How to Give a Plain Hall Table a New Look

It's the household catch-all. Keys, mail, library books to return and the occasional sweater, backpack or sneakers. When something has gone missing, your first suggestion is "look on the hall table." To brighten this hardworking piece of plain-jane furniture, there are several ways to bring a hall table into your dcor without sacrificing its durability. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

Preparing to Decorate

1

Place the table on protected surface. Sand lightly all over, to roughen the surface (stains and heavy scratches will be covered by your new work). Light sanding improves adhesion of new paint and polyurethane; you do not need to sand hard enough to remove all the old finish. Wipe off sanding dust with damp rags or paper towels. Don't forget the backs of the legs. If your table has a drawer, remove hardware and set it aside.

2

Choose three or four colors of paint, and practice sponge-painting on old newspapers. You may have chosen closely related colors---an ivory and several shades of blue, including one close to the color of the hall's walls. You may have decided on contrasting shades---plum, mauve, pale gold and mossy green; together they reflect the print of the hallway rug. Pour a little of each color into a paper plate and dab on newspapers in overlapping patches. Use scissors to cut the sponges in smaller pieces or shapes---if you want your table covered with clouds or stars or flowers and leaves, cut your sponges to make it happen.

3

Using a paintbrush, apply a single, thin coat of the color you want to predominate to your table-top. This is your hardest-working surface, and the most visible.

Decorating Your Table

4

Keep your paper plates filled with a small amount of paint, and sponge away until you have covered all visible surfaces. Avoid sponging on heavy globs of paint---they will be vulnerable to chipping when the car keys hit the table. Keep sponge-prints light, and step back from time to time to assess your color balance. What seemed like too much moss-green up close looks just right---or a little sparse---from farther away. Continue till you are happy with results. Let dry thoroughly---at least 12 hours.

5

Apply a thin, even coat of liquid polyurethane to all surfaces. Allow to dry thoroughly.

6

Protect your table top with additional coats of polyurethane. Some polyurethane manufacturers suggest a light sanding between coats to improve adhesion. Follow directions given on the can for best results. Three coats of polyurethane on the table top provides good protection from wear. Let the polyurethane dry thoroughly between coats.

7

Re-install any hardware you removed.