Change Ordinary Tabletops from Boring to Beautiful

From paint to tiles, you can do a lot to turn an ordinary tabletop from boring to beautiful. And it's the perfect winter project for you and a special someone—your spouse, child, or even a friend or neighbor.

We've got three great ideas for turning a lifeless tabletop into a spectacular piece of furniture and a great addition to any décor.

Pick Your Piece 
First, you'll want to find a table. Maybe you have one around the house that could use a makeover, or you've been aching to scrounge garage sales or flea markets to turn someone else's trash into a treasure. Any shape and size will work. If you choose a larger table, it's inevitably going to be a more time-consuming project. Invite a few friends over for dinner and a tabletopping party. The table will be finished in no time!

Mosaics and Tiles 
A mosaic table can be a time-consuming project, but time flies if you include a few friends. The result is a beautiful tiled table and memories to last a lifetime. If you're looking for a quick project, use whole tiles from the hardware store. They're inexpensive and available in a variety of colors.

 What You'll Need: 
Ceramic tiles or dishes
Hammer
Protective eyewear
Rubber gloves
100-grit sandpaper
Primer
Gesso (primer)
Colored pencil
Ceramic tile adhesive
Fine sanded grout mix

What to Do:

1. Choose the tiles you want to use for your tables and decide whether you want them broken or whole. You can buy pre-broken mosaic tiles at craft stores, or make your own from larger tiles or dishes. Simply place the dishes or tiles upside down in a pillowcase or old towel and lightly smash them with a hammer. Be sure to wear protective eyewear and gloves.
2. Lightly sand and prime the surface.
3. Place the tiles on the surface by applying a small amount of adhesive to the back of each piece of tile. If you're making a specific design, you may want to sketch it on your table beforehand with a colored pencil. Be sure to leave a small amount (1/8 to 1/4 inch) of space between each tile piece for grout.
4. Allow adhesive to dry.
5. Wipe tiles with a damp sponge to remove excess adhesive, and then dry with a paper towel.
6. Mix grout and apply to surface with your hands while wearing rubber gloves. Using your fingertips, make sure all cracks are filled. Allow to dry for 30 to 45 minutes.
7. Wipe excess grout from face of tiles with a damp sponge and shine with a dry paper towel.

While this idea is perfect for tables, feel free to utilize tiling on any other furniture with a flat surface that needs sprucing up. Tiling can also be a great way to cover up scratches or damage that can't be fixed by filing or wood filler.

Memories under Glass 
Do you have a stack of memories that you don't know what to do with? Photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings, ticket stubs? Make a collage on an old table and cover it with glass.

 What You'll Need: 
Table
Pictures, postcards,
 maps, newspaper
 clippings,
 announcements
Paint in choice of color
Mod Podge®
Sponge paintbrush
Glass top

What to Do: 
1. Choose a variety of pictures, postcards, magazine cutouts, and other memorabilia to cover your table. We found that it works best to make color copies of the photos.

2. Paint your surface and allow it to dry.

3. Glue your memories onto the tabletop with Mod Podge, overlapping into a collage.

4. Cover with several thin coats of Mod Podge using a sponge paintbrush and let dry.

5. Cover with a glass top.

Playing Games 
Revive an old table with a simple and decorative game board tabletop. The next time you're in the mood for a game of checkers or chess, just pull out the pieces and you're ready to go.

 What You'll Need: 

Table
Paint
Paint pens or markers
for detailing
Ruler
Sandpaper
Stain (optional)
Pencil
Polyurethane

What to Do: 
1. Lightly sand and prime the top of the table if you want to stain or paint the tabletop a solid color before painting your game board.

2. Choose which game board you want to paint on the table. Checkers, chess, and backgammon boards make visually appealing and functional tables.

 3. Carefully paint the game board design onto the tabletop. We found it helpful to lightly draw our design first with a pencil and dot each area of the board with the correct color paint. Checkerboards can get confusing; it's easy to paint a square the wrong color if you haven't made a small dot beforehand! Use a ruler for precision and paint pens or markers for clean edges and decorative final touches.

4. After the table is dry, seal with a clear polyurethane. You can also add drawstring bags on either side of the table for game pieces. Attach to the table with upholstery tacks.

Tip: Instead of painting on the game board, try using black and white floor tiles to create it. Use the instructions in the mosaic project above for adhering tiles to a table or other flat surfaces.

Sporty Coffee Table 
For this project you'll actually use a few separate pieces to create a unique coffee table. This piece works great in a sports fan's room or family room.

What You'll Need: Butcher-block wood cut to size, polyurethane varnish, 4 short furniture legs, 4 small plain bowls, 4 basketballs (or balls in a similar size/shape/weight), glass tabletop.

What to Do: 
1. Sand the butchers-block to get rid of any imperfections or scratches in the wood.

2. Apply a coat or two or varnish to achieve the look of a basketball court and let dry in a well-ventilated area.

3. Attach furniture legs to the bottom of the block in each corner.

4. Attach bowls on the top of the butcher block in each corner to act as bases for the basketballs.

5. Place the basketballs in each of the bowls and place the glass on top.

 Tip: Modify this same idea to appeal to different types of sports fans. Create a soccer-themed table by purchasing legs and wooden table top at a hardware store. You can ask for both legs and the tabletop to be pre-cut to your desired size and shape. Feel free to paint the tabletop to match your décor as well. Screw tumblers or similarly shaped items on top of the tabletop to act as the bases for the soccer balls. Place soccer balls on the tumblers and a sheet of table glass on top. The weight of the glass and sticky surface of the balls will hold it in place.

Geometric Coffee Table 
Once you get started, you don’t want to limit your makeover to just the tabletop.

What You’ll Need: 
2 round pre-cut pine tabletops.
Multiple 4” x 4” squares cut from medium density fiberboard
Nuts and washers
3 (7/16”) threaded rods
6 small pre-made table legs, screw-in
Round Glass table topper
Paint or stain
Brushes, for painting

What to do:

1. Cut 4” x 4” squares from medium density fiberboard (or have them cut at the store) and drill a 7/16” hole in the center of each.
2. Next, drill holes into the tabletops to counter sink the nuts and washers and thread the 3 (7/16”) threaded rods as the support for the legs into the tabletop that will act as the base.
3. Slide the fiberboard squares onto the rods and rotate them to create an uneven pattern.
4. Place the other tabletop on top of the rods and tighten the nuts.
5. Screw in pre-made table legs to the top and bottom – one for the glass to sit on top, letting light under and the other as legs to keep the table off the floor.
6. Paint the whole thing black for a beautiful, modern coffee table.

Drink Serving Table 
For a coffee table that has multiple uses, repurpose two coffee tables into a functional drink service cart perfect for entertaining.

What You Need: 
2 coffee tables
1"x4" lumber
2 ‘L’ brackets
2 toilet paper/paper towel holders
1 stemware holder
Primer
Paint
Paintbrush
4 caster wheels
Round, metal cylinders

What to do:

1. Take two coffee tables and stack them on top of each other to get to a 36" height that you would get in a typical countertop.
2. At the top of each table, attach 1"x4" lumber to the edge of the top of the piece. This is a simple way to make a lip for the tabletops. The reason for putting a lip on the shelves or the tabletops is so that whatever is stored on them will be more secure.
3. Attach ‘L’ brackets to the bottom of the legs of the top table and the top of the bottom table to secure the two pieces together.
4. Prime the tables before painting. This stops the paint from chipping easily.
5. After the paint has dried, continue attaching pieces below to transform table into beverage station.
6. Turn upside down and install caster wheels for easy portability.
7. Screw round, metal cylinders for holding silverware into the side. The cylinders will also each hold a large beverage bottle.
8. Install a shelf on the other side whose length is the same as the depth of the cart to hold bottles.
9. At the top of either side of the beverage cart, install two toilet paper roll holders or paper towel holders. These should be about 25" in length and 1 1/2" thick and round, stainless steal or nickel with a brushed metal finish for a sleek, elegant look. These will serve two purposes as handles for pushing and pulling the beverage cart as well as to hold towels.
10. Screw in a stemware holder underneath the bottom shelf.

Tip: Add storage items like ice buckets and metal bowls for additional organization.