Wood End Tables – How to Give Them Your Own Personal Twist

If you have plain wood end tables you may find yourself looking at them and wishing you could make them a little different. While they do their job as end tables, they just don't have the personality you would like them to. You've considered a new paint job, or maybe a new shade of stain, but what you really want is something that is more noticeable, something that really stands out. This is where appliqués can save your wood end tables.

There are a number of companies out there that have appliqués that are made of a clay style material. With the addition of a little steam they can be made to stick to your wood end tables and create a raised surface. from roses, to vine-shaped pieces and even those with more medieval designs in them, once they are applied they will look much like you have a table with raised pieces that were carved of the same wood as the table.

Here's how they work:

First purchase the appliqués you want and make sure you know where you want them on your table. it is advisable to physically set them on the table and see if you like the look in that location then to mark the area with a pencil.

Next, you are going to need to strip down the wood end tables to just their base wood. you are going to want to repaint them once the appliqués have been put on.

If you want to take the easy way out, you can just use glue to attach the appliqués to your table, and possibly back it up with a few small nails. But, if you have the clay appliqués, you may want to do it right and take the steam route.

You will need a steaming screen for this. This could be any type of frame that you have, with a piece of cotton (say an old pillowcase or bed sheet) attached to tightly. keep in mind, this frame will have to be large enough to sit on the top of a pot of boiling water.

Now it's time to start steaming. Take a pot of water and put it on the stove to boil. at the same time, dampen the cloth on your screen. Once the pot is boiling and you see the steam rising, it's time to lay your screen on top of the water and set your appliqué (flat side down) on the surface of the screen. As the steam rises, it will now be transferred to the cloth and then onto your appliqué.

You should steam your appliqués one at a time, to avoid them sticking together, but it still won't take long as they should only take 30 seconds to 2 minutes to be ready to apply. Use a flat knife to pick up the piece and feel the underside. If it feels somewhat tacky, it is ready to be applied to your end tables.

Push it in place, hold for a few minutes and then let it cool. in about 30 minutes it will be permanently in place.

Repeat with the other appliqués and after they all cool, they will be ready to paint and give a new life and new look to your old wood end tables.

Wood End Tables - How to Give Them Your Own Personal Twist