Does anyone decoupage?

[Disneyatic]

Has anyone ever done decoupage before?

My aunt is restoring a vintage pull behind RV and is using a Dr. Pepper theme.

I had the great idea of decoupaging her countertops with Dr. Pepper things.
She loved this idea and wants to do it.
Only problem is, I have never decoupaged before :blush:
I have looked up how to do it and it seems pretty cut and dry (no pun intended!).

Does anyone have experience with decoupage? Is it as easy as it looks?

My other question is, being a countertop, it will need some sore of sealant to put over the top so that it is water tight. Would we just get an epoxy or something of that nature?

I appreciate anyone's experiences and input, I am supposed to help her with this on Sunday!

[MsMin]

I did decoupage many moons ago... It is really easy and YES do put a sealant on it to prevent water from getting through it. You probably need many many layers to keep it sealed w/ heat and water (even hot water). If you used fiberglass it would be hard to get good ventilation in the the RV. I would think anything you use would have very strong fumes and has to be used with caution. If you did it and covered it with a hard plexi top it would just get scratched. Maybe someone else has some ideas as to the material --- good luck sounds like a fun project....

[TheDuckRocks]

I have done quite a lot of decoupage and it is indeed very easy to do.
You can use white glue or products made just for decoupage, the one I use most is Mod Podge and it comes in either a Gloss or Matte finish. You can get this at any craft store or WalMart.
Besure to get all air bubbles out as you work, a credit card fake (the kind they are always sending in the mail with "Your Name Here" on them) works well. Just run the edge over your project gently from the center outwards.
Yes, you will need to seal the surface of anything thing that will have things set on it. I use Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic protective finish. A Home Depot, Lowes or other hardware/paint store will be where you find it. Be sure your project is completely dry before you start using the poly. Open windows and doors for adequate ventiltion. It will take more than one coat of the sealer. Be sure to allow it to dry well between coats! Polycrylic dries very fast about 20 minutes per coat. You will need at least 4 coats for what you are doing and I would probably use more like 6 to 8. With 10 coats it is strong enough to put on a floor and walk on it without worry of damage.
Hope this info helps you. Post pictures and let us know how it went.

[Dakota Rose]

There's a special sealant available at most hardware stores for people who paint their countertops. I think that would work for this too.

[Jeri Lynn]

I have only decoupaged once....and it was an unusual job. While my husband was away hunting I went through all of our photo albums and took pictures of all of our family and friends and cut the pictures into different shapes and sizes...and then I decoupaged them to the inside of his garage door. It was an old door with different wooden panels so the pictures/decoupage stuck very easily. I dubbed my creation the "garage collage", and he absolutely loved it. Everyone enjoyed looking at all the different pictures that I found. When we took the old garage down to build a new one we saved the panels off the doors and they are now hung in the new garage.

It was alot of fun doing it!:mickey: