Trading Phrases is always coming up with fun, new ways to use our decals... and we get SO excited when YOU share your projects with us. Kelly, a long time customer and facebook fan came up with this amazing renovation of her old, weathered patio table- and we were so thrilled we asked her to blog how she did it! We love how it turned out, and Kelly is such a hoot! -Samantha
Have you ever been shopping for something for
the house and have come across an item that you just HAD to have? I mean to the
point where you don't even consider the practicality of the style? I did that
with our patio table set. We needed a set, so it wasn't a frivolous impulse
buy. We were shopping specifically for a patio set. But once I set my eyes on
the gorgeous shiny amber glass, I was hooked. I didn't consider that in order
to keep it shiny, it has to be cleaned. Very well. A LOT. I mean it's outside
all the time for Pete's sake! I didn't consider that because the glass was
removable, that dirt and water would creep to the underside of the glass. So
that meant double cleaning. Double very well. Double a LOT. And I didn't
consider that because it is glass, that it would get scratched and etched with
wear and tear. I just saw the shiny, pretty table and fell in love...
Fast forward to about seven
years later. At least. Scratches, dirt, and etchings by weathered beatings
galore. My shiny pretty table is still shiny, but obviously worn. What do I do
now short of buying a new patio set? Which I couldn't do - we were talking
about putting our house on the market so there was no room in the budget for
that. Think....think...THINK...Ok...
The other side isn't etched
and scratched. Just flip it over.
Yeah, but that doesn't solve
my problem with the dirt and water going on the underside.
Ok....caulk it. Yeah, but that doesn't solve
my problem with hiding the scratches and etches - glass is clear, remember??
Even amber glass. Ok....I want it to not be
clear any more...but I want it to be pretty...
And there, borne out of what I
considered to be great need (I'm sure my husband thought I was goofy), I came
up with the idea to use Trading Phrases decals to make my table pretty again. I
had already purchased a few of their decals and I (like every other sane
person) am IN LOVE with about 98% of what they have. So I measured my patio
table and sat online looking at all of my options. I bookmarked the designs I
thought could work. I emailed Samantha incessantly about measurements and could
they do this with that, and make this that size.......(gosh, that girl is
PATIENT!!) and thanks to Samantha's lovely soul, I decided my best bet was to
use the wall runners. I needed a gap in the table to allow for the umbrella
hole, and getting one pattern to fit the entire table the exact right way
without having to cut too much out of the center was nearly impossible to find.
I chose the Swirl Wall Runner (WP901) in outdoor black. My table is a black-ish
powder coat and I wanted something that would be clearly seen through the
glass, and also very sturdy to endure the weather.
I purchased the wall runners,
they arrived and I was SOO excited to start my project! But by the time I had
decided on what to use, we had already put our house on the market. I had a two
and half year old little boy and a household that needed to be perfect all the
time. And needed to be ready to leave the house empty at nearly the drop of a
hat so I couldn't start a project like this. We sold our house but our new
house wouldn't be available just yet. So we had to rent a townhouse in between,
and my beloved wall runners went into storage, and then it was
winter...and I had to wait even LONGER! Thank goodness Trading Phrases
makes a high quality product! It was rolled up in it's package for a YEAR by
the time I could use it!! I have talked about it so much, I just pray it looks
as good in real life as it does in my head!
Finally this year, after we
got ourselves moved and settled (and after rescuing two German Shepherd
puppies) I found a nice day with several nice days to follow, got my son down
to nap and the puppies tuckered out and in their crates and set to it. Without
much further ado...
My now gross table. Partially
cleaned, but still yucky. Can't see all the scratches and etches in it unless
you are close up. Probably a good thing.
I cleaned it as best I could,
and this is where I realized that I couldn't get it all off. Which made me
upset, but then I thought "Hey - it's over seven years old. It will still
look better than it does now."
I got out the decals and
unrolled them and measured. And measured. And taped. Then adjusted. And
measured. Adjusted. Adjusted. Taped. Measured. Taped. Adjusted. Like 73 times.
I wanted to be sure I was doing this so that it was straight, even, didn't have
a huge gap in the middle and had even spaces all around the edge. Because even
though you probably won't notice it, I am a little bit anal (ok, a LOT anal!!)
and *I* will notice it so the chance that you will notice it will make me
crazy. (Add some OCD in there, please) I then quickly figured out that trying
to do an entire length was going to be nearly impossible. So I cut in between
the pattern, knowing I could match up the cuts each time, making sure my
pattern stayed the same and didn't have any weird gaps. Let me tell you - glass
is SERIOUSLY unforgiving!
Once I found my groove, it
became easier and quicker to stick the decals to the table. Not without issues,
mind you, because the decals had been rolled up for a long time, which caused
some of the paper to gap. And did I mention glass is seriously unforgiving??!!!?
Once you get it stuck, it's not going anywhere unless you're going to rip it
apart or stretch the daylights out of it. Little bits of etching or even some
dust as the wind blew caused issues. And I should have had my husband help me
take the entire table down to the basement, but that would have been a huge
ordeal, so I just pressed on. At the ends, I wrapped the decal completely
around the table and cut it on the other side so it wouldn't get peeled off.
Once I got an entire row down, I couldn't wait to see how it looked. So I
started peeling (make sure you press very firmly, and on every single piece or it will get ruined, these decals are a year old- do yours within 60 days and you shouldn't have a problem) and I began to get more and more excited as I
could see it unfold. Finally, I had the entire table covered in decals and I
loved it! Half way there!!
 |
| Even without paint the decals are a huge improvement! |
My husband helped me move the
table to the yard - I figured if I got paint on the grass, it would be getting
cut anyway so it didn't matter. I made sure the table was covered and only the
glass would get paint. I sprayed white paint lightly all over the table,
allowing it to dry and did a bunch of layers. I truly didn't want the table to
be see-through any more. Then I sprayed on clear lacquer in a few layers to
really seal everything in. I considered removing
the decals afterward, but knew that one would still see through the table if I
didn't that. Uh uh. Not obsessing about the dirt underneath showing any more.
I allowed it to dry
thoroughly, and hoped my neighbors weren't mad at me for making it smell
outside with all the paint I was spraying. It did smell. A BUNCH.
My husband helped me take out the glass and set
it down flat. I used a thick all weather silicon caulking on the inside lip of
the table and prayed it would work. Not too much oozed out and it was starting
to come together. My husband and I flipped the glass over - making the smooth
side be the table side again - and placed the glass with the decal and paint
facing DOWN. I let it set overnight in the caulking then bought black outdoor
silicone caulking to fill in the gap between the glass and the edge of the
table. I could finally take the ugly, green clips that held the glass in place
and toss them altogether. I painted the plastic guard for the umbrella pole
black and put it back in. It had been an ugly, dingy, yellowed hunk of plastic
and is now black and shiny.
And here it is! Our finished patio table. I love
how it turned out, and it seems to be holding up really well. Everyone who sees
it thinks it looks pretty great as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment