Thrift Store Table Makeover under $3 (*Including the table)

I ended up with this project when we were in real need for a large table.My husband wanted to get rid of the small glass table we already had and wanted a big table to accommodate his external monitor and also the laptop.We may move anytime so we don't like to splurge much on furniture and so we always hunt thrift store when there is a need. Any guesses on how much we spent for this table ?? Don't be shocked !! just 42 cents.(Happy dance !!Happy dance !!)  Ask me how ?? The thrift store near our house had a sale of 50% off on big items.The price of this table was $10 ,as there was a sale it came to $5.The store has launched a new app and when you install it you can get $5 coupon and so I finally paid only the tax amount. Isn't it great??  :P .When you are thrifting always look for sales and coupons for a great deal :) . 

Coming to the table ,the one we got is a artist's drafting table and so the white top had some black paint marks and some scratches here and there. We sprayed it with some soap and wiped it clean with a thought that the black spots will disappear but it did not.So, I asked my husband whether Can I paint it white or you would like a wood texture?He said option two and that resulted in "Thrift Store Table Makeover under $3".

Materials Used : 

Any table you want to do a makeover

The secret ingredient - Contact paper (I used two rolls from the dollar store which costs me $2)But it depends on where you get, what kind of pattern and the table size.

Scissors

Any rewards card or any flat thing for smoothing out the air bubbles.

If you are new to the term "Contact paper"- It is a material that has a decorative patterns such as wood texture, marble texture ,floral patterns ,etc on one side and an adhesive material on the other side.It easily sticks to the desired surface and usually comes in roll form.

Step 1: As mentioned earlier, the first job is to clean the table with soap and water. Let it dry. If you want to remove any unwanted part that you don't need it,remove it. We removed a black steel piece on the edge which is used to hold the canvas while painting (I think you remember ,"this is a artist's drafting table") .

This is how the table looks after cleaning.

These are the scratch marks visible after cleaning.

Step 2: Lets get into the pasting job. We already got a experience of pasting contact paper on the top of our "Kitchen Storage Cabinet makeover".We didn't do a great job at that time as it was our first time pasting a contact paper on a large surface.So we learnt a few tips on what to avoid while pasting the contact paper.The key is slowly pasting the contact paper and smoothing it with help of card.Slow I mean removing backing paper for 2 or 3 inches ,pasting and smoothing after every 2 or 3 inch.Yes girl!! You gotta be patient because the end result is so worth it. With that said, let's get started.

Start by removing few inches of backing paper from the contact paper needed to cover the sides and over an inch for folding under the table.Make a crease on the backing paper and line it over the edge of the table and paste it. Smooth it to get rid of air bubbles or any wrinkles.

Now slowly removing the backing paper for about 2 to 3 inch and smooth the area with the card to get rid of bubbles and then repeat the process until the whole table is covered.

I needed help until I pasted around 10 inches or so to hold the roll of contact paper slightly up so that it will be easy to work removing the backing paper and pasting. 

Step 3: Trim the problematic areas to get a clean edge. On the edges ,I trimmed the under and right side piece and overlapped the front piece.(Refer the picture below). The table also had a metal base that comes till the front so I made trimmed a small piece and then pasted it under.Now the half table is done.

Step 4: Repeat the same procedure to cover the rest of the table.This will surely take about 2 to 3 hours but don't worry ,I am sure you will be amazed to look at your new table. 

Here is how the table looks with all the laptop and external monitor :).Oh ya !! And my upcycled flower vase too ;)

I worked at night for this project and so some photos may look different in night than the ones taken with daylight if you are wondering why .:)

I hope you enjoyed this budget friendly makeover .Keep this technique in mind when you want to do some makeover at your home. After all the project is done we thought the marble pattern contact paper would have been a great for this table ;) But that was too late for us.So, before you start the makeover explore the patterns available and chose your best option. Share what you think in the comments below. Have you done any makeover like this before?? 

Also don't forget to Enter the Mother's Day giveaway !!