DIY Faux Marble Table (no painting required!)

Have a table that needs an update, but don’t feel like painting it? Try this easy solution for a DIY Faux Marble Table, no painting required!

DIY Faux Marble Table | Ever had a table that needed a little "pick me up", but didn't feel like painting it? Try this solution for a DIY Faux Marble Table, no painting required!
DIY Faux Marble Table

Ever had a table that needed a little “pick me up”, but didn’t feel like painting it?

That’s exactly where I was with the computer table I wanted to use in my home office makeover. I needed the functionality of a computer table, but the look really didn’t go with my glam office update.

Then I came across this really easy way to make the top look like marble!

Better yet? There’s no painting required! And it takes less than an hour to do! A win-win-win situation if you ask me.

Keep reading to find out how to make a DIY faux marble table.

The Faux Marble Secret

This post may contain affiliate links. We make a small commission if you buy the products from these links (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. But we only recommend products we would use ourselves. For more information, click here to see our disclosures.

DIY Faux Marble Table
DIY Faux Marble Table

Here’s my finished table. The faux marble actually looks quite real.

The bonus? It’s really easy to put on, and there’s no faux painting skills involved!

The trick? Faux marble contact paper!*

It comes in all kinds of faux-stone patterns and in different widths. Most of them have grid lines on the back to make measuring and cutting very easy. Then peel off the back and stick it on, and you’re done. Okay…the peel and stick part does take a little work to make sure you don’t get any bubbles in the surface…but it’s way easier and faster than painting.

Faux Marble Contact Paper for Countertops*

It even comes in a version that you can use for countertops…I haven’t tried this yet…but I’m tempted! If you have a wide table top that you are trying to cover, this may be the best product for you because it is 36″ wide.

Venetian Gold/Santa Cecilia Faux Granite Contact Paper for Countertops

There are lots of different stone options available like this granite pattern…so if marble isn’t your thing you can find another stone look that goes with your decor.

One caveat…I think this solution will only work if you can find contact paper that is wide enough to cover your table. Trying to match it and not have a visible seam would be pretty much impossible in my opinion…

What You Need

[columns] [span6]

Your table*

[/span6][span6]

[/span6][/columns]


[columns] [span6]

Marble contact paper that is wider than what you are trying to cover*

[/span6][span6]

[/span6][/columns]


[columns] [span6]

Straight Edge Ruler*

[/span6][span6]

[/span6][/columns]


[columns] [span6]

Wallpaper smoother*

[/span6][span6]

[/span6][/columns]

How To Put It Together

The piece of furniture I was covering came apart which makes it a little easier to cover each of the flat boards with the paper.

However you can do a similar process for assembled furniture. I would recommend only trying to cover flat surfaces that don’t have too many curved edges. The contact paper is very hard to bend smoothly around curves.

Marble contact paper and board | DIY Faux Marble Table
Marble contact paper and board

It is much easier to do this if you can remove the table top from the base.

But don’t worry, it can still be done if you can’t…you will just need to be a little more careful about getting the first edge on straight.

Use a straight edge and the lines on the back of the contact paper to draw cut lines | DIY Faux Marble Table
Use a straight edge and the lines on the back of the contact paper to draw cut lines

1. Before you start, make sure that the table top to be covered is clean and dry.

2. Lay out the contact paper facing down on a flat surface.

3. If you were able to remove the table top (or if you have a fairly light table that you can turn upside down), place it on the contact paper. If you weren’t able to remove the table top, you will need to measure it to figure out how big the contact paper needs to be.

Figure out how big to cut the contact paper | DIY Faux Marble Table
Figure out how big to cut the contact paper

4. Figure out which parts of the table top need to be covered. If there are any holes for connectors, make sure you’re not covering them. Most of the time, you won’t have to cover both sides of the board, but if you do, you will need to include that extra side in the measurement. Also include the thickness of the board on both sides if it will show.

5. Mark those measurements on the contact paper.

Cut the contact paper to size | DIY Faux Marble Table
Cut the contact paper to size

6. Cut the contact paper to size.

Peel off a little bit of the back | DIY Faux Marble Table
Peel off a little bit of the back

7. Start at the bottom side of one of the edges. Peel off just enough of the contact paper backing to cover the thickness of the board. This is important! The contact paper is very sticky, so if you expose more of glue than is necessary, it will probably stick to something you don’t want it to…and you will end up with bubbles in the finish.

Use the smoother to stick the contact paper to the board | DIY Faux Marble Table
Use the smoother to stick the contact paper to the board

8. Fold the paper over the corner onto the flat part of the board. Again, only peel off enough of the backing to stick down the next portion of the board. Work from one corner of the board to the opposite corner. This will keep the paper going on straight and minimize the possibility of bubbles forming.

9. Use the smoother tool to make sure that the contact paper is stuck to the board and remove any bubbles. If there are bubbles that you cannot smooth out, pull up the paper and try again. If you have tried a couple of times and the bubbles just won’t go away, it probably means the paper is not on straight. Pull back as much as you can (all the way to the first edge) and start over making sure that the contact paper is stuck on straight.

10. Keep going until you have reached the other side of the board.

To cover the corner, make a slit in the paper and fold it over | DIY Faux Marble Table
To cover the corner, make a slit in the paper and fold it over

11. If you have corners where both sides are covered by contact paper, you will need to cut a slit in the paper to allow the fold to happen. To do this, flip the board over so that the covered side is down. Cut the slit so that it creates a piece of paper that is as thick as the board. Fold this piece over and stick it to the end of the board. Then cover this end by folding down the larger piece of paper.

The finished board | DIY Faux Marble Table
The finished board

You should now have a faux-marble table top! Put your table back together (if you took it apart) and you now have a faux marble table top!

The Finished Table

Spray paint the legs gold | DIY Faux Marble Table
Spray paint the legs gold

In my case, I also spray painted the legs gold before I put the table back together.

Computer table from wayfair.com

Here’s the table that I started with.

The finished table | DIY Faux Marble Table
The finished table

And here’s the updated version which definitely has a little more character!

New office desk chair and faux marble computer table | DIY Faux Marble Table
New office desk chair and faux marble computer table

It even works with my new office desk chair (although this isn’t the room that either of these will end up in).

Have comments or questions on how to make a DIY Faux Marble table? Tell us in the section below.

This post was originally published on April 18, 2016 but was updated with new content on January 11, 2022.


Sharing is caring!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *