Fun Ways to Decorate a Wooden Table

To-Do List

• Paint the entire table, including legs and top, with a light-colored paint, such as cream, buttercup yellow or robin’s egg blue. After the paint dries, measure a border around the top. Make the border at least 6 inches wide and tape off the border, leaving the top exposed. Apply a coat of blackboard paint or whiteboard paint to the top area of the table. Once the tabletop dries, use the space to write your daily to do list, shopping list or just to leave notes for family members.

Game Board

• Make your old table a new game board with black and white paint. Paint the legs, sides and top of the table in a bright shade, like red or green. Use a level and measuring tape to mark off the top. Make a large square in the center of the table. Divide the larger square into smaller squares to create a chessboard or game board for checkers. Go over the entire board with white paint first. After it dries, apply more masking tape, marking the black squares. Paint over the tape with black paint, creating your other squares.

Decoupage It

• Use decoupage glue and create a customized table. Apply a thin coat of decoupage glue to the table and press paper images onto the surface. Overlap the edges of each piece slightly. Go over the table a second time with one or more additional coats of decoupage glue. For a fun look, use old receipts from past grocery store trips or pages from vintage cookbooks. If you opt for old cookbooks, use a mixture of recipe pages and images of the cooked dishes.

Family Fun Night

• Pick out your four favorite board games that you play with your family or friends on a regular basis. Arrange the boards on top of the table, making sure you have room for each one. Apply decoupage glue to the surface of the table with a paintbrush and press the game boards into place. Apply more decoupage glue over the top, which gives the boards a slightly glossy sheen.