I love the table tray! What a great idea. I noticed you used fabric for your project. Mod Podge has a glue just for fabric. I noticed you mentioned Mod Podge was a bit too sticky when applying the glue. I honestly haven’t used it. I have read it has been made specifically for decoupaging furniture, so I suggested it. Any white glue would work. I personally like the glue that dries clear. I am like you, that I do not like overly thick glue that cannot be easily manipulated.

Shellac, and polyurethane will go yellow over years. I noticed the disaster it creates with the first table I painted, and finished with polyurethane. Polycrylic is a water based formula that can be used over any white furniture. It is also perfect for decoupaging because it is not made of oil which would ruin the paper that you are decorating your furniture with.

Though, I have a question for you Grace…..

When you applied the Mod Podge on your fabric tray table, did the end product turn out like a piece of glass on the fabric?

Polycrylic is a very thin watery substance, so it certainly wouldn’t create a thick layer of glass. It is meant just to seal your finish.

One product I have played around with in the past is the clear solution that comes in the tub painting kits. Rust-oleum has a 2 part kit which is meant to be used on tubs. The kits come with two paint, (1 Almond, or white, and 1 clear epoxy) The first time I used it on a tub in one of our rental apartments, I used them individually, which turned out very badly. I didn’t read the directions that they are meant to be mixed together then applied.

I had left over epoxy so I used it on other projects. The clear enamel is like nothing I have ever tried before. It is rock hard. Initially when I used it over white, it did turn out very yellow. Although, I was really impressed on how hard and thick the substance got when it dried. It could be used over fabric, but I honestly haven’t tried it yet. It would be interesting to create a fabric chest and it (might) be the perfect solution for the top. (I am sure there is fabric paint out there to seal projects)

The draw backs to this project is that it is extremely toxic. You have to wear a mask when applying it, and after a good 7 minutes, you have to leave the room if you don’t have a window fully open. The smell is so chemically saturated, that you do have to leave your house. It is not a good idea to leave a pet, like a bird or a dog or cat while this chemical is drying.

The second draw back is that it take a LONG time to dry. I finished a chest surface in it once, and it seemed dry after a week, and I packed boxes on top of the chest and it made an imprint. Granted I had the clear finish on pretty thick. If you put it on thinner, it might take three days to dry. Secondly, the finish is so rock hard you cannot sand it. So when you do apply it, be sure to apply it with a foam paint brush, because if you don’t get it perfect you cannot sand it. It is a product full of promise though. I wouldn’t use it over white, but it could be something to experiment with when it comes to fabric chests for example.

Meranda

I think anywhere you live, the nicer quality antique furniture is always going to be hard to find. A lot of antique dealers in the United States often go to Europe to buy their furniture and resell it locally, as I suspect happens in New Zealand. One area that has a lot of French reproductions is Egypt.

Here are a couple of posts that might interest you.

http://thewhitedresser.com/archives/distressed-white-dresser

http://thefrenchprovincialfurniture.com/painting-colorful-french-provincial-furniture

http://thefrenchprovincialfurniture.com/how-to-paint-furniture-black-like-a-pro

Blessings!

Meranda

Your workmanship is flawless! I own some burled maple furniture, and you have captured the look of burled wood perfectly. Beautiful job!!

A suggestion you may consider……

Another clear finish you can try AS YOUR LAST FINISH is “Tough as Tile”- “Paint and tile finish” to the top of your counter top. Tough as tile is meant to fix up ugly tubs wit a white paint. The kit includes a can of paint and a can of epoxy. How it works when you are painting a tub is you mix the two together and paint your tub.

It is industrial strength epoxy, and could be the perfect solution for your countertop.

You would just use the clear epoxy. It turns out glossy, so if you do not want gloss, this may not be for you.

Before you begin, be sure to really sand your countertops, because you really want it to stick well. This epoxy is what I would use for countertops, because it is strong!

If you end up using this, be sure to use a foam brush to apply the clear gloss, but also leave yourself almost 2 weeks of drying time.

I used it on a dresser top, and I left my piece for a week to dry, (which I thought was enough time), only to stack furniture on top of my piece and it left marks.

Because this clear gloss is meant for your bathtub it is almost impossible to sand after you are finished, so be sure to apply it with a foam brush.

I will use it again, but the next time I will be sure to let my piece dry for a longer time.

Hope this helps…. Meranda

I am very sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier, I haven’t checked my comments in quite some time. By this time your project might already be finished.

What I have used in the past was a color almost close to the Olympic Bronze UL150-17 In behr paint. Looking on the Olympic Gold site, (It is kind of hard to tell) but I would suggest the colors like Ginger c21-6, or Bronze Eucalyptus B21-6. If you get a color around that range, you will get the effect of a burl, because you are going to be adding a poly stain on top of the design after it dries, which is the product that gives the illusion of wood.

The product I used to create the burl design is an artists oil in a tube of paint called Winton Oil Color in Burnt Umber. I used paint thinner, but turpentine works just the same. Any artists oil paint used for wall paintings that you frame will work well. A Burnt Umber is a common color so you should find it in a local crafts store, or on ebay.

For the stain I used a product called product called Minwax Polyshades, so basically it is wood stain mixed in with polyurethane. It is a one step process. For me, I can layer it on, and it gives the look of wood. I have found that high gloss looks great only if it is very even. You can get an even finish by using a foam brush, and brushing on the stain.

For me, the best advice I can give is just to go ahead and try it. Don’t think to much, just go for it. You may want to try a small jewelry box first so you can master the technique before you do your countertops.

This piece I painted myself. This website is a blog of painted furniture I find inspiring. I would suggest finding painted furniture on ebay, there are large amounts of hand painted furniture.

With this chest I copied an IKEA storage cardboard box. I traced it on to the dresser, and then I painted in the design with gold paint. It was lovely. I did it just for this site. I always loved the color blue, and getting it on to this piece was the most difficult part. After many coats, the blue wasn’t covering that I had to spray paint it. It did turn out lovely, so I thank you for all the complements.

I wonder how you knew about my why God Site? I forgot to add links to it, but I am a Christian. I have a blog that has over 80 pages of evidence for Christ. I was tired of running into atheists who mocked me, so I investigated Christ, and found way more than I anticipated. I know for a fact that there is only one God, and it is also pretty amazing that that God is fully LOVING, and awesome in all ways.

Here are our blogs on Christianity……

Here is some of our websites:

http://evidenceforchristianity.blogspot.com
http://whygodreallyexists.com/
http://www.evidence4christianity.blogspot.com/

In talking with some Atheists, I investigated near death experiences, in specifically experiences that were experienced after the patient was clinically dead. If you are interested in reviewing the evidence we created a blog and a website for the evidence we found.

http://www.afterlifeanswers.blogspot.com/
http://lifeafterdeathheavenandhell.com/

I hope you find it interesting.

Huge Blessings!! Meranda

I have had to learn the hard way with fermica. How I have found success with this material is to sand the fermica. This way it gives your paint something to grip to. Gripper can be purchased at home depot, and it is meant for concrete, but it grips on to anything. I use it for all my painted pieces. If you don’t sand the fermica first, the paint peels right off. After you are finished painting, add polyurethene. I have found that using a foam roller evens out your finish perfectly. It was a tip passed on from a good friend, and it is the best painting tip I know.

Another clear finish you can try is “Tough as Tile”- “Paint and tile finish” to the top of my furniture pieces, as they include a seperate clear gloss and white paint which you are supposed to mix together to apply to your tub. If you end up using this, be sure to use a foam brush to apply the clear gloss, but also leave yourself almost 2 weeks of drying time. I left my piece for a week, which I thought was long enough, only to stack furniture on top of my piece and it left marks. Because this clear gloss is meant for your bathtub it was impossible to sand. I will use it again, but this time, I will be sure to let my piece dry for a longer time.

Hope this helps…. Meranda

Jacqueline

I hope to hear from you

Jacqueline

I have enjoyed looking at some of your painted furniture, thank you! You are very creative! You have inspired me to have a go at a Faux Walnut Burl finish on a countertop.

I am in Australia and we do not have Behr paint here.
Could you please tell me whether the Olympic Gold colour you suggest is an oil based or latex based paint?
Also I presume the thinner that you use for the artist’s oils is just mineral turpentine?
And when you talk about a wood finish such as Maple Gloss or walnut from Polyshades, do you mean a tinted high gloss varnish?

I look forward to hearing from you and I’m eager to produce such a masterpiece as you (hopefully!!!),

Many thanks,

Su Short

Blessings! Meranda

I often buy the satin oil paint at Home Depot, and mix it myself to get the color I want.

Or, professional paint stores such as Benjamin Moore, or Duron has their colors available in Oil

If you look through the older french furniture, a lot of the colors that are seen are greenish grays. Depending on the look you want to achieve, I would suggest you try out a number of colors in this color range, and find a shade that works the best.

What you can try is Pebble Stone by behr. It is a really light beige white, which works really well with a creamy white over top. Most of the Louis style colors are the gray, beige, or green colors. They are pretty basic colors in that time period. So if you want to go with a darker look underneath, try something gray, or beige, or green beige, or green gray.

The picture of the bed works really well with the technique I described. Your first coat is latex falt, or eggshell. Let it dry. Then once it is dry, the key is the oil. When you apply the oil use paper towel, as it works the very best, and wipe off the white paint. I have found when you dab your oiled towel on your furniture piece and then wipe it off, it gives a bit of a texture to it. Once you try it, you will figure out what looks great within the first few minutes. Quickness with the oil paint is the key to this finish.

Let me know how it worked out.

Meranda