So we started walking around the store and I saw a simple glass mosaic candle pillar, and in my head I started plotting. After a few minutes I told my friend I was going to make the table I want. John knows me pretty well, but I think even he was surprised by the outcome. BTW, this is my first blog. I just recently discovered the wonder of Pinterest and decided I have to share some of my projects. Thank goodness I did before, during and after shots of a lot of the stuff I've done so I can offer some instructions.
Here's the finished table, in a couple shots.
Lit, full view
Tabletop only, before grout.
Started by doing my research. Cost of the round glass, cost of the glass tiles. I found a local glazier that got me to two rounds (I put a plain piece on top to protect the mosaic) for about $45. The square "tiles" are actually cut glass that is used to make stained glass, which I found on Ebay in bags of 100 (I think I put about $80 in glass on this table). My only problem was when I got the glass, the edges were SHARP! Solved that by tumbling a few bags at a time in a rock tumbler for an hour or so (just long enough to dull the edges without taking the shine off of the glass). If I made one mistake, it was that I used 1/2 square tiles for the entire project, this is a 36 inch round glass tabletop, do you have any idea how many tiles, laid one at a time, that adds up to? (Nearly 600 per square foot!)
Here's a shot after 5 days, just finished the first few rows of color and am transitioning to the amber ring.
You will see a tube of grout in the shot, this is clear grout like you use on porcelain, and it bonds glass well. I chose to use the smaller tubes because I was squirting and placing one tile at a time, the large tube with the "clicker" was just too cumbersome. Warning here though, this grout takes time to dry. A lesson I learned the hard way by trying to do too many rows at the same time. It took an exacto knife and a lot of scraping to clean up where a slip and skid ruined hours of work. And when I say one tile at a time, I'm not kidding. There is a pattern to some of the glass, I had to pay attention! Here's a close up shot with the tabletop off center so the light shows through.
The base is an adaptation from a simple Mission style tower shelf that I cut in half to make it work for my needs, I think I got it at Target; I know it was less than $100, because I had a budget.
I literally cut this tower in half, the top half I adapted to the base of the table, but I did not use the very top piece of wood for the table. (The bottom half, with the top piece I made into a printer table-no waste)
Here's what the half finished table top on the base looked like.
I made the transition from round rows to square to disguise the framework from the tower under the table, and because I knew I would be under-lighting the tabletop.
I used IKEA Diode light bars (these were the only ones I could find when I made this table, now there are LOTS of options!).
These put off a lot of light, here's a close up shot of the tabletop, unlit and lit.
When I grouted the table, I used white unsanded grout. Once it dried I thought it was too bright so I tea stained it (dark tea, wet sponge, kept wiping until I got the shade I was happy with).
The table is set at bar height; I actually have 4 stools to go with it, thought only 2 are shown in the photo. I pretty much leave it lit all the time; the lights are not as bright as they appear in the above shot. And I lined the underside of the lit area with shoji film (rice paper) to diffuse the light and hide the wires from the diodes.
If I had to do it over again, the only changes I would make would be to use 1 inch squares of glass, and my next project the table will be bigger (I already have the 42' square glass top I've "rescued" from the trash). This table was a project, but I love the end product!
