How to Glue Photos to a Coffee Table

More than one way exists to display your favorite family photos. Instead of going the framed picture route, consider using a furniture piece such as a coffee table as the backdrop for your photographs. By taking into account your intended decorating style, you can select photos and accessories that complement the style in a way that ties the coffee table in with your own personal history. The simplest way to add photographs to a coffee table is to decoupage them onto the table. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Determine if you want other decorative images besides photos. For example, you could incorporate shapes such as leaves, a family crest or Celtic knots between some of the photos. This breaks up the all-right-angle look of the photographs.

2

Select photos. Look on Flickr or Creative Commons for photos if you want to expand your possibilities for free; you just need to print them out. Family photos will provide a very personal touch, although if you use old family photos, you may want to use copies of them instead of the photos themselves.

3

Make copies of photos if you want a repeat of the same photo to create a visual pattern. Experiment with different types of papers. For example, if you get a thin paper, some of the photos underneath will show through, creating a double-exposed picture look.

4

Cut the images out if you want to work with the visual pattern that the photos create. For example, if you're making a coffee table with exotic bird pictures, cut out around the birds so that everything is cut away except the bird's silhouette.

5

Wipe the table down, creating a clean surface on which to paste your photos.

6

Place newspapers on the floor under and around the table. This protects your floor from drips of glue and paint.

7

Paint the table and allow to dry for a couple of days. Paint it all one color for a unified look or paint the table top one color and the legs another for a more funky look. Although you don't have to paint the table, painting it offers a number of options. For example, a red table with black and white photographs is quite striking.

8

Make the decoupage mixture in a bowl using half Mod Podge and half water. Start with a small batch; you can always make more. Mod Podge is an all-in-one glue product that crafters use for myriad projects. Part glue, part sealer and finishing coat, this product can be found in local craft stores.

9

Arrange the photos on the table and glue them down using a paintbrush and the Mod Podge. Allow them to dry completely before going on to the next step. You're going to glue the photos to the table using the Mod Podge. Later, when the glue on the photos has dried and you've placed all the photos you'll be using for the project, you'll cover the photos with a sealing coat of Mod Podge.

10

Paint two or three layers of the Mod Podge mixture over the photos using the sponge brush. Make sure that no bubbles form on the top of the pictures. Allow each coat to dry according to the instructions on the bottle before adding additional coats of glue.