How to upcycle a second-hand table with tiles

Sometimes it pays to take a second look at that pile of rubbish at the side of the road. That's what DIY author Geneva Vanderzeil did when she stumbled across an old table during a council rubbish collection.

WATCH: Charlie Albone upcycles a coffee table and a fish tank for a spectacular new look

With more than a few DIY makeovers under her belt, the keen upcycler gave the table a design-led makeover, using patterned tiles to create a gorgeous new look.

Here's Geneva's step-by-step guide to doing it yourself.

Geneva Vanderzeil

Gather your supplies

For the table

Sturdy table
Johnson Tiles 97mm x 97mm satin finish tiles
60cm x 120cm MDF sheet (plus screws and drill)
3mm tile spacers
Davco Tile Glue
Dunlop Ultra White Tile Grout
British Paints Bright White Ceiling Paint

For the painted tiles

Here's how

Step 1

If you want to, paint your tiles with terracotta paint in random shapes. Do two coats of paint and then spray with the spray enamel to reduce chipping.

Step 2

To work out the size of tiles and spacers you should use, measure the table. Our table was 60cm x 120cm. I found tiles that were 97mm and chose 3mm spacers so each set of tile and spacer was 100mm (10cm). The table would therefore need 6 tiles x 12 tiles. This meant we didn’t need to cut any tiles.

Step 3

Because our table had longer legs, we first cut the legs of the table to turn it into a coffee table height (400mm) using a saw.

Step 4

Prepare the surface for tiling by sanding the top of the table. I screwed on a piece of MDF to the top of the table so I had the perfect surface.

Step 5

Apply the glue to the surface of the table using a tile adhesive spreader. Press the tiles down, and use the tile spacers to ensure that the tiles are equally spaced. Let dry for 24 hours.

Step 6

Grout the tiles by spreading grout over the tiles and pressing it between the spaces of the tiles. Use a sponge to clean the tiles before the grout dries. Leave to dry overnight.

Step 7

Paint the legs of the table. We did two coats of white paint.