Plant table with vintage tiles
Planting is fun, but when there's a bit more to do, it can quickly put a strain on your knees and back. A planting table can help with this. With a ceramic surface, the planting table is easy to clean and becomes an attractive eye-catcher.
This is what you need
Tools:
- Sander or sanding block
- Brush (optional)
- paint roller
- Tile cutter (optional)
- Notched trowel
- jointing board
- sponge
- Miter saw (optional)
Material:
- An old chest of drawers or an old table
- 240 grit sandpaper
- Wood stain (optional)
- Old rags
- white spirit
- Solvent-free primer
- Vintage tiles
- Highly flexible tile adhesive
- Highly flexible joint mortar
- Wooden end strips (optional)
- Pattex Assembly All Materials (optional)
And this is how it works
- Fresh paint: First, clean the old table or dresser and, if necessary, repaint it. To do this, you'll need to sand it down with fine sandpaper before applying a new coat of wood stain or paint.
- Fine sanding: Before gluing the tiles, the old surface of the table must also be thoroughly sanded to ensure the primer and tile adhesive can adhere properly. To do this, sand the table manually or mechanically with 240-grit (or finer) sandpaper. Make sure to sand evenly.
“If the surface of your dresser is very uneven or the wood is already very porous, you should first glue a thin piece of chipboard on top to provide a suitable base for the tiles.”
- Cleaning: After sanding, the tabletop must be thoroughly cleaned. We recommend using mineral spirits and some old rags. During the cleaning process, no residue of moisture, dirt, grease, or dust should remain on the surface. Mineral spirits and old rags will remove even the last traces of veneer.
- Deep penetration: Before gluing tiles to wood, you should apply a deep penetration primer to protect the wood from the moisture from the tile adhesive and also ensure better adhesion of the tiles. Grab your paint roller, carefully coat the table with a solvent-free deep penetration primer, and let it soak in and dry overnight.
First, the old vintage dresser is sanded with fine sandpaper and after cleaning, the primer is applied with a paint roller. -
Dry run: First, lay the tiles "dry" on the table. If necessary, you may need to cut individual tiles. To do this, score them with the tile cutter and break them in half along one edge.
"When scoring, the right pressure is crucial: If the pressure is too light, the surface won't scratch; if it's too high, the tile may crack. It's best to go slowly!"
- Gluing tiles: Once everything is in place, apply a layer of tile adhesive to the tabletop with a notched trowel, place the tiles into the adhesive, and press them down gently. Ensure even spacing. Tile spacers can be a practical aid here. Since the adhesive hardens quickly, only apply as much adhesive to the area you can quickly cover with tiles. The table then needs to dry for 24 hours.
- Grouting: Since wood expands and contracts with temperature fluctuations, the grout should be flexible, such as the highly flexible grout from Ceresit. Use the grout trowel to spread the grout diagonally onto the table. Important: Each joint must be completely filled with mortar. Once the joints are filled, use the trowel to remove as much excess mortar as possible. If the grout is matte and light, it has dried and can be carefully washed off with a sponge and as little water as possible.
Especially on light-colored tiles, a slight grayish residue from the grout can remain. You can tackle this with pure lemon juice or a hot vinegar-water mixture.
- End strips: For a clean finish, you can glue end strips around the table. These can be made of wood, metal, or plastic. To achieve a perfect corner finish, the strips must first be mitered; for a square table, this is 45°.
- Final bonding: Apply a 5 mm wide bead of All Materials assembly adhesive to the inside corner of the end strips and press the strips firmly to the table. Quickly wipe away any excess adhesive with a rag.
Here the tiles are grouted after the dry run, which we recommend. 
