DIY Idea: Revamped Tabletop

WORDS Misi Overturf IMAGES Adriaan Oosthuizen

Skinny legs with pleasant curves might tickle some DIY creative’s fancy. In the eye of the upcycler, half of something is always brimming with new potential. Paired with a discarded marble tabletop, a whole new side table is brought to life.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Old metal table frame
• Jigsaw
• Pencil
• 180-grit sandpaper
• Spray-paint primer
• Spray paint in hot pink
• 4-mm wood drill bit
• Cordless drill
• Wire
• Contact adhesive
• Old round marble tabletop

WHAT TO DO:

To prepare the legs:

1. Lightly sand the metal legs to get rid of unevenness and rust. A rust treatment may be needed to get rid of tough marks.

2. When the metal is clean and free of grime, use a metal primer to coat the frame and leave to dry.

3. A shocking, but fun colour update will bring the thin frame to life. Apply two coats of hot-pink spray paint to add a fun finish.

Securing the top:

1. This table had a wonky wooden top. Trim it smaller with a jigsaw, so that the wood is slightly wider than the diameter of the frame at the top of the legs.

a. If you find legs with no top, a small piece of wood will come in handy. Search in your workshop, garage or dump yards for a piece. Place the legs upside down on top of the wood and mark the circle of the frame. Cut the wood 1–2 cm wider than the circle with a jigsaw.

b. Using a 4-mm drill bit for wood, drill holes on either side of the marked circle at three evenly spaced points.

c. Tie the wood to the metal frame with strong but malleable wire. Tie the ends of the wire in a ligature and cut off the excess wire.

2. Spread contact adhesive on top of the wood and fasten the marble top to the wooden base.

This is an extract from 50 Upcycling Projects: From Trash to Treasure by Misi Overturf, published by Human & Rousseau. The book, which retails at R325, is available in both English and Afrikaans.