cut tiles to exact size if you prefer.

6. Place tiles into the design and glue down with tacky glue or hot glue. Let the glue dry overnight.

7. Apply grout and let dry. The project is time consuming, but the result is lovely.

Other Ideas

• A quick application of new paint can jazz up a dull coffee table.

• Adding stencils to a repainted table will add a fun new flare.