Glass Dining Room Table "Etching"

A time consuming way to make a plain glass table (or any piece of glass) so much cooler.

Supplies you'll need include:
Spraypaint (Matte Black)
Painters Tape (Blue)
X-ACTO Knife (360 rotation head) or other razor type knife
Sharpies/Pencils etc.
Patience

Step 1 Flip the table over.

You want to be working on the underside of the glass so your painted side is protected.

Comments

[nevarxxxraven]

Thanks for this wonderfull idea. the only problem i had was when removing the tape the paint came off with it. So I had to cut the outline of the tape before removing it completely.

[Chefboy6382]

if your using a plotter, spend about 2 times as much and get vinyl made especially for painting

[Code128]

Wow. Really cool nevarxx. Thanks for posting your pics.

[Chefboy6382]

this is an awesome idea, a slightly less time consuming way to do this would be to make your design on the computer and cut it or have it cut with a plotter then apply that to the glass and paint it. all in all, great idea and truly awesome finished product!!

[jeff-o]

Can I borrow your 4x8 foot plotter for a weekend? ;)

[Chefboy6382]

Ill happily help you design and cut anything, i think it may be a little easier to ship you some vinyl rather than my whole plotter.

[jeff-o]

My question was in jest, since most people here don't have a plotter (and especially not one that large). But, since you have a plotter and (I assume) large rolls of vinyl, perhaps you could write up an instructable on how to use the two to create fancy decals for walls or windows, or paint masks. Maybe there's even a little home business ready to flourish!

[Chefboy6382]

I understood your sarcasm. and you are right not everyone has a plotter. but most every sign shop does and that is exactly the type of things they make, so someone could take the time to have the sign shop cut the design. and since not everyone has an artistic ability to be able to design and cut scrolls out of tape the sign shop would be a great resource. I have considered an instructable but since my home business is flourishing i haven't had the time. ill see what i can do in the future. thanks again

[nevarxxxraven]

awe an instuctable on any how to plotter would be amazing. i recently got my hands on one and have no idea wat im doin. besides the basics. i think its a beautiful hobby. im not the business type.

[thefrogness]

also what you can do is paste photocopies onto the tape (with spray adhesive, i use 3M its the best!) and scalpel directly through the image. Thats what I'm doing for my sandblasted screens :)

[putingtikbalang]

This is amazing! Thank you very much for sharing. :) I have a question for you, though: is there a way to "protect" the etching and ensuring it to be "scratch-proof" from the paint-side? Just wondering. :)

[Code128]

I've been living with the table for about a month now and the paint hasn't needed any 'protection'. I think the only thing to worry about would be peoples knees on the bottom of the table.

[seankreynolds]

You could probably varnish it with clear varnish ... just tape up the edges so it doesn't run over. I'd test this on a piece of spare glass first, though, just to make sure the varnish didn't react with the dried spraypaint somehow. FYI, if you peeled off the design instead of the "white space" around the design you could probably use glass etch to etch the design or a sandblaster.

[Gonazar]

.... But don't you scratch the table's glass when you go over it with a knife???

[professorred]

if it does scratch, the scratches will be on the border between the painted and unpainted bits. Also, this would add a white scratch and would look good with dark paints.

[Gonazar]

yeah but you're damaging the glass, and since it's used quite often couldn't that risk it's lifespan? Glass has a better chance of breaking if it already has nicks etc. in it right?

[Code128]

I wouldn't worry about weakening the glass, in this case it's very thick and the blade wouldn't cause anymore scratching than the normal sliding of dishes and glasses etc.

[Jonny Katana]

I think that the hardness of most glass > the hardness of X-ACTO knives. However, I have been wrong many, many times before :)

[professorred]

If you could somehow remove the tape before the paint dries, this would reduce the chance of the paint chipping. Maybe use paper or cardboard or whatever to remove quickly and easily.

[kirchmke]

I love this idea... A suggestion for someone who's not as artistic in doing the design: You can project an image using a projector and a printed transparency and then trace accordingly. I really love this idea! Thanks!

[jojo200517]

I like it also I think it would have been nice to peel off the design and have just it painted. It wouldn't be as much paint but it'd still be cool.

[At Liberty]

Gorgeous.

[cuteaznprincesss]

until this day, i've always thought of myself a cut above others in the realm of patience. you're work has completely humbled me. if i weren't living in a home that was not my own, i would translate your idea onto all my windows. so awesome.

[Llewner]

If you are technologically enabled, you could just draw this in CorelDraw or Illustrator (yuk) and then have it cut out at a sign shop. At the shop I work in, we stock 4' rolls of paint mask for just this sort of thing. It would cost a couple bucks but it would be precision and, hey, time is money, so you either spend the time or the money.

[Code128]

Yeah, that would be awesome and I have a plotter at work that I could have used, but it was the weekend and there is something to be said for the hand work aspect. I haven't had the chance to sit and work on something that intricate for awhile. It was good for the head. That being said, future screens will be plotted!

[jeff-o]

Excellent idea. This would be a neat effect for some windows or glass cabinet doors...

[aliceownsj00]

Thats amazing! I'm sure if that were available in stores people would buy it, haha I would!!

[sideways]

The black looks cool, different that the normal white glass frosting.

You can buy an acrylic water-base craft paint that looks like frosted glass when it is dry. I got mine at a retail craft chain store. It's only a couple dollars for a bottle that will cover a good sized area. It goes on with a brush and it looks *exactly* like the glass was acid or sand etched when it's dry.

I also believe there's spray-on glass frosting available right in the same aisle where one finds normal spray paint. This isn't water-based, so it would need to be used outdoors.

[armylifer]

VERY COOL IDEA!!!! I do something like it on a smaller scale but use glass acid etch and white vinyl shelf liner. Carbon paper to transfer my pattern works great to cut the pattern. The glass acid etch found at most hobby shops. Very easy to do, no bad smell and it just frost the surface of your pattern. I also do this with mirrors using basic line drawings like coloring book drawings. Popular cartoon characters, flowers, scenery etc...

[jongscx]

Would this work with actual Glass etchant? (is that a word? well Glass Etcher I guess) the kind that you spray on and it eats away at the glass surface, so you get a frosted finish? I'm glad you emphasized BE CAREFUL WHEN REMOVING THE TAPE in step 7.. I use the same method for painting comp cases, and it's always a pain when the tape takes chunks of the paint away. (it could also be that I prepared the case badly or didn't prime it... but whateva)

[n8man]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! Rabbids!!!!! They are going to take over the world with their plungers!!!!

[jongscx]

... is a muffin... ON A STICK!

[n8man]

I know that, but they do have plungers.

[rredmon]

if you had access to a portable sand blasting unit like is used to remove old paint from buildings...you could achieve a frosted glass look without any acid...you'd still have to cut out the stencil but the effect would be really cool. Great Idea btw.

[underroutine]

If only I saw this yesterday morning. I was at ikea and they had a whole stack of glass dining tables on sale for 20 dollars (from 100 regular!) but it was so clear and plain. Still top notch instructable.

[Jonny Katana]

I love the Instructable, man. The effect looks great, and unlike conventional etching, if you decide you don't like the design a few years down the road, just bust out the turpentine rags and go to work!

[tish]

Beautiful! Gorgeous! Amazing..! thank you for sharing.

[LinuxH4x0r]

Awesome! I'd suggest adding some sort of foam or some sort of spacer to the "legs" so that the paint doesn't get scratched.

[xr7vr0]

Excellent craftsmanship! I don't think I would have the patiente for this. If I were to do this, I would cut out a whole bunch of curves of random sizes first, and use spray adhesive to get them to stick to the glass trying to keep some sort of pattern. Much like a reverse stencil. I still don't think it would look as great as yours.

[inquisitive]

That is so pretty! I have a 4 tier glass and chrome stand that this would be a cool application.