DIY Decoupage Comic Desk Refinish

Materials:

- We used Vintage Comic Book postcards purchased from Perpetual Kid: http://www.perpetualkid.com/art-of-dc-vintage-comics.aspx, but of course just about anything will work.

- Mod Podge

- Mod Podge spray sealant (not pictured)

- Ruler/Exacto Knife (if needed)

- Sponge Brushes

Step one.

Make a plan!

Figure out how you want your objects laid out. As you can see in the final product, our surface required us to cut down some of the images. Rather than having an even border on each side, we decided we wanted the half-images to appear on one side, and the boyfriend wanted a handful of the images in one location, so we planned that out first.

Step 2.

Lay down a thin coat of Mod Podge and place images where desired. You can smooth them out with a straight edge of some sort. I just used my hand and the opposite end of the sponge brush, since the post cards were a little thicker than other paper types.

Step 3:

Top coat of Mod Podge.

I did this a little at a time, so I was doing my top coats as I went along. Either way, you’re going to do two to three top coats of Mod Podge. If you have experience using this glue, you’re familiar with this step. Just be sure to do thin coats, let dry a few hours, then repeat.

Step 4:

Use your Sealant (not pictured). I used the Mod Podge brand matte sealant. Thin coat - let dry at least 3 hours - repeat. I believe I did three coats. You may need less, but since this desk will be used pretty regularly, I wanted to delay any wear to the images for as long as possible.

Step 5:

Let the final coat of sealant dry for 24+ hours.

Note…

Do not put anything hot on your surface for at least 30 days. Mod Podge can react to the heat and return to its sticky state.

Also, this is my first decoupage desk cover, so I can not make claims as to how long this will last before regular use wears down the images. I would suggest not using extremely valuable images if you’re not going to use a more permanent/secure seal.

Patience is key. I don’t have a lot of that, and neither did my boyfriend who really wanted to use his desk… but it is definitely required for something like this.