Another New Member

[Smitten]

Hello Everyone! I'm new here, but I'm not new to tiling. My very first project two years ago happened quite by accident. One of my passions is furniture refinishing. My husband had brought home a kitchen table that was made of wood and was covered in black lacquer. It was a bit battered and he suggested I may like to strip it and refinish it for our kitchen. But in stripping off the lacquer, I found that the table was made of 3 different breeds of scrap wood. And in putting a new stain on it, the sides looked great, but the tabletop itself would never blend with the other darker woods since it was oak. Just as I was trying to decide what to do with it, I received a Home Dercor magazine in the mail with a layout showing how to do mosaic tiling. Well, that was the perfect solution to my table! I ran out and bought tile and smashed them into small pieces and created a beautiful tabletop for that old discarded table! From then on, I was smitten with tiling! My next project was tiling my bathroom walls which really improved the look of the room and warmed it up! I've done many projects since then, I've done various projects - one of which I'd like to share with you here - this was a gift for someone very special in my life... broken link removed It took me about a week to finish this table. It is now a one-of-a-kind keepsake for its new owner. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and trading tips and ideas.

 

[DHTiling]

hello and welcome to forums......nice table there........dave..

 

[Dan]

Nice! I love guitars!

Welcome to the forum, you're a refreshing change from wall and floor tiling

 

[actiling]

hi smitten,welcome to the forum....nice place with friendly people.

 

[Dan]

Just spotted you're from the US

 

[GazTech]

Well Howdy from me Smitten.....this forum is some experience......Gaz

 

[Fekin]

Hi there and welcome to the forums :shades_smile:

 

[sc24]

hi smitten....nice work

 

[Smitten]

Thanks for the warm welcome!
I can't wait to dig deep into some reading here and learn more!

I would absolutely love to be able to quit my "Real Job" and do Tiling for a living.
Of course there is much to learn first - I don't want to leap blindly!

And that is the fun thing about tile. The creative ideas are endless. Each job is a one-of-a-kind work of art in itself, even if it is a tiled shower stall.

And I may be on to something with The guitar table. I made it for a musician - and all of his friends now want one!

Thanks again for the warm welcome!

Smitten

 

[DHTiling]

no probs smitten....glad to have your input on this forum....good luck with future designer tables...............dave..

 

[Dan]

Can't wait to see the other tables

 

[Smitten]

Well.... since you asked....

This table I found at a second-hand store for $5 because the table top was badly beaten. I found the marine marbles at a hardware store for $1 a bag for each colour.

The entire project cost me approx $20

The first pic is with just the mud

The finished product...

HOWEVER - - I have learned a lesson with this table.
They are NOT for homes with children because I used a standard floor grout and not a latex based grout. Even with sealant, youngsters spill things that tend to be absorbed quickly!

My cure.... I have since painted the grout with a latex semi-gloss paint which holds up to spills and is easily cleaned.

It's an endless learning process!

 

[Smitten]

Oh! And one more thing.... tiles make GREAT coasters so no one sets a drink on the table itself! Ha ha!

 

[Dan]

That's a really really really smart table. I must do something similar for the home myself. Would love to 'practice' a guitar one for the patio.

How many have you done? Get them uploaded to our tile gallery!

 

[Smitten]

I've done 4 tables so far with either mosaic tile or glass marine marbles.
Unfortunately I don't have pictures of all of them!
And I almost always forget to take a "before" picture!

With The Marbled table, I had a basic idea of what I wanted with the big blue ones spiraling outward. I just started from the center and worked in a circle, spreading small amounts of mud/mortar to work with. Had to do it in small stages since I lay one marble at a time and the mortar of course has a small window of working time. But it was great fun to do! The neighbour kids were fascinated with watching me work on it and just love to touch it each time they visit.

With the guitar table, I first did the layout in an art program on my computer just to decide what angle and size I wanted the guitar to be. The layout was the longest part of the process. But once that was decided and the tiles were smashed into pieces (Great stress therapy! ha ha!) the actual tiling took only an afternoon.

The bonus of doing tables is that I can do it outside on a sunny day!