DIY Faux Marble for a Console Table

18 Materials
$40
2 Days
Easy

This Faux Marble Console Table is without a doubt, tied for first place among my favorite Home Decor DIYs. I would also have to throw in my Oyster Shell Mirror and the Original Console Table into the mix.

Not only am I tickled with the way the faux marble top and apron came out, but the acrylic legs just add a whole level of ‘way cool’ to my new sofa table.

Materials Needed for Faux Marble for the Console Table with Acrylic Legs


  • A piece of low-grain wood, like poplar or ash. Mine measures 4′ by 12″.
  • Wood for the apron of the table. If you are using the Amicalola legs, you will need your apron sides to be 5″ tall to cover the hardware of the leg.
  • Primer
  • Wood grain filler (optional)
  • 220 grit sandpaper
  • Acrylic paint for the base color of the table and a second color for marble veining. I used Sherwin Williams Swiss Coffee for the white base and Liquitex Basics in Neutral Gray, mixed with a little white, for my veining.
  • Water in a fine mist spray bottle
  • Glazing medium
  • Large feather (like Turkey, Pheasant or Goose)
  • Paintbrush
  • Container to mix and store paint
  • Stiff bristle round brush
  • Paper Towels
  • Lint-free rag
  • Hairdryer
  • 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper
  • Polycrylic
  • Good quality brush for Polycrylic
First Step: Prepare Your Wood



  • Sand, prime and paint your tabletop and apron sides. Find a smooth-grained wood like Ash or Poplar if possible. If that isn't an option and If the grain still shows through, consider a wood grain filler. I did this project when I wasn’t able to run to the hardware store, so I had to make do with what I had and this wood filler worked wonders for the grainy piece of wood I had.
  • Since you want your faux marble to look as much like real marble as possible, make sure the top and sides are really smooth. Get comfy with your sandpaper!



Second Step: Marbling Your Tabletop


Right upfront, I have to admit that I love faux marbling! It really is so easy. But as in any artistic creation, the key is knowing when to stop. You’ll find it so easy and rewarding that you’ll want to just keep going. But…be disciplined and stop when are find yourself searching for areas to keep marbling.


I also highly recommend practicing marbling on a scrap piece of wood before you start on your ‘real’ piece.




  • Mix your paint: 1/3 each of the color of your veining, water, and glaze. I used
  • Using a spray bottle with a fine mist, spray a very light mist over your tabletop.
  • Dip your feather into the paint and then dab off much of the paint on a paper towel.
  • Starting in the upper left-hand corner of your piece, slowly drag your feather in a diagonal (from left to right) across your tabletop. Barely skim the surface of the wood, rotating your wrist from side to side. Rotating your wrist will result in a more natural, uneven line like you would find in natural marble.
  • Make sure you continue your veining naturally over the edge of your table.
  • Repeat this procedure across the table surface.

If you find you have heavy paint in any area, use your round bristle brush to gently dab it.

I also find that misting heavy areas again with help the paint dissipate and look more natural.

Once you’ve done your diagonal across the whole surface, do a few, sparing, strokes on a horizontal plane.

  • If you are unhappy with what you are seeing, remove the paint before it dries and do it until you are happy.
  • Once you like what you see, use a hairdryer on the coolest setting to dry the paint. Don’t get the heat too close to your wood as some white paints will yellow with the direct heat. No Bueno!
  • Now, mix up 1/3 of each the white base color, glaze, and water.
  • Using a medium to large paintbrush, sweep the glaze over your dried veining.

Let it sit all of a minute and then, using your lint-free rag, pick up the glaze. I find that dabbing it eliminated ‘strokes’. Definitely look at it from all angles so that you dab any of the brush strokes, you don’t want to see any brush strokes in your marble. This glaze just softens the veining.

Repeat the entire process for the apron pieces.


I made a video showing the faux marbling process from start to finish. You can see it here.

  • I applied several coats of Polycrylic to the apron and tabletop, wet sanding between each coat. I tried several different methods (sponge brush, rag, and bristle brush) of applying the polyacrylic and found that adding a wee bit of water and using a good quality brush made for acrylic did the best job of spreading evenly. Work quickly, avoiding the urge to go back and touch up spots you might have missed…you are better off just getting those spots on a second or third coat.

Once you are done with your marbleing...pop on over to the blog to see how I added the acrylic legs to the marble top to make the console table.

Resources for this project:
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Lynn @ Nourish and Nestle
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  3 questions
  • Lorraine Lorraine on Aug 09, 2020

    could i do this for an kitchen island

  • Marnie Marnie on Aug 09, 2021

    where do I find the acrylic legs?

  • Jan piner Jan piner on Aug 10, 2021

    Or are they clam shell? Regardless lovely🤗

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