I love to shop... no really! LOL. One of my favorite places to go is IKEA in there "As Is" section cause you can get great deals on items that can be used for even better projects. This last Christmas we got Koen a ton of train track and trains (even a couple Thomas trains) and we bought this table.We'd talked about getting Koen a train table from the toy store but the prices were super crazy for our budget! This table was $30 and is just the right height for our kids to play at, and it's adjustable.
Next up I contacted a friend of ours who has tools (so that I don't have to use my hand held saw!) and we'll be purchasing some basic trim (like the kind that goes around your doors and windows), cutting it to the length of the table edges (remember to measure the shorter edge of the angled cut!) and attaching it. The trim will be attached on the sides of the table, flush with the bottom of the tabletop, so that the table itself has a ridge running all the way around it.
Once that's complete I'll be caulking the inside edges and painting the surface of the table (after sanding cause it's super shiney) with tree tops and a river or two. I'll just be using acrylic paints, nothing fancy. The final coat will be a thick clear lacquer, something I can pick up at the craft store pretty easily. (Tip, use a blow dryer to keep the resin warm and help get rid of bubbles as you apply it. And remember to do something like this in a well ventilated area!!)
The reason I got the table at such a discount? a couple pock marks on the surface where a screw was tightened took much. Pfft, doesn't bother me, I'm painting over it!Total cost of materials and table comes out to about $50 instead of the $150 for the store bought tables and I get to customize the look all I want!
I'll post more pictures of my progress as I go. Thanks for stopping by!
5 comments:
How fun! My oldest son was crazy for trains when he was young. I'm sure this is going to be just fabulous when you're done, and you got a good deal as well.
How creative and a great deal, I am sure your little will have so much fun. I loved playing Thomas trains with my son, when he was little, he is 19 now :(
Oh what a great train table!! My son was so into trains as well and yes... those store tables are pricey. Love IKEA!! Great buy.
What a sweet deal!! You are SO LUCKY to have an IKEA!!! They are finally building one here in CO, but they just broke ground on it a couple months ago. So I'm guessing I have to wait a couple years before I can actually shop there.
Sounds like you got a great score on this table! I like your ideas for painting it. My boys (especially the older one) loved building layouts for their Thomas and Friends engines when they were young.
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