Introduction: How to Reproduce a Logo or Image on a Table
This unused dining table was re-purposed for an outdoor party area for a Texas A and M sports fan. Adding an image or logo to a piece of furniture like a table can be intimidating. It's easier than you think. The main tools are:
a ruler
a large layout ruler or other long straight board to sketch with
lots of blue painters tape
paint
brush or roller etc.
drop cloth
rubber gloves
sandpaper
This logo is very basic as many are with only two colors. I started off by priming the table and then painting the top white (there is an official Aggie white but any will do). Home Depot used to have all collegiate colors making the job of selecting paint easy. Aggies are particular when it comes to Maroon. However, they have dropped a lot of the Universities they used to support. Fortunately I still had a small amount from an earlier project so they were able to color match pretty closely. I painted the legs and skirt Aggie maroon.
Step 1: Transfering the Logo
I found a logo on the A and M web site. It had simple clean bold lines and would make a great image for the table. After printing a full page image in black and white, I proceeded to sketch a grid with large squares across the image. Basically, find the center of the image and from there measure out to the edge of your logo. Draw a square or rectangle that encompasses the whole logo. Divide the square or rectangle into even portions. This is going to be your reference guide. The more squares you make the easier the detail will be to transfer.
Starting at the center of your table, lightly pencil a square or rectangle proportionate to your logo as large as you want the image to be. Then divide that square as you did on the paper logo to as many smaller squares as you have on the paper version. I wanted this one to be fairly large. ( My apologies for no image of this step. The doom of many of my planned Instructables). My table had curved portions on the ends so I did the layout using a square and layout ruler from the middle outwards. From there using your printed logo as reference, sketch the logo one square at a time onto the table top until the whole image is penciled in.
Step 2: Blue Tape!!
Following your logo lines apply blue tape neatly without crinkles. Run your finger along the edge. If there are gaps paint will find its way there and you will spend forever doing touch up. Make sure you outline all the letters. This is a little tedious but a time saver in the end.
After, that start painting! I recommend two coats. If the white still shows thru give it another coat.
Step 3: All Done!
Slowly peel the tape away. Touch up any boo boos. I like to clear coat things we paint to make them wear better. I really like Rustoleums clear finish. It dries fast and looks great. In this case it was going outside. You can see a slight ambering from the Minwax exterior finish I used. I understand a nice Marine grade finish will dry clear so I'll try that next time.
Well there ya have it. I hope this Instructable was helpful and inspiring. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments! Thanks for reading!