Geneva Vanderzeil helps us upcycle a basic coffee table into a living room masterpiece.

MATERIALS
Coffee table
Tiles (I used white matte square tiles on a net backing, which I hand-painted and sealed)
Tile adhesive
Notched trowel
Spacers
Grout
Grout float
Large sponge and cloth
Waterproof sealant

One of the most important steps in creating an incredible piece of tiled furniture that looks stylish is finding the right base piece. That’s because an elegant tiled project comes down to how the tiles you choose actually fit. Ideally, you won’t have to cut or modify any tiles, and the tiles will flow and feel natural. In my experience, you often stumble upon the perfect piece when you least expect it. Like this coffee table, which I found it at a tip shop. As soon as I saw the clean lines and pedestal-style base, I instantly knew it would work for a tiling project. And I’m so glad I bought it!

HOW TO
I started by laying out my tiles on the piece to get an understanding of how they would fit.

Starting from one corner of the piece, I applied the tile adhesive directly to the surface and spread it with a notched trowel. I find that a swirly pattern is better for adhesion.

I then gently laid the tiles flat on the surface, pressing them down to ensure they were completely flush with the adhesive. It’s a good idea to use tile spacers but, as I used tiles on a net backing, I only needed to use spacers between the sheets.

Once the adhesive had dried, I removed all the spacers. Working in sections, I used a grout float and applied a generous amount of grout to the tiled surface.

I waited for 15 minutes until the grout had firmed up a little, then I used a damp sponge to gently wipe the tiles down.

After 12 hours, I used a soft cloth to further clean the tiles. Once the grout is fully dry, you may need to use a grout remover to get rid of the grout haze. I finished by applying a coat of waterproof sealant to the tiled table and allowed it to dry for at least 24 hours.

This is an edited extract from New Again by Geneva Vanderzeil, out now with Affirm Press.