| Furniture, even accent furniture can be one of the | | | | Since the bench finish was in good shape, I simply |
| top budget busters when decorating your home. | | | | sanded the top to allow the tile adhesive to grab |
| Finding a coffee table that is affordable, yet | | | | better. You could also paint the entire piece as well |
| interesting can be quite a chore. Here is an easy | | | | to match your decor, but still sand the top. |
| project that can easily be adapted to fit a variety of | | | | I applied a small tub of tile adhesive to the entire top, |
| styles and circumstances. | | | | then lay the tile quickly and push down gently to set. |
| I started using an old bench as a base for my coffee | | | | Make sure you have the tiles laid out in the way you |
| table. It was narrow enough not to take up too | | | | wish them to appear on the table to save time. (You |
| much space in my small family room, and the finish | | | | don't want the adhesive to set before you are |
| was in relatively good shape. (Plus, I already had it | | | | done!) Clean up any adhesive off the bench or tiles |
| laying around, it was free!) | | | | with a damp cloth. Allow to set at least 24 hours |
| First I used a hand saw to take two inches off the | | | | before using. |
| bottom of the legs, to bring it to the height of a | | | | The tile layout can be simple as mine was, or an |
| coffee table. Most coffee tables are between 16-18 | | | | elaborate mosaic design. I chose not to grout my |
| inches high. | | | | tiles as they fit together so nicely, but grouting would |
| Next, I chose some old ceramic floor tiles I had | | | | be best with lots of small tiles. |
| leftover from an old project to become the new top. | | | | This project can be done on any piece of furniture |
| It would be easy to clean when my kids ate on it, | | | | from a bench to a chest to a cut down dining table. |
| yet add a touch of elegance to my cottage style | | | | Consider asking your local flooring specialty shop if |
| room. The tiles did not cover the entire surface to | | | | they have tiles that are going to be thrown out, or |
| the edge however, so a quick run to Home Depot | | | | any broken tiles you could use for mosaic. Many |
| yielded some edging tiles to fill in the space and add a | | | | times they will let you have them for free. |
| finishing touch. | | | | |