When we did the complete remodel of our 96′ Winnebago camper, we decided to paint our dinette table. But that didn’t turn out so well.
After our disappointment in the countertop paint, we decided to scrape the paint off and try fix the eyesore.
Uh. Yeah. It didn’t work so well…
Oh disappointment! The tabletop surface was pretty trashed & we needed a solution.
Here were our ideas for fixing our table:
- Replace the tabletop
- Paint with a different brand countertop paint
- Mod Podge something artsy and cover with a thick coat of Polyurethane
- Use a tablecloth
- Wear a blindfold
We chose to use a tablecloth. But instead of just laying a tablecloth on top that would slide around and give something for the kids to hide their broccoli under, we decided to affix a laminate tablecloth semi-perminantly to the surface.
I picked up the fabric from Hobby Lobby. They have a decent selection of laminate fabric. This particular one was $15/yard,minus the 30% discount that their decorator fabric always seems to be.
I stretched and stapled the cloth all the way around the table and it’s working out nicely! It only cost $11 after the discount.
Oh and you see those cup holder holes in the first picture at the top? Our table has inserts for those holes to set your drink in but we never used them for their intended purposes. Honestly, our kids spent more time taking them off the table and standing on them as they slide across the RV.
This is not a permanent solution of course. You know since it’s basically a wipeable fabric table cloth. If there are tears in the fabric or the laminate wears away, we’ll take the cover off and recover it. But for $11, that’s not bad! Best of all it didn’t involve stripping, prepping, and days of curing.
Stay tuned for our countertop fix, (which is still in the works).
Blessings,
Looks great! I recently did the same thing to my camper table except I bought the gray chevron print..keeping my fingers crossed it holds up for awhile!
Hope you like it Hayley! Ours is holding up pretty well. Our kids are pretty abusive too. LOL!
This might sound like a silly question, but did you just pull it tight and staple it?
Yes I did Tanya! And not a silly question. 🙂
Silly question. Do you ever fold this down to make the bed part? If yes, does it wear the tablecloth down faster? I bought a regular vinyl table cloth but I think it is going to end up being too thick. Love your idea!!!!! Need to see more since we just bought a used camper and it needs lots of tlc.
Hi Connie! Yes, we did fold it down for a bed and there were no problems with that at all. Our kids are the rough and tumble type and forks, pens, toys scraped the table covering. I’d say full-time living, we’d have to change out the covering every 4 to 6 months. Not a permanent solution but it sure does make for an easy change of decor! 🙂
I’m thinking of modge podgeING a USA map onto our table, but I like your idea as well.
I REALLY like your idea. I think a thick coat of polyurethane would make it more durable too.
Hi Sheri, We did this in our Colorado restaurant to all our tables. We used topo maps of our area from the USGS. We lived in Leadville, high in the mountains, and customers were always asking “What’s over there?”
I just asked Bill how he did I it. First, he cut a plywood top for each ugly table. Then he used maple to make edges around each top, raised just slightly for a lip, ~1/8”.
You can skip all this, but it made the tables very pretty.
It’s important to test a piece of your map with Mod Podge to be sure it won’t harm the map or ink. If that’s good, you’re ready. He had zero problems with the USGS maps. When the Mod Podge has completely dried, he used several coats of water based Verathane (polyurethane) the type for floors. Let it dry well between layers.
He said they make it in a new triple thick version that dries fast & he’d definitely buy that, but it’s prolly more expensive. For restaurant abuse, he coated each table at least 20 times, lol, prolly overkill. One layer of the thick, or 3 layers of regular would probably OK for home use.
However, what he did was indestructible; hot plates, spills, broken glass, cleaning with dilute bleach, nothing harmed it.
He said you can spill liquids on it, no problem, but don’t let it sit for long periods.
When we sold the restaurant, 5 years later, the tables were still perfect, no dents or peeling. I didn’t notice any yellowing, but have read some products will. The maps were mostly green and beige, so perhaps I didn’t see it.
I hope this helps someone, I saw the post was old. Hey, you could even add a few coats of the Verathane to make your fabric more permanent. Lol, you might prefer changing out the fabric from time to time. Whatever, but remember the yellowing issue and choose a color where it won’t matter. Good luck!
How did you avoid wrinkling at the corners when folding it under? Looks really smooth!
Hi Jess! It is sewed to be a very snug fit and the curves are trimmed so there isn’t bunching when it’s turned right side out. Hope this helps!
This is a lovely solution to an ugly (sorry!) table 🙂 Also, Con-tact paper can be used much the same way and it comes in a variety of prints. Its pretty durable too. You can buy a small roll at WalMart for around $6, which would be more than enough to cover a small rv table. We are using it for the table as well as the counters in our camper redo.
Brilliant idea!! Yes, ugly table for sure! Best wishes!
I did something similar. I picked a fabric I liked from Walmart, they also sell clear plastic on a roll. I stapled the fabric on and then the plastic. The plastic comes in several different thicknesses, I picked a mid weight so it would stretch better. This way you have a bigger selection of fabrics and if the plastic gets scratched up you can just replace it! It’s been very durable so far!
Hello! We just bough our own used popup camper and it is missing the table! ? Do you happen to know where to get one? Thank you in advance!
I love this idea! Our RV is not old but I hate the cup holders (that have come out and we now just have two holes that everything falls through!). I do have rounded corners on the tabletop so how do you get those smooth? Glad I found your blog!