I did my first Scrabble tile table several years ago when I created a game room in my basement. That table took 15 Scrabble games to gather enough tiles. I pick up Scrabble games at yard sales and thrift shops. I will usually only pay up to $1 for a game—l prefer to pay less. :)
I am embarrassed to admit these tables sat in my garage for probably five years. I bought two of them at an auction for $1 each. They were a bit wobbly but just needed to be glued and the screws tightened. The plan was to make Scrabble tables out of them and put them in the basement. Then I did the pool end tables...
When I was finally tired of moving these around in my garage, I couldn't believe how little time it took me to transform them.
I did a quick coat of black chalk paint. I love black chalk paint. I can often get away with one coat. This project only required one coat. I did sand these lightly before painting. The finish was almost like dust so the sanding helped quite a bit.
Quick tip. I used old paper plates for my palette for paint. I used this Easter plate to dab the wax on my brush as I waxed the tables.
I distressed the tables slightly and then added a coat of wax.
The finish was velvet smooth. I was really happy with it.
Then all I had to do was glue the Scrabble tiles in place. I don't grout them at all. They have a pretty tight fit. I do a quick layout without glue first to see how the tiles will fit. Note: Scrabble tiles of the decades can vary slightly in size and definitely color. I personally love the difference in barely used tiles and well-loved tiles.
There was a small gap all the way around so I added this black cording in the groove. I was able to press it down in the groove after I applied the glue so it was flush with the edge of the table.
The RMB in the corner is my signature...my initials.
I put these in the shop ($75 each) and they sold within a week. The woman said her husband had played Scrabble with the same friend for over 30 years. She bought one for her husband and one to give to the friend. I love that!
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