Faux Stained Glass: Pond in a Table

Michal
by Michal
5 Materials
$20
5 Hours
Medium
I turned my rusty old patio table into a piece of colorful art I can enjoy with my morning coffee. My beloved old table was damaged by the wind, salt and moisture of the sea near my Jaffa home, and as if that wasn't enough, it got a lot of wear from my roommates as well… it was time to make it chic again!

Here's the before and after. From rusty to artsy! Here's how I did it:
Step 1: Prepare for paint


Clean and dry the surface, then sand and peel all the rusty edges.
Step 2: Tape of the areas you plan to spray paint
Step 3: Prep for top pattern or picture


Decide what pattern you want to create on the glass. Print out an example, stick it under the glass with duct tape. It’s ok to combine a few different elements. When searching for online inspirations, type in the elements you want to paint and the word “drawing”. Choose something that is beautiful to you, or symbolises something positive. I chose koi fish swimming in a pond. They symbolize harmony, yin and yang and wealth.
Step 3: Trace & draw your design on the glass


Using permanent markers, follow the lines just like in kids' painting books. Once the outlines are in place, start adding your colors.
Tip: first paint the colors then create the outlines in black.
Step 4: Spray paint.


Protect the glass with duct tape and newspaper. And protect yourself with gloves and mask.
Spray paint can be very messy, but it's fast and has good, even coverage. Read the instructions on your spray can & don’t paint towards the wind.
Here it is after the fish and the paint. But there was more to do!
Step 5: Fill in the rest of your design!


I used permanent markers, the simple, easy-to-find kind. It takes them a few minutes to dry. In that time you can apply more color and shades and allow them to blend. This will happen naturally when applying more colors before the previous ones dried.
Here it is after I added my finishing touches. After you have painted the whole surface, go over the outlines with black marker or add a touch of gold marker to the fins.


What do you think? A brand new patio table using just spray paint and permanent markers. I'm in love!
Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 127 questions
  • M'Linda M'Linda on Oct 11, 2019

    Hi, first off VERY CUTE idea!!! Thank you for sharing. My question is did you paint under the glass, if not how do you keep it from getting damaged? I used the top and worry it will get damaged.

    Thank you

    M'Linda

  • Kim Kim on Feb 28, 2020

    Love this! Did you spray a clear acrylics to seal the top?

  • Mermaid Mermaid on May 11, 2020

    How did you remove the glass? I have the same table but can't figure out how to remove the glass?

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 458 comments
Next