Guys, I loved doing this project! It's definitely one of my favorite DIY's that I've ever done and I'm excited to share.
I've been seeing a lot of marble and gold legs on end tables and coffee tables that look so chic and can still be mixed in with every day casual decor. Here are a few of my favorites...
And here is my version...
Woo-hoo!
Of course, end tables were about the last thing on my long list of things to buy for the house, but I was walking through Ross and came across this great little end table for $40 that had the wiry gold frame that everyone is getting these days. It was sturdy, but had a plain black top that was covered in scratches.
(I promise the scratches are there ;) Also ignore our crooked knobs, I've been meaning to tighten the right door.)
I didn't want something so stark so I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to attempt a faux marble on the top. I figured that in the worse case scenario, it would look awful and I could just spray paint it black again. Plus, the table was like half the price of others I've seen even at Target and World Market so it seemed like a no-brainer to at least try.
I followed this tutorial very loosely, but it is for countertops. I decided to go for the honed marble look instead of polished, so I didn't do a glaze on top or anything like that.
Here are the supplies I used:
-Primer (a no-sand one)
-White paint (I just used our leftover cabinet paint--satin)
-Foam roller
-About 1/8 cup of three different shades of gray paint. Again, I just mixed our leftover cabinet paint with some leftover black paint in different variations and put the different shades in disposable cups. I also added a bit of leftover green paint to one of the mixtures to add more interest.
-A lot of crinkled up plastic grocery bags
-Damp rag (key player)
-Very small short-bristled paintbrush (like cheap-o watercolor)
-Fine grit sandpaper
I had all of this on hand, so the total project was $40 just for the cost of the table.
I had to put about 5 coats of primer down and two coats of white paint to cover all of the black. Once that was dry, I put some of the lightest gray paint on my scrunched up grocery bag and began sponging it very lightly on the table top. At first, it looked awful....BUT the damp rag is key in this project--after each sponging round I would go back and sponge with the damp rag and even "wash" the table very lightly with it to smooth everything out.
After I did the lightest gray, I moved on to the medium gray using the same method. I went back over the really patchy areas by sponging and ragging with white paint. Here is what it looked like after about 5 coats of sponging/ragging:
Not too bad! I think I added more white after this photo, before I added the veins.
The veining was the hardest part. Bryan said I had "crazy eyes" while I was doing this step. Truth. I was having flashbacks of every art class I took in high school and college and the imaginary teacher was scolding me for "painting what I think I see, and not what's really there". Maddening, I tell you.
The key to the veining step is to feather with the brush instead of just painting a line (basically smoosh the bristles down in all different directions and make tiny zig zag movements). You barely need any paint for this part. I used the darkest gray for the veins and really should have taken an action picture, but I forgot amidst my crazy-eyed daze. Here is what it looked like when I was done feathering and had let everything dry:
It's not completely perfect, but I'm just so happy with how it turned out that I can't stop looking at it! Those are the best kinds of projects. :) Of course, in true Katy fashion, I still have not sanded out the last few bumps, but maybe one of these days I will. Maybe.
I styled it really quickly and love it even more! I want to put this in our living room but unfortunately we are getting ready for a garage sale so the living room looks more like a storage unit than anything else, which all bloggers know is no good for photos, so for now it's sitting by itself in our bedroom.
The best part of this project is that it boosted my confidence enough to do faux soapstone counters in our kitchen. (Basically the same method but in black and you finish it off with paste wax.) Yep. I'm excited!
So there you have it! Now go grab something from a thrift store and turn it into marble!
ooooh i love it! that base is so cool!
ReplyDelete