Furniture Makeover: No Paint Needed

You know that I enjoy transforming furniture and decorative accessories with paint, right?  I sometimes feel like a paint brush is attached to my hand like Inspector Gadget – always ready and instantly accessible to put my style on everything with the swish of my brush.

My twin sister, Carol  (yes, I am an identical twin) on the other hand, is not a DIYer.  She enjoys reading my blog, but asked  me to post an easy project that a non-DIYer like herself could do.   Today I have such a project…1..2…3… easy.  It is an easy furniture makeover that doesn’t require you to pick up a paint brush and that requires no prep work or mess,  just a pair of scissors and the skills you learned in kindergarten.

Do you remember this pair of metal side tables that I found at a thrift shop back in the fall?

I removed the crystals and then placed the tables in a tight spot next to a big chair in my family room, that is how I left them.

tables before

They make a perfect pair – one holds a light to read by, the other a drink.  I eventually do want to paint them, but am not sure what color yet.

Until I decide what color to paint them, I found a fun, temporary, and non-damaging way to give them a little bit of color and pattern without using paint.

tables after

I covered the tops and scalloped sides with removable wallpaper. All that is required for you to do is: trace, cut and apply.  The paper can be applied on most surfaces and any shape or size object.

Unlike regular wallpaper that becomes permanent and is hard to remove, this wallpaper made by Chasing Paper can be permanent or as temporary as you want. It is like thick contact paper that you peel and stick, but with a bit more style.  It comes in 2 x 4 foot panels, so you don’t need to buy an entire roll to tackle a small project.

It can transform or be used to accent just about anything –walls, cabinet doors, drawer liners – whatever you want.  You are only limited by your imagination.

step-by-step directions: easy as 1..2..3..

supplies needed:

• Wallpaper – I used the pattern called, Squiggle & Pop in the color Mustard
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Craft knife

1.  Lay paper right side up. Place table on paper upside down. Trace around the table top.  Cut out with scissors.

2. Peel the paper backing off and stick it on the table top.

To smooth and remove air bubbles from the paper:    Place the paper-backing, shiny side down on wallpaper. Gently rub a spatula or the side of a credit card over the paper from the center out to the sides. The paper backing will protect you from damaging the paper while smoothing.

3. If trimming is needed, place the table upside down on a cutting surface.  Run a craft knife around the table edge to remove excess paper.

4. To make the scallop edge. Wrap another piece of the wallpaper around the table. Use tape to hold it in place.  Trace the scallops with a pencil on the wrong side of the wallpaper.

5. Remove and cut out the scallops.  Peel wallpaper backing and wrap around scalloped edge on the table.

This paper is much thicker than most wallpaper and has a slight vinyl feel to it, which makes it easy to wipe clean.   No coaster needed.

Working with removable wall paper is easily done by just about anyone and adds a decorative color punch almost instantly.

So, the next time you want to transform a thrift store find, a hand-me down, or even something you already own and don’t want to make it permanent or you just need to change things up a bit, think beyond paint and try using some decorative paper.  If you have some time and want to create a one-of-a-kind look, use both paint and add the paper as a decorative accent.  The possibilities are endless.