Make a console table with faux lacquered finish
I have had a lot of compliments on the console table since making the project earlier this year for Easy DIY magazine. I think more than everything else it's the paint finish.
Making the console table itself is extremely easy and you can make it as long or as narrow as you like. Place the top on a flat, level surface so that you can attach the side and front aprons. To affix I used wood glue and brackets - shown left.
To attach the legs to the underside, use long wood screws through the front and side of the apron. Vary the heights of the screws to avoid a jam up in the middle. Because the table is made of pine, which is a fairly softwood, the screws can be drilled in to just below the surface of the wood.
Once assembled you need to do a fair bit of finishing before the table is ready. The bought legs had quite a lot of rough wood that couldn't be sanded smooth, so I applied wood filler to these areas and then sanded with 180-grit sandpaper to smooth them.
If you have a Dremel Trio, you can use this to cut a decorative finish around the edge of the top. The new router bits are far superior to those that are included when you buy the machine, so you might want to consider investing in a set. There are various routing profiles in the set.
To add the decorative detailing around the table I used extruded polystyrene moulding. This is harder than standard polystyrene moulding and can be painted with spray paint.
Cutting the moulding is quick and easy with a mitre box and backsaw and you just have to make sure you cut the correct angles to fit around the table. It's sort of like cutting the angles as if you were mounting cornices.
After attaching the moulding with No More Nails adhesive and leaving to dry overnight, now it's time to fill in any gaps. Large gaps can be filled in with acrylic sealer, while for smaller ones you can use wood filler. Let the wood filler dry and sand smooth with 180-grit sandpaper.
Spray outdoors on a day that's not too windy and not too hot. Pick a shady spot so that the paint dries quickly. Only apply light, even coats and allow drying time between each coat. The secret to a beautiful glossy finish is to spray from left to right evenly as quickly as possible.
You can buy everything you need for this project at your local Builders Warehouse.