A Beautiful Granite effect Console Table

Making a beautiful console table from an antique

I’ve always been rather partial to console tables, especially when they are adorned with slender, curvy legs.  They are great, versatile pieces that can add real character to a room. So when I found this example in an antiques shop, I was really pleased with my find.  Especially since she only cost me £25! But, this table was a little plain and unloved…it needed the SollyJo treatment!

The top of the Granite Console Table

I knew that the top warranted a faux granite look. Since I’ve mastered this technique lately with the Posh Chalk metallic pastes I was really keen to try it out on a real piece of furniture. The thick consistency of the Posh Chalk metallic pastes helps create a textured feel easily.

Preparing the Granite Console Table

The first job was all about preparation. After cleaning and lightly sanding the whole piece, I applied a thin coat of Caviar by Dixie Belle to serve as a base for the pastes.  I then got out an assortment of colours in the metallic pastes – Dark Green and Black Carbon – and using a natural sponge I dabbed the paste in sporadic patterns onto the designated substrate, alternating in colours as I went. I knew this would add superb depth and intrigue to the piece. Once I’d finished, that the top looked like a spotted dog!.  I sprayed my trowel with water and proceeded to smooth down all the texture I had created with the paste.  As the colours and textures merged into each other, a lovely mottled green granite effect started to emerge. This was exactly the look that i was hoping for, so I was immediately entranced.  Once it was dry, I used the Posh Chalk Green Fthathlo paste in a few spots using the same technique as above to give the top of the console some highlights.

Now to the body of the Console Table

I blended the whole piece in Buttercream Sawmill Gravy and Sand Bar by Dixie Belle, using my trusted water mister as I went.  The water mister really does help in the blending process; whilst keeping the paints nice and fluid, it helps the paint glide across the surface with ease. Using a water mister also helps the pigments of the various colours transition from one to another and create a sumptuous blend.

Time for some WoodUbend!

It was then time to add the WoodUbend Mouldings.

WoodUbend mouldings are really amazing! They have all the properties of wood when they are cold – they can be sanded, drilled, cut and stuck. However, with the simple application of heat from a heat gun or hair dryer, they become flexible in your hands! This means that they can be stretched, bent and used around curved surfaces. It also means that they have amazing adherence properties, and will stick to almost any surface, including metal, glass, wood and fabric.

WoodUbend mouldings and Posh Chalk coatings all come from the same stable. They have been designed to perfectly complement each other. So, you know that if you are using WoodUbend and Posh Chalk coatings, you will end up with the sort of results that you imagined when you embarked on your crafting or furniture upcycling project.

The back of the piece was pretty plain, so I got out one of our largest WoodUbend appliqués, WUB 6046.  I pre painted it in Sea Glass before I warmed it up and adhered it to the centre of the back panel of the piece.  WUB 2093 was also repainted, and wrapped around the top corners of those gorgeous, curvy legs. The dainty Menadros trim, TR715, was also repainted in Sea Glass and applied to the the top of the lip just under the drawers to the front.  WoodUbend X1008 was adhered to the drawer fronts serving as hardware plates.  I drilled through them and inserted the handles.

I then sealed the whole piece with Posh Chalk Patina Extender wax.  The piece really needed toning down to give it a vintage feel so I applied black wax sporadically in some of the WoodUbend nooks and crevices, creating a shaded effect along with a vintage tone.   Last but not least I mixed some Posh Chalk pigments in Lemon Gold and Posh Chalk Infusor, and highlighted all the WoodUbend Mouldings with the luscious mix I’d created.

The Finished Granite-Effect Console

What a great furniture upcycling project this has been! Even though the original piece had potential, we couldn’t have dreamed that it would end up as such an eye-catching console. We dressed it for our photography with some simple accoutrements…it doesn’t seem to matter what you place on the console table…it just works. Which I guess is the sign of a great and versatile piece of furniture!

What do you think of this console? We’d love to hear from you!

Here are the items that we used in this project:

WoodUbend

WUB 2093

WUB6046

X1008

TR715

بوش الطباشير

Posh Chalk Patina Extending wax

بوش الطباشير إنفوسور

Lemon Gold Pigment

أخضر غامق

الكربون الأسود

Green Fthathlo paste