What else would I use to upgrade something? I mean, really.
So we bought this table from West Elm right after we got married in 2005. I cannot say that I recommend West Elm furniture for families with small children- it just didn’t hold up. I loved the table when we first got it- it’s not too big, round (I love round tables for some reason), looked cool for a long time. But our first condo faced west and the sun hit it during sunset, which took its toll. Then Anna came, and she did a doozy on it. I didn’t help either, what with my in-home-acetone-using-French-pedicures (ahem). So, it was looking pretty sad. We are now in abode #3, and it was really looking bad. But we didn’t/don’t have the budget for new furniture right now. We do, however, have a budget for craftiness and fabric- couldn’t possibly cost as much, right?! Hmmm… not so sure, but I sure do like how this turned out. Here’s the before:
I went to my local JoAnn Fabrics, spotted the fabric and loved it right away, so I bought 3 yards, and some black upholstery/pillow trim. I stocked up on staples for my staple gun, made sure I had plenty of Mod Podge (fabric and hard coat) and a brayer (new fave tool!) and off I went. In case you aren’t in the mood to scroll, here’s the finished product:
I apologize for the lack of photos- this was done months ago during my blogging break, but I will describe it as best I can. I won’t say this is a tutorial, but if you ever ponder doing the same thing with one of your pieces of furniture, please shoot me questions and I’m happy to answer them.
First I poured a pretty hefty amount of Mod Podge (fabric) on the table and spread it out as evenly as I could over the top, but not the sides. Then, I carefully laid the fabric on top, like so:
Then I used the brayer to roll the fabric out as flat as possible until I could see no air bubbles, no bumps, etc. With the pattern in the fabric my eyes did cross a bit from time to time, and eventually I had to sit down and take a breather.
I waited a bit, and then I carefully trimmed off the excess fabric. This is when the stapling began. I wasn’t really sure how I was going to do this part- it was definitely a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants project. But I ended up being happy with the results. Basically I pulled the fabric straight down and stapled until I absolutely had to pleat it because of the direction the fabric was pulling. It seemed scientifically impossible to get it all to lay flat on the sides. You’ll see in the collage below that there are just some pleats here and there- I stapled them as tight as I could- my fingers were nearly raw by the time I finished.
Finally, I added the trim with a hot glue gun. I think in hindsight I should have stapled at least the beginning down with a staple or two, but it’s holding up great so far, so maybe it’s not completely necessary?
I wasn’t done yet, though. I started the Mod Podge process with the hard coat formula using sponge applicators. I have only been able to find MP hard coat in the smaller jar, and I started with two jars, but ended up buying two or three more. I always did these coats after the kids went to bed so it could dry over-night. I decided to go with the “built up finish” because I knew this table would be put under great duress by us and the kids, and the more layers, the better. This equates to a minimum of 5 coats. After 5 coats, I didn’t feel it was done yet. There were lots of ripples in the MP, and I was curious to see if they would go away with a few more coats. I think I probably did 10 coats or so- it was a lot. It was also a bit tacky, as MP sometimes is, and I didn’t know what to do about that. In the end I first sanded it a bit with a really fine-grain sand paper, then sprayed the top and sides with two coats of clear acrylic spray. I’m actually not convinced I’m done with it, but it’s holding up great until I figure out what to do- maybe I’ll put some custom-cut glass on it someday when the kids are a bit older? Or maybe by then we’ll be able to afford a new table… Hmmm… Anyhoo, here are some more shots of the finished product:
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About Natalie
Life is crazy. Craft it well. Thanks for stopping by Crafting Crazy! I'm stumbling into a new sort of life after leaving a 12-year teaching career. More of a practical crafter, I'm trying to temper the perfection a bit. If I mess up, I’ll be sure to share- then we can laugh together. Here you'll find anything I like that makes my life better or fun. Crafts, of course, but also posts about food, home decor, exercise... whatever I'm dabbling in at the moment. I'm so glad you're here- thanks for stopping by! Ready to Rock?
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Chronically Distracted
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Beautiful job, Nat! There is a local company that does acrylic, if you want to do that instead of glass! I ended up going there to have some plexi-glass pieces cut for a large photo frame that had a broken piece of glass in it. I was also too nervous to hang the picture, due to the size and the fact that the glass made it that much heavier, and more likely to fall.
What a great table make-over!
You did a flawless job! I’m super impressed!
Thank you, Amy! So happy you came to take a look. I think I just took decent pictures- it definitely isn’t perfect, but it’s so much better than the peeling, chipped, table of before. So many friends ask me about it when they see it and they can’t believe it’s fabric- so fun.
Hi, love this table, looks awesome!! I have an item i’m thinking of doing in this fashion. I have a question about the fabric – did you use something gauzy or does the weight of the fabric not matter that much? Thanks for any advice you may have. Happy crafting!! Sheri
Hi Sheri! I used a heavier fabric- it was definitely in the home decor section at JoAnn’s. I should have written down the label- so sorry! I think it depends on what you want to put it on. Since this table was dark I wanted a heavier fabric in case the table showed through the fabric. But if you’re doing it on something light then it might not matter too much. I do like the heavier weight fabric, though- it seems like it *might* be tougher and stand up to our kids better. Feel free to shoot me any other questions!
Awesome thanks, just what I wanted to know. Gives me way more options.
And on another note I have always called this stuff modge podge. After seeing your blog and thru google I now realize I am so wrong…..but have decided to continue calling it modge podge – makes it seem more fun
Given that my google search under modge podge brought up your blog I think I might not be the only one.
Ha- that’s so funny! I have lots of relatives and friends who say exactly that- and then they second guess themselves and give me a quizzical look. I always say, “I know whatcha mean…”
Google must know what you mean, too. I highly recommend that you check out modpodgerocks.com if you haven’t found it yet- it’s a great site and Amy is very helpful, too.
This table is awesome! I love the revamp!! I would have never thought to use fabric. Fabulous job!
Thank you, Heather! My daughter actually destroyed the edge on this very table last night. Time to get out the hot glue and start praying it lasts us!
I did this to our coffee table and I love it. Today, though, I noticed a large white spot. I had coated with a polycrylic spray. Do you think it was heat that would have caused this? I’m lost and not sure what to do now.
Hi Tracy! Is your table in direct sunlight? I’ve noticed that when the sun hits my table from certain angles it looks like there are variations in the coats of Mod Podge or sealer on top, but once the room is shaded they seem to disappear. There are also a few spots on mine, now that the kids have banged toys on it, etc., that have dents or skid marks from “vrooming” trucks- those are white. My fabric is so patterned that I don’t think anyone else notices. If you email me a picture I’d be happy to take a look, though I’m not sure what the remedy would be. It might be a question for Mod Podge Amy!