In our article, we will talk about how to make and decorate a coffee table with our own hands. There are many varieties of this interior item, and you can make it yourself quite quickly. The main thing is to have detailed instructions and drawings on hand. There are folding tables, which are equipped with special mechanisms. Such devices can be purchased in furniture stores, but with a great desire, you will make it in a couple of hours from improvised materials.
In our material you will learn how to make a beautiful coffee table yourself, and even to make it convenient to use. But also pay attention to the aesthetic and creative side - after all, this particular piece of furniture is used more often than others. Except for the sofa and armchairs, of course.
Design Features
It is worth paying attention to the fact that there is only one requirement for a table. And this is the height of the coffee table - it should be in the range of 40-50 cm. And then attract your imagination to help - create, invent, use various forms and decorations. Of course, design is the most important, as it affects the appearance. Think in advance how you will arrange a table. This will immediately solve one important issue - to make your own design or use the finished one.
It is also worth noting one feature of coffee tables - they are subject to small loads, so at any time, even after the final production, you can easily make any changes to the design. At the same time, spend a minimum of money and effort. Now let's look at the most popular table decoration options. As mentioned earlier, the height of the coffee table is not more than 50 cm, so we will not focus on sizes.
Wallpaper decoration
Yes, the simplest wallpaper is the material that can be processed on any table. Moreover, you can use structures even the oldest and shabby, the main thing is that they are strong. There are no special features in surface cleaning, putty and primer. Be sure to paint the surface before starting work. A layer of wallpaper is laid on the glue base. Top must be applied with a colorless or tinted varnish. If you have a prepared drawing of a coffee table (you can draw it with your own hands in any program for modeling), then immediately after varnishing, outline the location of all the fasteners.
All layers of the wallpaper, except the last, must be sanded. It is used for this purpose velvet skin. But you can rarely find it on sale, so go for a trick. Take two sheets of sandpaper with the numbers 240 and rub against each other until the base comes out. Use this material to grind. The abrasive, which will be poured with sandpaper, can be assembled, they can process glass surfaces. If desired, you can make a coffee table with drawers and process all surfaces with wallpaper.
In the case when embossed wallpapers are used, they begin to grind from the layer over which there are no longer any irregularities. Varnish must be applied liberally, especially the first coat. Make sure that it flows over the ends. Install the countertop on a stand, and be sure to cover the entire floor with plastic wrap so as not to smear it. The layers that will be sanded must be applied slightly shrinking. It is necessary to make sure that a varnish runaway appears (maximum thickness not more than 4 mm) to the edges. Drops will appear below, which subsequently must be cut off and sanded.
To add elegance designs, drive in a row of stationery buttons or wallpaper nails. The main thing is that the hats are located at the same distance from each other and on the same line. To do this, use a metal corner. On one of its sides you need to drill holes with a diameter of 1.2 mm. This corner is used as a template, it is necessary to move it around the perimeter and evaluate the position of the buttons.
Decoration with shell stones
Surely everyone was at sea and brought empty shells and pebbles with them. If you make such a scattering on the table, then you can achieve a romantic look. It is not recommended to use bamboo for manufacturing - it is quite difficult to select the stems by thickness, and if you take narrowing, then dust will accumulate in the gaps. And scrubbing it is quite difficult. And one more feature - it is very difficult to glue glass to a round surface. It is worth noting that a coffee table in the classical style can be easily made “sea”, for this it is enough to make a new tabletop that is filled with shells or stones.
For the manufacture of "sea" table is best to use ordinary skirting boards. On sale you can find various options that differ in size, tone, texture, price. And glass using aquarium silicone to the surface of the baseboard can be glued literally tightly. Such glue can be purchased at any pet store. Usually it is transparent and durable, able to withstand any load. But there are adhesive compositions in black and white, so we can assume that the choice is simply wide.
If the countertop has a size of 400 x 750 mm, glass at least 6 mm thick is used for it. If you decide to increase the size of the countertops to 600 x 900, it is better to use glass over 8 mm. For large sizes, it is desirable to use glass 10 mm thick or more. Glass should be mirrored, it does not allow the presence of undulations and twists. It is recommended to make a small selection under the glass on the inside of the skirting board so that it fits flush. In this case, the table will turn out to be safe, reliable and very beautiful. You can make a coffee table from chipboard with your own hands - this material is quite durable, it is very convenient to work with it, and most importantly, it has a low cost.
A bit of history
Just over 30 years ago, a French factory made a splash on the world stage. She released a line of very exclusive furniture - tables, aquariums. Through a perfectly transparent countertop, one could observe how fish swim inside and algae grow. The manufacturer assured customers that the resource of such an interior item was over 40 years old, but then a little embarrassment occurred. The fact is that the system is completely closed, and during the reproduction of fish there was a violation of biological equilibrium. And this table just turned into a mass grave for a large number of fish.
Mirror finish
Mirror table can be entered literally in any interior. After all, mirrors reflect everything that is around them, so they fit into the overall picture as accurately as possible. A simple box is used as the basis for making the table. All angles should be smoothed over. It is also necessary to take into account the strength characteristics. Before starting production, be sure to paint the base. It is possible to cover the coffee table with wood mirrors.
But it is not recommended to keep in mind the gaps in which the tree will be. After all, wood will be striking, the mirror surface will go by the wayside. You can color with silver, because such a color will be in harmony with the mirror. But always pay attention to what design the room has. Black or white colors will look great in a classic modern style. In the case of design in the style of minimalism, you can use only one tone, common to all pieces of furniture. So, if the room is in light green tones, then the base for the table needs to be painted in the same color.
A bit about decoupage
An original way of registration is a decoupage. In fact, this is a procedure for gluing on the base of prefabricated parts of some pattern. We can say that these are modified decals. The technique of the work is quite simple, and everything that is necessary for the work can be purchased in a kit. The main thing is to prepare the foundation for the work. To stick the drawing correctly, be careful. But how to make a coffee table with your own hands so that it is attractive and does not spoil the look of your room? This issue needs to be dealt with in more detail.
Of course, some may argue that decoupage furniture has long been considered a sign of a rather bad taste. But it is worth noting that the technique is constantly being improved, and there are a lot of options for ready-made images, there are plenty to choose from. During manufacture, it is necessary to carefully sand the countertop, level the surface as much as possible, and repair all existing cracks and chips. After that, a primer is made with a solution based on chalk and transparent furniture varnish.
Water primers can not be used for this purpose. After work, the entire surface must be varnished on an acrylic basis. Furniture nitrol varnish can also be used. Please note that it is necessary to apply 2-4 layers. Moreover, each subsequent one is applied after the previous one has completely dried. The consumption of varnish directly depends on the size of the coffee table and the number of layers.
Mosaic in design
Quite often they decorate tables with mosaics. But hardly everyone knows that countertops are made from materials such as alabaster or marble. The reason is that it is unrealistic to fix mosaic tiles on wood. Of course, you can stick it, but the tree can be deformed and all decorations will disappear. What is alabaster? No, this is not a construction alabaster, but an ornamental semi-precious stone of a slightly pinkish hue. But a wooden coffee table is unlikely to be covered with a layer of mosaics made of stone or ceramics, there are reasons for this.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that you can stick a mosaic of plastic on wood. Pieces can be easily cut independently from plastic boxes. As a rule, such boxes are white, but sometimes you can find dark gray and black. But if paint is available, then any tone can be given to the mosaic. It is recommended to use paint for graffiti - it tightly eats up in PVC with fillers. But observe one condition - paint only cut pieces. Otherwise, blemishes may appear at the edges. When assembling the mosaic, mounting glue is used. The base before starting work must be leveled and primed.
Show your abilities!
If you have the makings of an artist, then it’s a sin not to use them. But it is worth noting that stencils can not be used, since all, even the smallest, flaws will be visible. Before starting work, it is necessary to apply a layer of soil on the base. However, if you decide to apply for Khokhloma, a primer is not needed - in this case it is part of the process itself. But this type of painting is quite complicated, so you should not use it in practice. It is better to use Gorodets or Polkhov. They are usually used when decorating dishes made of wood, as well as various kitchen items. And if the table is made of wood, then the painting is perfect. And even when the size of the coffee table is very large, the painting will look just fine.
Crackle Technique
The essence of the process is quite simple - it is necessary to apply a special varnish-crackle to the paint that has not yet dried (when the finger is still printed on the surface, but without tack). When the varnish dries, then it begins to pull the paint, which is cracked with a net. The finished product takes an old look, so this table can be installed in rooms with an Empire or Baroque design.
But the entire surface must be varnished, otherwise the dust will begin to collect very quickly in the cracks. If there is no crackle varnish, you can do it yourself, for this, use this instruction:
- Divide glue like PVA twice or three times if paints like gouache or nitro are applied. The solution is applied little by little, in a very thin layer. Dosage is determined empirically - apply to the test sample of the painted surface. Try not to use bright colors in the design.
- When using oil paint, egg white should be used instead of varnish.
- For acrylic or alkyd enamels, vinegar is used.
- But gelatin can be used for any type of paint, only the coating can not last more than five years, even if several layers of varnish are applied to it.
Well, we’ve figured out a bit of table design options, now let's move on to the forms and materials.
Round Tables
It is round coffee tables that are the most sought after and popular. Some table designs have long been used to ensure that guests leave their business cards on them. Such designs were called business. If they wanted to hint to the guest that they no longer want to see him in the house, then upon exiting he could see the back of the countertop. True, such passages were never an occasion to challenge a duel. Nowadays, business tables have a much less offensive use.
A shelf made of wood will look good. The diameter of the countertops from 700 mm. This design of a round coffee table is very simple, but it is more suitable for placing a newspaper or a scarf on it. Therefore, if you plan to put something heavy on the countertop, it is better to make a support under the edges of the rack - a piece of metal pipe. It is possible to make supports from wood, laminate or chipboard.
Table transformer
Folding coffee tables have long been a common occurrence, their design is about the same as that of dining. The tabletop is a sliding type, there is an insert board. The cabinet was used as a wine cellar. Back in the Soviet years, such tables could be found not only in the houses of the city intelligentsia, but also in the chic offices of party workers. The latter usually kept inside not only glasses and bottles of alcohol, but also a couple of volumes by K. Marx or V. I. Lenin. And on the table was placed what the situation demanded. If any subordinate came to the carpet, then on the table flaunted the volume of Lenin. And if an old friend, then got a bottle of wine and wine glasses.
But today folding coffee tables are also used as dining tables. This is just a find if you have a small one-room apartment. In furniture stores a large assortment of such tables, but their cost is quite high. But the design can be independently designed and manufactured. To do this, of course, you must have the skills to work with drawings. It would be useful to work with programs that allow for three-dimensional modeling.
Newspaper Making
And if you have a lot of old press? Newspapers and magazines can be used to make a coffee table quite attractive appearance. But only to use such material, it is necessary that the entire room be decorated in the same way. The technology looks like this:
- It is necessary to roll newspapers into tubes and fix them with rubber bands.
- Immerse all tubes for 3-7 minutes in a container filled with a polymer-water emulsion. It is good in that it has a low cost and it is odorless.
- Hang all tubes on a wire to allow drying. There should be no dust in the room, be sure to lay a film under the dryer.
- Glue the cabinet with PVA glue and dry it by placing it vertically. It is recommended to tie with a thread so that the structure does not crumble in the process.
- Mark all the planes with a pseudo-thicknesser and cut with a hacksaw with small teeth.
- Using aquarium silicone, glue the glass top to the base. Glass should have a thickness of more than 12 mm.
Here is an unusual application found in old newspapers and magazines. It is worth noting that the strength of the product is not worse than that of wooden or plastic. But inferior, of course, to metal. You can strengthen the legs for a coffee table if you wrap metal or wooden elements inside the newspapers, which are subsequently connected. But there is simply no point in doing the extra work.