Oh The Places You'll Go

Linda
by Linda
6 Materials
$21.00
6 Hours
Easy
  • While sitting at your desk. :) My tired old desk needed a make-over. The top was wearing down. Now, this is NOT fine furniture, so whatever I do to it won't harm it.

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So, I used these maps I had lying around. To decoupage, I use a watered down white glue. For me, Mod-Podge is pricey.

Just paste on the glue with a sponge brush, on the back side. Then flip it and add it to the desk top in no particular order. Experiment with it.

If your desk has any glossy areas, you might want to lightly sand those areas before you start.

The larger the pieces, the harder it is to work with. So cut up the maps.

Just like wallpaper, you need to smooth it out and remove the bubbles and extra glue. Just use any hard flat item to do this.

I did add some other cut outs, butterflies, flowers, etc. I used only one 4 ounce bottle of white glue for the entire desk. The desk is 29 inches by 59 inches.

To seal it, I put on 5 coats of Minwax Pro Series SPAR URETHANE, indoor/outdoor. So far I have found that this urethane doesn't yellow. I had it on hand from a previous project.

Now, this is not for everyone, since it is a busy pattern. But it's fun looking at the maps.

You can also buy a piece of plexi-glass cut to fit the desk top. That would be too expensive for this old desk.

I tried several times to get this photo to the top. It's a before photo. Sorry

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Frequently asked questions
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  3 questions
  • Harry Haggen Harry Haggen on Jul 13, 2019

    Did you peice together the maps of one community or is this of several different locations throughout the country puzzled together?

  • Linda Linda on Jul 13, 2019

    Great job.. And great idea.. Gave me some good ideas too for an old road atlas.

  • Debbie Debbie on Jul 13, 2019

    How. Much water do you mix with the glue?

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