Easy DIY Dollar Store Glass Bead Table
This easy adorable dollar store glass bead table will brighten up your outdoor space in a matter of days. With a few products and a small table you can add so much style to your home or porch with one of these tables.
On our back porch we have a
sand paper
paint brush
sanded grout
tile adhesive
tile layers sponge
cloth or rag
If the top of your table is dark colored like mine you will need to paint it white so the beads will be bright. If you lay a bead down on the dark table you see how it dulls the color.
So, begin by sanding the surface if it is slick so the paint will adhere to the surface.
Next grab a white paint. I used Fusion mineral paint but you can use an outdoor acrylic too. If you have any concern with the finish bleeding through your paint add a primer coat on first.
Put one coat of paint on the table and let it sit for an hour or so until it is dry. Repeat this step as many times as needed until the table is white.
Now grab your beads and pour them out on a flat surface. Pull out any colors you do not want in your design. I wanted mostly pastels so I pulled out all the dark beads.
Next start around the outside edge and drop some tile adhesive on the table and place a bead. I found it to be quicker to drop about four drops of tile adhesive and then place four beads at a time.
Follow all the way around the edge and then start another row. Repeat this until you get to the center. You may have to slide around the beads at the end to fill in the very middle.
Here is one tip. Try to fill in the spaces as much as possible with the beads. The closer they fit the better it will turn out in the end.
Now let it sit over night so the beads are nice and secure.
Follow the last step by applying sanded grout on top of the beads. Make sure to fill in the cracks.
I try to remove as much of the grout as possible only leaving a thin layer on the top.
Next take a damp sponge like this one and remove the excess grout off the top.
The main thing is the get as much grout off as possible without removing it from between the stones.
You will need to rinse the sponge very often. I basically wiped off some grout and then rinsed the sponge and ringed out the water as much as possible. Then went back and removed more grout.
Now let the grout dry for over four hours.
Right at four hours I dampened a cloth and started removing the grout haze off of the glass marbles.
Polish the beads up very nicely.
And there you have a dollar store glass bead table. I got this table at goodwill.
I needed a table to go between my chairs and it needed to be small so this table was perfect.
Here is another shot of how it turned out.
I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope you consider making a small table with dollar store glass marbles.
If you would like to see my back porch where I placed this small table check out my post link below.
Resources for this project:
See all materials
Comments
Join the conversation
-
I did my table like this but put the marbles closer together for a much prettier look!!!!!
-
I like results. We use small tables around pool area for mostly drinks (plastic cups only) and sometimes snacks. I was wondering if the beads being rounded make an uneven surface to place cups on? I’m thinking if not perfectly flat kids will spill more than they already do
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
What type of adhesive did you use?
Just curious. Noticed on the pictures where you're wiping on and wiping off the sanding grout with a sponge, the gems are real close, but on the final picture there is a lot of space between the gems. Did you do two different tables? By the way, great job.
I really like how your table turned out. My question is can I fo this on a plastic table? Thank you.