A $30 IKEA Table Gets a Glamorous Spray Paint Hack

Textured spray paints have come and gone over the years and for the most part, I’ve been happy to see them go. But I think I finally found one product that I’d like to have stick around for a while — Rust-Oleum’s Stone Creations Spray. I used it to transform this cheap metal IKEA table into a granite and brass look-a-like.

Here’s what I started with, the GLADOM tray table in green which costs $29.99.

• Fine grit sanding block
• Textured Granite spray paint
• IKEA GLADOM table
  
• Gold spray paint

Like you do with most metal that you’re about to spray paint, be sure to rough it up a bit with a fine grit sanding block. Wipe away the dust with soap and water and let it dry completely before spraying it.

The directions on the can recommend priming your piece, especially if you’re covering a dark surface, but I didn’t prime my tray top and actually found it helpful when it came to knowing just how many coats to apply. I think, had I primed the piece with a light grey or white I might not have put enough layers of textured paint on to achieve the look I was going for. So, in the end, the darker surface ended up helping me know just how much paint to apply.

The directions on the back of the can suggest holding the nozzle at least 8″ away from the surface and spraying quick, light coats, allowing 15 minutes for dry time between each layer. Once you start the process you’ll see what works best and find a rhythm for layering the paint so that it looks even. The photo above shows what the table looked like after two applications.

After the surface was completely dry I sprayed it with a clear acrylic sealer.

Before re-installing the table top, I also gave the base a quick update with 2 coats of gold spray paint for metal. As I said before, you should sand, clean, and dry the surface thoroughly before applying the paint.

I can’t say that I’m 100% obsessed with this textured granite spray, but I think there’s definitely a place for it in the DIYer’s craft closet!

So, what do you think? Did it hit the mark, or should we say “See ya later, dude!” and leave the textured spray paint back in the 90s?

Project notes: I actually tried two different brands of granite spray for this project. First, I used Krylon’s Coarse Stone Textured Finish in “Charcoal Sand”. I thought I liked the lighter color better, but tested Rustoleum’s “Gray Stone” next to it and preferred it. Surprisingly, I saw zero difference in the two brands’ texture, and each layered extremely well on top of the other.

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