Instructions

1. Prepare the table by priming it, sanding it lightly, and wiping it down with a tack cloth before applying a second coat of primer.
2. Paint the table legs with two coats of white paint. Paint the top and sides with two coats of off-white paint. Allow everything to dry thoroughly.
3. Paint the leg moldings with two coats of ultramarine blue. Clean up the adjoining edges between the blue and white with the small artist’s brush (see photo). (Allow each first coat of paint to dry before applying the second.)
    
   
4. Measure the width and length of the top of your table to figure out the spacing for your tiles, and draw them out with a ruler and watercolor pencil. Keep in mind that all the tiles don’t have to be exactly the same size. In the featured table, tiles around the border measure 3" x 3-1⁄2" [7.6 cm x 8.9 cm] and center tiles measure 3-1⁄2" x 3-1⁄2" [8.9 cm x 8.9 cm].
5. Apply 1⁄4" (6 mm) colored tape over the pencil marks (see photo).
    
   

Painting the Inside Tiles

5. Position painter’s tape along the edge of the outer tiles to protect them, since you’ll paint them a darker color later (see photo).
    
   
6. Brush a coat of crackle on the middle tiles, and let it dry until it’s tacky (see photo). Then brush on a coat of white paint. (Try to get a good coat on with one or two strokes so you don’t disturb the crackle.) The crackle effect should happen instantly. Allow the crackled paint to dry, and then remove the wide painter’s tape.
    
   

Creating the Outer Border

8. Place tape along the opposite side of the same edge to protect the middle tiles.
9. Brush crackle on the outer border tiles, and let it dry until tacky.
10. Brush on low-sheen ultramarine blue paint, covering the crackle with one or two thick coats. After it cracks, remove the tape (see photo). Allow the paint to dry.

Finishing Effects

11. Use a cloth to lightly wipe dark blue paint on every other white tile (see photo).
     
    
12. Immediately wipe it off to give it a soft, mottled appearance that looks like ceramic glaze (see photo).
     
    
13. Use the template (found at the end of the instructions) to transfer the rounded motifs onto the tiles with carbon paper, or graphite transfer paper and a pen or pencil. Paint the motifs with ultramarine blue paint, and lighten a bit of the paint with white.
     
    
14. Use a small artist’s brush to add lighter-valued accents to the motifs (see photo).
15. Use a bit of the off-white paint on a small brush to touch up the edges of the grout to suit your tastes (see photo).
16. Varnish the whole piece to protect it.
     
    

Fleur-de-lis Pattern