Glass Dining Room Table "Etching"

Intro: 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.

STEP 2: Prepare the Table for Painters Tape.

In this step you need to thoroughly clean the table so your tape and eventually paint are going to adhere well.

STEP 3: Cover the Table With Painters Tape.

Starting from one side work your way to the other side with long strips of painters tape, with each strip slightly overlapping the previous one.

You'll want to find the widest painters tape you can for this, it'll make it much easier.

STEP 4: Sketch Your Design Onto the Tape.

You might want to start with pencil and sketch out your design, then go over it with a thick black sharpie when you are satisfied.

I warmed up on this piece of cardboard and tried out a few motifs until I was ready to go.

STEP 5: Now Comes the Tedium. But It's Worth It.

It's time to cut out your design. You're actually leaving the design on the table and removing everything else.

Note: X-ACTO has a handy knife that allows the blade to rotate 360 in the tool. This is very helpful when you are cutting curves like this design.

You'll probably want a drink handy for this phase.

STEP 6: Spraypaint the Entire Table

I don't have any pics of the spray painting process, but basically you want to spray paint the entire table going over your taped design. Smooth overlapping strokes back and forth will make it turn out great.

Make sure you have good ventilation and wear a mask.

When you are done the table will be entirely black. It actually looked pretty cool this way too.

The 2nd picture is from the underside of the table showing you the tape and the paint.

STEP 7: Remove the Painters Tape

You'll want to wait until the paint is dry and then you can begin removing the tape.

I've got a couple of cloths on the table to rest my arms and tools on.

This step also requires some patience.

STEP 8: Enjoy Your Custom 'etched' Table

Don't forget to turn the table back over so your design is on the underside!

Check out the cool patterns the light creates on the floor through the table.

Comments

[adriank]

excelente trabajo

[DropDeadShorty2320]

How did you do the legs? and is the table attached to the legs?

[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 :)