Mamas Together: Table Top

This is the story of a table. It was used a long time ago, but then replaced when hunter green was no longer the style, and the chairs had been worn out. It went to rest in a shed for many years, before I asked my parents if I could have it--with the condition that it would be completely refinished and may not be their style. After many hours, scrubbing it clean and sanding it down (I won't bore you with those pictures) it was finally a blank slate ready for a masterpiece. I painted the legs blue and the table top sat unfinished while I decided what I wanted on it.

After much deliberation and searching online for ideas, the hubs and I finally decided it was time to get this project completed. By the way I could not have done this project without him. He is awesome.

Here is a rundown of what we did to make the table top.

Step 1: This is the easiest step. Cover the table top with contact paper. We used clear, but that doesn't matter.

I overlapped the middle section, just to make sure all parts of the table were covered.

Step 2: Draw your design on the contact paper. Depending on how good of an artist you are, this can be done freehand or you could probably print off some patterns and use those as a template. Also, if you are a perfectionist, choose an organic design. Some parts may bleed under the contact paper, so I do not suggest a geometric shape with perfectly straight lines.

Step 3: Use an X-acto knife and cut out the design. My husband said he needed very little pressure to cut through the contact paper. Don't press too hard or you will leave lines in the table.

Step 4: The most tedious of all...peel the negative space (the part you want to be stained) off the table. It is also worth mentioning that from the time we placed the contact paper on the unfinished table top to the time we peeled everything off was about 36 hours. The longer you wait the more residue the contact paper will leave on the wood. Time is your enemy here.