Ultimate easy craft table - home furniture - Brief Article

Sunset, April, 2001 by Jil Peters

Sawhorses and vinyl covering convert an ordinary door.

Although common usage would suggest otherwise, the kitchen table is not the best place for craft projects because cutting can damage its surface, measuring between salt and pepper shakers and the sugar bowl can be awkward, and mealtime always interrupts. With these drawbacks in mind, we have designed what we think is the perfect project table. You can cut on the surface without damaging it, there is a built-in tape measure, and the table can be dismantled easily and stored when it's not in use.

The base consists of two adjustable sawhorses--because counter height is more convenient for some tasks, desk height for others--but any sturdy sawhorses will do. The top is a birch hollow-core door with a flat surface. To create a smooth and durable drawing and cutting surface, we covered the door with self-healing vinyl board cover. The board cover, which comes in a variety of widths and lengths, is available from art and drafting supply stores. The closer you can get the board cover to the exact size of your door, the better. We stenciled a basic measuring system onto the board cover so that general measurements can be made without a measuring stick.

TIME: Four hours plus drying time

COST: About $175

MATERIALS

* Self-healing vinyl board cover (from art and drafting supply stores or www.charrette.com)

* Hollow-core door

* Two paintbrushes

* Primer (optional)

* Satin latex paint

* Two sawhorses

* Double-sided tape for vinyl board cover

* Craft knife

* Metal ruler

* Pencil

* Small number stencils

* Masking tape

* Spray paint

* Heavy paper or chipboard

DIRECTIONS

1. Unroll the board cover on a flat surface and weight with books for several hours or overnight to smooth out before adhering it to the door.

2. Prime the edges of the door if necessary. Apply one or two coats of satin latex paint to the sawhorses and to the edges of the door.

3. Lay the door flat. Without removing the protective strip, apply double-sided tape in continuous lines along all four edges of the top surface of the door, as close to the edges as possible. Run several additional strips of tape down the length of the middle of the door.

4. Align the board cover with the top of the door. Remove the protective strip from the tape at one long edge and adhere the board cover. Move progressively from one side of the door to the other, removing the protective strip from the double-sided tape and smoothing the board cover onto the door as you go.

5. Trim any board cover that overhangs the edges of the door with a craft knife and a metal ruler.

6. Weight the surface to ensure good adhesion.

7. To create a measuring line on the surface of the board cover, start measuring from one edge of the table and use a pencil and ruler to create 1/2-inch-long tick marks at 1-foot increments.

8. Center number stencils (one through six, respectively) above each tick mark. Secure with masking tape, covering the surrounding area. Holding the can directly over the stencil, lightly coat with spray paint. Note that the stencils in the corners of the door cannot be centered on the tick marks. In these instances, place the stencil to one side of the mark.

9. To highlight the tick marks themselves, create a stencil by cutting a 1/16- by 1/2-inch rectangle out of a piece of heavy paper or chipboard. Center your stencil on each of the penciled tick marks and follow the spray painting instructions outlined above.

TIMESAVING TIPS

* For a quick and easy alternative to the stenciled measuring system, adhere a tape measure to one edge of the door.

* Instead of covering the whole door with board cover, cover select parts of the surface with smaller self-healing cutting mats (from art and drafting supply stores).