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Trash To Treasure

Table Top Help

15 years ago

I was wondering if you could give me suggestions for creating a new top for a small (31" x 20" x 20" tall) oval black wire metal table. It was a curbside find and the original top (glass?) is gone. There is a 3" oval wire rim around the top and then beneath the center of the table is another rim set in the interior of the table to support another top.

I'm not partial to plastic or to glass for a top...Could I cut some sort of backer board in an oval shape and mosaic it?? How difficult would this be? Any other suggestions? This table will most likely be used outdoors. It could be a very cute patio/porch table if re-done.

Thank you in advance for your help.

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Comments (5)

TwoMonths
15 years ago
yes of course you could do that and mosaic. But I waited a week or two and found a top on curb for mine...keep your eyes open.
kudzukween
15 years ago
sure you can! Plywood, exterior marine grade since you want it outside, and if you mosaic it ( I love to mosaic ) besides, glass costs a fortune!! nearly everyone has some kind of plywood laying around, or you can find some in someone's garage or curbside, or freecycle, same with plates to use or leftover floor tiles. I still use GEII silicone to glue on my broken china and tiles. And then grout it, and maybe a coat or two of a sealer for outside.
If you want the table to be a new color, spray paint it, you can get all kinds of new colors these days, and paint it first.
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In 1876, casters were first patented by David A. Fisher, and were initially designed for furniture. Casters were not a must, but an addition to move the furniture. Furniture casters were viewed as a convenience. In most of the cases, casters had more to do with lighting than housekeeping or design. Casters were fit on the legs to allow the furniture to be moved around the room to capture the changing sunlight from the windows throughout the day. Casters are of course older than the 19th century, but the use of them were very specific to the type of furniture. The earliest forms of furniture casters were made during the Queen Anne period in the early 1700s. Therefore, long before casters became common, early variations were being used with antique furniture. Further, many antique restoration shops eventually add casters to the mix to make the furniture a bit more durable if it has to be moved around often. For this Victorian table, the period style and the 19th century American type, casters were not part of the basic design, and the legs, with the time, were getting worned up. Some antique shops were used to cut the bad tip of the legs. Still today some antique shops are keeping this process instead of to replacing the entire leg with new ones. Also to retrieve the correct high of the kitchen table they will add casters. These pictures show the usual tip of the legs for you table, which are from the Victorian period. And no they were no casters. First picture shows the common tip, and the second picture too, but with the add of casters.
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Redthistle
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions. I have several pieces of plywood that would work, but not the tools to cut it with. Would I need a jigsaw? I've never used a jigsaw but that doesn't mean I couldn't. How difficult do you think it would be to cut an oval shape? I know how to make a template of what I need from cardboard.
sherwoodva
15 years ago
If you are near a city, you could put an ad in the "wanted" section on Craig's List for leftover glass tile. That would make a pretty mosaic.

Yes, to cut plywood you would need a jigsaw or a scroll saw. I can't imagine cutting with a handsaw. Maybe one of your neighbors has a jigsaw? (They are hand held - if you are going to do it, practice on styrofoam or something easy.) Believe me, if I can do it, you can do it!
straycat_wandering
15 years ago
I had leftover ceramic tile left over from my floors in my house. I picked up a base-cut plywood to size and tiled it like my floor. Looked great and it was fun!

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