DigsMagazine.com | lounge: MAKE IT MOSAIC: HOW TO TILE A TABLETOP

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07.16.2001

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make it mosaic:
how to tile a tabletop
by Stephanie
Blydenburgh | 1 2 3

For nearly three months, I lived with hardly any furniture. It was my sophomore year in college, and my roommate and I didn’t have the money between us to invest in overstuffed sofas or matching end tables -- we could barely afford the milk-crate variety of home décor. So after three months of sitting on a wicker sofa and displaying my knickknacks on a beat up television cart, I was left with no choice: clearly it was time to get creative with my furnishings.

I needed a coffee table, and I needed one badly. Our living room was vast, and with the little furniture we had pushed up flat against the walls, that wide, open space in the middle of the room seemed awkwardly bare. Then inspiration struck: I decided to hunt down a table secondhand, and tile the top with mosaics. My re-vamped, cheap-o coffee table gave the living room a little instant personality, and I had a great time working on it.

Tiling a table is a cheap, easy project that can turn a boring old coffee table, endtable, dining table, or the like into a veritable work of art. Below are some tips on creating your own artistic masterpiece …

Step One: Find your surface
I tiled a table, but the list of things that can be covered in mosaics is endless: flowerpots, picture frames, candleholders, and walls, just to name a few. The only thing that’s important is that the surface is flat and smooth. To find my surface, I dragged my friend Frank to the Goodwill down the street, and ten minutes later I was the proud owner of an $8 coffee table. The legs wobbled, and there was some water damage to the top, but overall, it was perfect for this project.

What You’ll Need
• Tiles (preferably ones with the same thickness)
• Ceramic tile glue
• Grout
• Floater
• Sealant (optional, but highly recommended!)

but wait, there's more!

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