Preparing for decor
In order for the painted table to serve for a long time, it is important to approach the work process correctly.
Work begins with an inspection of the table. It is tested for strength, the condition of all elements is studied. If necessary, they can be replaced. Fix the dried parts.
Inspect the fasteners and replace them with new ones if necessary. Photos of finished works can be seen here.
Any cracks found must be filled with acrylic wood putty.
Clean the surfaces of all parts from old paint and dirt, sand with a machine or sandpaper.
Painting the table
One way to quickly spruce up an old table is to paint it. Table decor by painting is not a complicated process that is accessible to everyone. As a result, you can get a piece of furniture that harmoniously complements the interior.
The surface of the table must be cleaned of old paint, treated with a sanding machine, soaked in an antiseptic and coated with a primer.
Rust must be removed from metal parts.
The surface of the table is painted with epoxy or acrylic paint; you can use alkyd enamel, aerosol paints for metal surfaces, or a special varnish.
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The table can be painted entirely in one color or use stencils for contrasting coloring.
By successfully choosing the color, you can get an original piece of furniture that will harmoniously fit into the interior.
How to choose a decoration technique?
Restoration of vintage or antique furniture is a willingness to give a second life to things that have served their purpose and are awaiting disposal. I really don’t want to part with the original table, inherited from my grandmother, on which she placed hot pies with milk for her beloved grandchildren in the morning. Sometimes it’s enough to do some minor repairs and table decor with your own hands to transform it beyond recognition, while its unique shape remains recognizable.
It happens that you are not looking for new upholstered furniture in advertisements, but you come across a unique piece with bent legs, and the tabletop is hopelessly damaged. Of course, any defect can be easily hidden under a tablecloth, but it is better to put in a little effort to get a unique coffee table or a “pot-bellied” bedside table - a symbol of the bygone era of postmodernism.
Colored paper can be cut into small pieces and scattered on the table
You can put animal figurines in plates
Of course, the easiest way is to give the table to a workshop, but then an almost junk item will literally become “golden”. But you can get by with minimal expenses to master some new technique for decorating an old table with your own hands:
- Potal is a unique method using thin foil that imitates decorating furniture with gold leaf or silver. They work on smooth or carved surfaces using kits offered in specialized stores for artists and restorers. Having mastered the technique, you can become a specialist in this field, with the possibility of additional income.
- The simplest way is to decorate the tabletop with your own hands using molding and repainting. Overhead parts are used (plastic, wood carving, foam cornices), after which everything is covered with general paint, most often with aerosol paint.
- Mosaic decoration of the surface of an old table involves laying out patterns from various materials and grouting the seams. Sometimes the mosaic is covered with glass or varnished in several layers to obtain a smooth surface. On sale you can find special sets of colored squares or circles for mosaics. It is cheaper to lay out an ornament from pieces of broken tiles, mirror tiles and colored glass.
- Artificial aging (patination, craquelure, chemical cracking of surfaces, decoration with shells with subsequent finishing). The method is good for retro-design wooden furniture. Kitchen furniture made from several pieces, decorated with your own hands in the same way, looks luxurious - a sideboard, chairs, tables.
- For artistic painting with acrylic paints, it is advisable to have the appropriate skills or education. But there are different techniques that do not require special abilities - they use stencils, brushes of different widths and rollers with a pattern for rolling images.
- DIY napkin table decor - decoupage. A fairly popular technique, thanks to which any wooden surface can look completely new.
- Reupholstering furniture with fabric with your own hands, including decorating the tabletop with a beautiful fabric, which is then varnished for practicality.
- Imitation of marquetry - mosaic panels made of different types of wood, cut exactly according to the template. When imitating, you can use any material that imitates the texture of wood. Once completed, the countertop is sealed with glass or protective varnish. One of the most luxurious techniques in the hands of a master. Using the same method, you can decorate a tabletop from materials that imitate ornamental stone (malachite, onyx, charoite, lapis lazuli, jasper, sardonyx, agate). You can also use leather and suede, sheet cork, bamboo or veneered wallpaper of different colors and textures.
- Non-standard methods of decoration using natural materials to get an original image. It is not necessary to level the tabletop if the furniture will not be used for its intended purpose, but will serve purely aesthetic functions in interior design. Such a table can be placed near the mirror in the hallway or bedroom, as in the photo.
We offer a master class on how to decorate a desk with your own hands using one of the listed techniques.
You can put green sprigs on the plates, it will look beautiful
You can put decorative leaves and candles on the table
Flowers are perfect for table decor
See alsoDesktop decoration
Artistic painting
Beautiful table decor can be achieved by resorting to artistic painting.
Using brushes and paint, you can decorate an old table with original painting in any style. Patterns are applied using a brush.
You can come up with your own ornament and paint the table manually. To simplify the process, stencils, templates or diagrams applied using tracing paper are used.
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The original painting is obtained by painting through tulle.
This method is ideal for decorating a table for a children's room, country or Provence style interior.
Decoupage
Using the decoupage technique, it is easy to decorate the table in any style.
To work you need to prepare:
- PVA glue,
- brushes,
- napkins for ducoupage (postcards or illustrations),
- clear nail polish.
Instructions on how to properly decorate a table will help even a novice master cope with the task.
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Operating procedure.
The first step is to clean the surfaces from remnants of old coating, corrosion and dirt. The elements are polished and cleaned of dust.
It is recommended to treat the table surface with an antiseptic composition. This will prevent the formation of fungus or rust.
After drying the table, you can start decorating. If postcards or illustrations from magazines are used for decoration, they should be soaked in warm water for 15 minutes. After this, carefully remove the top layer with the image. Napkins for decoupage do not need this.
The surface intended for decoration is covered with a layer of glue. The image is applied and carefully smoothed, expelling air bubbles and excess adhesive mass.
After the glue has dried, the table is covered with colorless varnish. The varnish is applied in several stages, each layer is dried.
You can use any illustrations, special napkins and even newspapers as decorative elements for decoupage.
Dining table decor for a festive feast
Formal table setting is the best way to create a festive mood. Tables are decorated in different ways, the basis is a colored or lace tablecloth and covers on chairs. Each guest can also be served with linen napkins or coasters for hot food made from decorative materials on the tablecloth.
Tablecloths can be replaced with colored loose fabric, the edges of which are not trimmed, but ruffled, removing several rows of threads. Oilcloth on a festive table is a terrible bad manners, but sometimes a transparent film on top of luxurious hand-knitted tablecloths is acceptable. For a home feast, you can take any fabric that can be washed and ironed well, preferably synthetics. For a celebration, the table is covered with satin or silk (in summer), plush or velvet (in winter).
Bouquets of flowers are a mandatory holiday attribute, but it is better not to place tall bouquets that block the entire view and the interlocutors at the table opposite.
As a decoration, you can put up a New Year's ikebana with fir branches, pine cones and Christmas tree decorations. Small compositions of fruits and berries are also appropriate as table decor. For a romantic dinner, candles and lamps are placed. Dishes and decoration should be in harmony.
The decor of the wedding table is not only distinguished by couple paraphernalia, everything here should be at the highest level - the main event in life.
Candles on the table will harmoniously complement the festive atmosphere
You can put a vase of flowers on the table, it will look very beautiful
The bridal table features decorated glasses and bottles of champagne, decorated as “He” and “She”. They are saved for wedding anniversaries and meetings from the hospital.
They decorate not only the table, but also the hall, especially the backdrop of the bride and groom's seats. A wedding is the day when you can’t have too much decor. These are balloons, ribbons, flowers, hearts, rings and other symbols.
Examples of proper feast decoration are in our gallery.
See also: Which metal shoe rack to choose for the hallway?
Craquelure
Craquelure is perfect for restoring antique or stylized pieces of furniture. This is a special varnish coating that creates the impression of a cracked surface.
Craquelure, depending on the composition and application technique, can be single-phase, it is applied in one layer. During the drying process, cracks appear on the surface.
A two-phase coating consists of two components, water-based and epoxy-based. The textured surface appears as a result of the interaction of these two compositions.
The color of the resulting veins depends on the underlying layer and grout. This method is used to complement the decor using the decoupage technique.
Tile
If there are ceramic tiles left in the room after renovation work, they can be used to decorate the table.
The rules for decorating a table in this case differ little from other tile laying work. The tiles are laid on the surface of the countertop in accordance with the intended pattern.
A table decorated in this way will serve perfectly in the kitchen, veranda or country house.
Paint it striped
Painting is one of the fastest and most effective techniques in furniture decor. To make it more interesting, we suggest making the table striped. Painting tape will help you get the job done smoothly: paint the table the base color, then stick on strips of tape and apply a couple of layers of a different color. Peel off the tape and the effect is ready. Can be repeated many times to make stripes of different colors and widths. Don't forget to varnish everything to be safe. In the same way you can create zigzags, for example.
Mosaic
Decorating ideas and methods for beginners include a variety of simple decorating methods. Mosaic is one such option.
By being creative, you can use broken ceramic tiles, wood cuts, old coins, glass or acrylic pieces as decorative mosaic elements.
A master class on decorating a table with your own hands using mosaics will help you get the job done. Ceramic tiles were used as an example of mosaic design.
To work you need to prepare:
- table,
- remnants of tiles,
- hammer,
- nail,
- glue,
- grout for seams.
Operating procedure.
Select and complete a life-size drawing for decoration. After placing it on the tabletop, duplicate the contours with a hammer and nail. After removing the drawing, draw the outlines with a pencil.
It is more convenient to cut the remaining tiles intended for work using a tile cutter.
The elements of the mosaic panel are fixed to the table surface using glue.
After completing the mosaic design, the seams are carefully grouted with a special grout for seams.
In a similar way, you can apply other elements to create a unique decor.
Exclusive table decor
Our latest collection of dining table centerpieces includes the most unusual objects that can become the main decoration and highlight of the entire interior.
Self-adhesive
Adhesive-based film is well suited for table decoration. It's easy to work with.
The material is carefully glued onto the prepared surfaces, smoothing it thoroughly.
Decorating the tabletop with a mosaic pattern
Laying out mosaic patterns requires patience and accuracy. You can select a ready-made sketch and make your own adjustments to it based on the available material.
It is not always possible to find a real mosaic - squares of colored glass (of a different shape). The most accessible:
- broken tiles (ceramics, tiles, porcelain stoneware, artificial marble);
- ordinary glass (you can add colored foil);
- pieces of mirrors;
- colored glass.
To obtain small pieces of the required shape, use wire cutters or pliers. Porcelain tiles are too hard - waterjet cutting is needed. You need to work with fragments carefully, wearing protective glasses and gloves.
Decorating a countertop with mosaics involves covering the prepared surface with light paint. A pattern is laid out on this basis - each element is fixed with glue. After the mosaic panel has dried, the seams are filled with light grout. We fix the edges with an aluminum profile.
You can make mosaic decor from non-traditional materials - sea pebbles and shells, tree cuts, colored plastic.
This is how you can decorate your table for Easter
Table setting can be decorated with fruits
You can make trays from wood cuts
See also: How to choose bedside tables for the bedroom?
Decorative tape
An original interior element can be obtained by covering the surface of the table with multi-colored tape.
The advantage of this option is its ease of operation. If necessary, the sticky strips can be quickly removed and the remaining adhesive can be washed off with a solvent.
Epoxy resin
The peculiarity of epoxy resin that quickly hardens in the open air, turning into plastic, can be safely used when decorating a table.
The coating is transparent, so you can use pebbles, leaves, flowers, shells and other objects as additional decoration.
Glazing
An interesting option for decorating a table for the living room is the option with a glass top. Decorative pebbles, river sand, shells and other objects are placed under the glass.
By being creative, you can give an old table a second life and turn it into a unique interior element.
You can get ideas by looking at photos of table decor online. Original patterns can be made using gilded paint for classic interiors. Table decor in any style is easy to do yourself.
Decorating a table with polystyrene foam for painting
One of the most affordable is decorating a table with your own hands, using a foam baguette, which is used to hide the junction of walls and ceiling when wallpapering.
The only condition is that the shape of the tabletop should be rectangular or polygonal, but not an oval table. This improvised decor is used instead of trimming when it is missing.
It is advisable to insert a beautiful picture under the glass, which is securely attached to the tabletop with staples and sealed with construction silicone. The end part will be covered with a painted baguette. It is recommended to cover the foam with an acrylic primer (any other primer will not work). You can cover the entire product with golden paint and fix it with varnish.
If there are carved wood sides - even better. The table legs can also be decorated with wooden decor and placed on wheels. They are available in any construction or furniture supermarket. You can coat the entire product with dark pitch varnish to give it a more expensive look, as in the photo.
Candles on the table will look very beautiful and practical
The table decor is kept in the same color scheme
You can decorate the table in different ways, try different options
A mirror or glass table is more related to modern furniture fashion. But it happens that the tabletop is hopelessly lost, but the crosspiece or frame with beautiful legs remains. You can order a ready-made tabletop for it at any carpentry shop or shop, which will be cut out by a machine to the desired shape and size.
A glass tabletop also has to be decorated in cases where someone has poor eyesight or children often bump into the table. Beautifully laid out stands for a tea ceremony or a beautiful table setting will solve the problem and emphasize the style of the interior.
You can decorate the table beautifully with flowers
There are many table decor ideas, use your imagination
See also: Choosing compartment doors for a dressing room with photos
