Introduction: Tired Dining Table & Credenza Transformation Using Faux Marble Technique

About: A clutz that swears she can build it,fix it, and make it go

Two mismatched pieces were begging for an upgrade - on a tiny budget. Rummaging  the basement, I  found the inspiration to create matching faux marble finish on both pieces, thus merging them as a matched dining set.   
Note: This "Credenza" was more of a dresser with a nice plastic laminate top. 

Step 1: Materials: $30 or Less




Paint:                                                                                                      

Black                                    1 Fine Paint Brush                                 Polyurethane

Green                                   1 Small Sponge{s}                                Steel Wool

White                                     1 Sponge Roller                                    Tack Cloth


Step 2: Prep & Coat

Lightly "sand" the surface with steel wool and wipe off debris and such with tack cloth. Apply the base coat, which in this case is black. Two or three coats ought to be sufficient. Once the base coat paint dries, dab the sponge lightly in the dish of paint so that the sponge isn't saturated. I chose to start with the lightest color in this selection of colors. Don't forget the edges!

Step 3: Details & Interest

Interest is added to the process by lightly rolling half the sponge with one color and the other half with a different color. In this case, green and white. The shape of the sponge helped while dabbing to make different random shapes. The colors start to overlap and blend.

Step 4: Adding Cracks

After blending to taste, I applied some "faux" cracks in the marble design to add some realism. Dipping the fine tipped, narrow brush into the white paint, I applied the brush with light to gradually heavy pressure and variating to light pressure with a light lift toward the end, giving the crack the impression of receding into the "marble". The sponge with lightly dipped on one edge to feather out some of the crack edges.  The same color scheme was duplicated onto the dining table. Attention is payed to the edges of the table and drawers for a realistic touch.

Step 5: Apply Protectant

I protected the application with the polyurethane in order to make the surfaces washable and last.  Three coats were applied using a small sponge roller.  Viola!  

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