Half table upcycling idea

Make a mini desk from an old table

There's only one way to describe this upcycling idea – half the size, double the impact! If you’ve got an old table that's too good to throw out, you can copy this amazing idea and repurpose it as a trendy mini desk. Simply saw the table in two and bring one half back to life with a coat of edding permanent spray. Exceptionally opaque, quick-drying and durable, these acrylic paint sprays can transform small items of furniture, decorative accessories, wickerwork and all manner things into unique pieces. There's a wide range of vivid colours, primers and clear lacquers to choose from; we opted for a vibrant yellow, setting it off with touches of turquoise.

All images: MMOS

Categories: Home decor
Living room
Upcycling & DIY hacks
Products: Permanent spray
Materials: Wood
Difficulty: A bit more challenging
Downloads: Images (ZIP)

Step-by-step

Step 1

For our mini desk, we used edding 5200 permanent spray universal primer, plus paint spray in traffic yellow (colour code 905) and opulent turquoise (934). First of all, dismantle the table and give it good clean. Roughen the surfaces to be painted using sandpaper, to ensure better paint adhesion. Completely cover your work surface and surrounding area with masking film.

Step 2

Sawing lengthwise through the table, saw off roughly one third of the table surface area.

Step 3

Next, paint the individual table parts, one at a time. Apply the primer first, to ensure the colour paint adheres better. Leave the primer to dry for around 30 minutes. In our Spray basics section we’ve got some great tips on how to achieve a perfect spraying technique. Once the primer is dry, continue with a colour coat – we’ve used yellow in our example. We recommend that larger areas, such as the table top, be sprayed using criss-cross strokes to achieve a really smooth paint result. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly.

Step 4

Before you start spraying the bottom of the table legs in opulent turquoise, use masking film and masking tape to carefully cover all areas that you want to remain yellow.

Step 5

Once everything is completely dry, the table can be reassembled. To enable the table to stand securely on two legs, screw a sturdy wooden panel or length of square-edged timber to the wall and attach the table to it.