When I moved into my apartment last year, I wanted to do something special with my decor. My apartment is one half of a house that's over a hundred years old and contains little gems like a fireplace in every room and gorgeous antique wallpaper. Regular furniture wasn't going to cut it.
So first, I went shopping. I found a decent table for $3 at the Salvation Army. The top was uneven with several different colors of wood grain and, as if that wasn't enough, yellow and blue paint splatters. I decided to sand and stain it.
Two weeks and a lot of wasted time later, I decided to try something else. The color didn't turn out right and the surface still wasn't as smooth as I wanted. That's when I decided to try my hand at decoupaging.
Step One: Go Shopping
After selecting your piece of furniture, get an idea for your design. You can use anything from family photos or album covers to cute character cutouts for a child's room. I chose vintage magazine clippings for mine. You can get an old magazine at an antique store for a dollar or so. Try to use magazines published on glossy paper. It will hold up much better than the flimsy newsprint used for older magazines.
There are several things you'll need for this project.
1. As we've already covered, you're going to need a table and collage materials, first and foremost.
2. Craft glue. My personal favorite is Mod Podge- gloss. I bought some six years ago and it still works!
3. Spray Adhesive. Any kind will do.
4. A Spray Lacquer like Minwax or Rust-Oleum.
5. A craft knife like Exacto. You can get one for about four or five dollars and they're great for precision cutting delicate paper. I use mine all the time for multiple projects.
6. A small paintbrush with a tip no wider than your pinkie finger. You can get a pack at any dollar store.
7. A piece of glass the same dimensions as your table-top. Try a local glass shop or a hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes Hardware.
After you've got all your materials, you're ready to start your project.
Step Two: Clean Your Table.
You're only going to be covering the top of your table so if there are any faded spots, chips or splintering on the legs, that' needs to be taken care of beforehand. Do all of your sanding/staining and then, once everything is dried, use a water-based cleaner to remove any dirt. Do not use furniture polish. It will weaken the bond between the wood and the paper. I learned this while painting another table and the paint kept smearing.
Step Three: Create Your Collage.
Start by cutting out the pieces you want to use with your craft knife. Cut some pieces in the shape of rectangles or circles and cut smaller pieces more intricately. This will make it easier to cover the whole table. If, however, you only want to use a few images then it doesn't matter.
Once you have all of your pieces cut, arrange them on the table without gluing. Then paste each piece of paper together using a small dab of glue without attaching them to the table. The less you use, the better. You can always add more later. Decoupaging is a creative process and you may change your mind about how you want things layered. It's easier to undo a mistake if you don't use a lot of glue. If, however, you don't want to cover the entire table top and are only using a few pieces, gluing directly to the table is fine.
Step Four: Attach the Collage.
Wait at least an hour for all of your glue to dry. I tried to hurry this process and ended up tearing some of my collage. After that, take your table and collage outside. This next step can get messy. Take your spray adhesive and spray a thin coat onto the table. Next you're going to apply your collage to the table top; kind of like wallpapering. I recommend getting someone to help you to avoid bumps and ripples in the paper. Lay your collage as flat as possible, meeting all the edges of the table. Lightly smooth the collage and leave it to dry for another hour.
Step Five: Add the Finishing Touches
Are there any collage pieces that won't lie flat? Cover the edges with small dab of glue. Once you're finished, let all glue dry for another hour, then use your spray lacquer to cover the entire table top. You'll want to do this outside as well. It's important that you don't use paint-on lacquer for this step, especially if you're using thin paper like I did. Paint-on lacquer is very heavy and oil-based and will leave spotting on your collage. I learned this the hard way (pictured below).
How to avoid a mistake when decoupaging
Once the spray lacquer is dry, you can put your glass piece over the table. Spray lacquer keeps your collage pieces in place but it will not be enough to protect your table from spilled drinks or pets. Glass is the best way to ensure that your table is protected. Now you have a one-of-a-kind piece that you'll be proud to show your friends!
Catherine Conley is a http://www.trendfunnel.com staff blogger and is graduating from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with an English degree in May 2010.
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