Before and After End Table - Tutorial

Allrighty, project #2 for the home decor is almost over. We bought these end tables before we got married (11 years ago) and they now look like ass!

I saw on someone's blog (can't remember where.. I've got to get BETTER at that) where someone found pictures of tiles on line, printed them out and mod podge them on a tray. I LOVE LOVE LOVE tiles and thought that this was a great idea - especially for an end table because you don't want the height difference from the table to the tile (I saw glasses full of juice tipping over and spilling everywhere). So I searched and searched and searched and came up with a tile that I kind of liked... better than all the rest. It wasn't a very good quality print though! I decided to hit Staples to get some photo paper and hope that it would help the quality a bit and THEN I saw these super duper cute file folders!!! I was in LOVE! Wish I would have snapped a shot before I cut them up. It was JUST what I was looking for. Loved the design, it was a great picture and it was thick cardstock type paper and it was glossy.


I sprayed the table with a coat of Kilz. Then used a tan spray paint (when I get home I'll check on the name). After that dried I brushed it with my Mocha brown Valspar glaze - leftover from the desk re-do. I actually ended up doing two or three coats of this because I wanted it darker than it turned out. Really I might like it even better if it was a little darker.

So once I was done. I mod podged the "tiles" onto the center of my table. At this point I've probably put about three coats of mod podge on it since there will be alot of drink (and spillage) on this table. And I'm probably still going to do a coat of a clear spray sealer that I have on hand.

Love the way this turned out. Seriously, in love with the pattern and the colors BUT it doesn't match any other colors in my living room. I'm wondering if I'll look at it everyday and think "that so doesn't match". I dunno... only time will tell.

I just linked this up at