Yoo-hoo, I've tackled another great DIY project in the past month, a concrete look dining table! I would like to show you how I approached this project. What the table looked like before and what the dining table in concrete look looks like now. I am very satisfied with the result myself and I am curious what you think!
Table of contents
It had been in my head for a few months that I would like to change our dining table. For years we have enjoyed this dining table as it was, but by now I was also a bit tired of it for a while. I painted it a few years ago because I thought it was too busy with the different colors it had. By painting the table we went from a gray white table to a completely white table, see below.
But the white table was no longer what it had been. Peeling paint and dirt between the grooves of the beams cause more and more frustration on my side. So time for something different. But I still think the table base is beautiful, so I thought that concrete look might be an idea.
Last year I already provided the windowsills in our new house with concrete cire and I am still very happy with it. The choice for a concrete look dining table is therefore quickly made. But a DIY version. Exciting!
To provide the dining table with concrete cire, I had to do some preparatory work. To start with, I had to sand the table completely. Then all grooves had to be closed with 2-component wood glue. After consultation with Patrick from Smart Deco, where I get my beton cire from, I doubted whether I should follow his advice; namely making an mdf plate on the table so that I don't have to close the grooves. But stubborn as I am, I have decided not to do that because the top will be even higher and I think the dining table is already on the high side.
For the windowsill I used the concrete cire from Smart Deco, which I still had to mix myself. This time I tried the Easy Line. A beton cire line that has already been mixed and is delivered ready-made. You can get started right away to get the dining table concrete look.
Before you start with the concrete ciré, you must first prime. Very important to reduce the absorption of the substrate.
So after priming I have two buckets ready. One with Easy Line Raw and one with Easy Line Fine. The Raw must first, and when it is dry, the Easyline Fine can be applied.
In principle, after applying the raw layer, you could also apply the fine layer on that day - after drying - but I did not do that. I expressly waited until the next day. Firstly because I wanted to make sure it was extra dry, but also because the second layer could not be applied until the end of the afternoon. And now -in the middle of winter- it is already so dark here in the house that I can see it less well. I really need daylight for projects like this!
Frank is our spectator when it comes to these kinds of DIY projects. He does a lot in the house, but most of it has to do with demolition, electricity, the garden and rough construction. When it comes to finishing such as painting, wallpapering, plastering or applying concrete ciré, I am the 'jack'. Fortunately, I like to do it all, so it's a great division!
Do you also want to get started yourself? Check this website for concrete ciré
Applying the layers of Easy Line concrete ciré is actually 'a cinch'. Of course I have already practiced with the windowsills, so getting the dining table in concrete look also works. It's basically the same, just a little bigger. The latter, however, still causes a bit of tension in myself. After all, I have to work on a larger surface and I don't want parts to dry out too quickly and create 'bubbles'. Fortunately, that's all right. I can lubricate the Raw layer well and also take the sides of the table with me. You can do the corners with a special tool - the external corner trowel - but I can't handle this very well 😉 .
So I finish the corners by simply ironing from both sides (for example top and side) and carefully using my flexible trowel (indispensable!) to let the thicker parts flow off to the rest of the surface. This works fine for me, but I think everyone develops their own technique. It doesn't have to be super tight for me. Although you would like to put a glass on the table without it 'wobbles'.
I actually find the PU layers the most exciting thing to do. This is a bit narrow because you can't spend too much, but also not too little. Pretty clear huh?! I do this by feel. While rolling the PU layer (you do that with a fleece roller), I try to ensure that there is no thick white layer on it and work wet-in-wet.
After I have followed all the guidelines of Smart Deco, the result of the table looks like it can be passed through a ring. It has a really sleek finish with the Easy Line Fine (nice stuff to work with) and I also really like the drawing in the table. The Easy Line is slightly less easy to influence than the Original beton ciré that you have to mix yourself, but working with it is very nice.
In the photo on the right you can see how beautifully tight the result has become.
The big advantage of the concrete look dining table compared to how it used to look is that the table is now very easy to clean. I just wipe it with a wet cloth and I'm done. Previously there was a lot of stuff between the grooves so that got pretty dirty. The robust wooden frame of the dining table contrasts beautifully with the concrete look of the top. I am therefore very happy with it. Now another floor and we have a 'modern' house 😉 .
If you really have two left hands, then it might not be so smart to start here. But if you regularly do odd jobs and redecorate in your house, you can do this too!
