In a no-fuss project, lifestyle blogger Kate Albrecht—aka Mr. Kate and the author of
A Hot Glue Gun Mess—uses pages from a black-and-white
anatomy textbook and a canister of gold paint to revamp a coffee table found curbside. To pick the right shade of gold you're looking for, she says, "Look at the cap." The covers indicate the sheen. "The caps that are more of a subtle shimmer are matte and the [others] are metallic, like an Oscar statuette," she says.
Prep the table by roughly sanding the surface until there's no sign of peeling varnish (it should be smooth to the touch). "Start off with a heavier grit (80 or 100), and then go up in number," Albrecht says. (The higher the grit, the smoother the sandpaper.) Spray the legs with primer. After it dries, ideally overnight, the table's legs and edges are ready for a couple coats of gold. If the book you're using is new, consider an aged-paper look. Soak the sheets in black coffee for up to two minutes. Hang the paper up to dry. Then roll on each piece with a foam brush dipped in
Mod Podge until the tabletop is completely covered. When the decoupaged top is dry, trim off any excess paper. Seal with two coats of
polycrylic protective finish.
