Help with Mod Podge?

[chex]

I bought an end table today, and Mod Podged some pretty paper and some printed pictures to the top of it. The pretty paper stayed pretty, but my pictures are now discolored. They're all very faded with a greenish hue. In quite a few areas, pictures overlap, and the ink from the bottom photos show through the top as purple. I read to use regular paper, so the Mod Podge would adhere better to it than it would to a glossy paper. That may have been bad advice...

I plan to redo it. I'm sad to lose the pretty background paper and the die cut embellishments I included on the top, but it looks awful. I have the goo you brush on (and a foam brush for it) and the spray. I also have photo paper if that is better to use. Any advice on how to keep my pictures looking as nice as the background?

[Shay]

Is there any chance you can just put your new photos over the old ones so you don't have to lose the pretty background paper?

[chex]

Nah, they ended up a bit wrinkled anyway. I'll see if I can remove it all and just start over.

Maybe I'll hit up Walmart tomorrow and see if I can find the same paper pack. If not, I have other pretty paper.

[LaLou]

The discoloring is because the ink in an inkjet printer is water soluble, as is the Mod Podge. The solution would be to find someone with a laser printer (print shop?) to have them print your photo's.
Or... (I have not tried this out) you could wait until the printed photo's are really dry and then spray some fixative on them before you process them.

[Clarence]

I have literally never heard of Mod Podge in my life and have no idea what anyone is talking about.

[chex]

If I get them printed somewhere, it will end up on photo paper. Will it still work?

[bella]

I haven't heard of it before either. Not very helpful, I know.

[chex]

It let me subject my end table to this:



Stop laughing.

[Clarence]

lol, I'm only laughing at your "stop laughing" at the bottom of the picture.

I know a few people who have collages on their tables under the glass, simple and sweet.

[LaLou]

I don't know how photo paper would behave. I've never used it. But try it on a piece of waste wood first.

Mod Podge is a kind of PVA glue used in crafts. It's a sealer, glue and finish in one. I don't use it, I use diluted wood glue, less expensive and does the job perfectly.

[Wesley]

Have you tried using a large piece of clear contact paper, and mounting your pics in reverse? it is not as solid or permanent, but more forgiving.

[chex]

Not with my kids. They'd just destroy it.

I don't have any wood scraps I can test on, but I found methods to hopefully remove mod podge, and the table was only $10, so I'll give it a shot.

[chex]

I just had to resave all my pics as JPGs because the stupid site won't take my PNG files.

[chex]

So far I've been able to salvage most of the background paper, and I even managed to save one of the die cuts. Woohoo!

[chex]

I redid it with prints I ordered from Walmart, and it looks so much better. But since the Mod Podge doesn't soak into the photo paper, it feels more fragile. It still feels like the pics could easily peel off instead of being one solid piece with the table. I'm hoping a few more coats will help that.

[Shay]

Could you get a glass sheet to go over it that way it makes it easier to clean too?

[chex]

No, my heathens would try using the glass as a toy...

[chex]

[Shay]

That looks great!

[chex]

Grazie!