Today I wanted to explain how I made the concrete look outdoor coffee table that we recently added to our shop. It was a relatively simple and fun project so I thought it would be worthwhile to share in case you would like to make your own instead. It also would allow you to make one in a larger size if you wanted one for 1:6 scale or 1:9 scale.
Supplies
- Wooden Bun Foot in the size you want
- Liquitex Acrylic Medium (Natural Sand Effect)
- Paint
Tools
- Adjustable Slip-Joint Pliers/ Channel Locks
- Needle Nose Pliers
- Paintbrushes
- 400 Grit Sandpaper (not pictured)
Now before you go out and purchase all the stuff, I want to be very upfront. It can be difficult to get the screw for attaching the bun foot to furniture out of the wood. It is best to use a pair of channel locks like the ones shown. The flat jaws are much easier to get a grip on the screw than ones that have space for nuts and bolts to fit into. I could do it myself, but it was easier to have my fiancée help me with it. It does require a decent amount of hand and arm strength to break it free. So, it will probably be beneficial to make sure you have someone that can help you if you can’t get it yourself.
To remove the staple you will want to use the needle nose pliers or similar style pliers to get under it and roll it, as if you where making jump rings with it. It gives you the best ability to be able to grasp it and pull it out.
Now once you have the screw out, you can fill the hole if you wish with wood fill, but it is not necessary since the hole will be on the bottom of the table; you will want to take the sandpaper and lightly sand the sides and top till they feel smooth to you. It will probably not take much sanding, but it is easier to work with a smooth surface that to try and cover up and fix a not smooth one.
Once the wood is sanded to your liking, you will want to take the acrylic medium and apply it to the surface. I found it looked the nicest if you applied a moderately thick coat of it so that all the wood was completely covered, and you could not see any of the brown of the wood under the white gray of the medium. You will want to let it completely dry before you touch it again otherwise you will run the chance of knocking the coating off or smudging it. It should take between three and five hours, but I would usually leave them to dry overnight myself, just to be safe.
Make sure to wash your brush thoroughly when you are done applying the acrylic medium, if you don’t get it all the way clean it will get very hard and probably ruin the brush. It is difficult to get the grit out, so I do not recommend using an expensive brush for this step, an inexpensive craft brush would be beneficial.
Once the medium is dry you will want to take the acrylic paint color of your choice and paint the entire piece. I found that two or three coats worked best for me.
At this point the table is done!! If you wanted, you could apply a coat of sealer to protect the paint, but you don’t have to. Though if you intend to use it outside in the elements, I do recommend it to make it last longer.
I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial and that it was helpful in creating a new item for your dollhouse or miniature scene.
Here is the link for the table if you would like to purchase it from our shop!! http://www.etsy.com/listing/1247012972/concrete-outdoor-coffee-table-112-scale
B n' B Kreationz 