From paint to tiles, you can do a lot to turn an ordinary tabletop from boring to beautiful. And it's the perfect winter project for you and a special someone—your spouse, child, or even a friend or neighbor.

We've got three great ideas for turning a lifeless tabletop into a spectacular piece of furniture and a great addition to any décor.

Pick Your Piece
First, you'll want to find a table. Maybe you have one around the house that could use a makeover, or you've been aching to scrounge garage sales or flea markets to turn someone else's trash into a treasure. Any shape and size will work. If you choose a larger table, it's inevitably going to be a more time-consuming project. Invite a few friends over for dinner and a tabletopping party. The table will be finished in no time!

Mosaics and Tiles
A mosaic table can be a time-consuming project, but time flies if you include a few friends. The result is a beautiful tiled table and memories to last a lifetime. If you're looking for a quick project, use whole tiles from the hardware store. They're inexpensive and available in a variety of colors.

What You'll Need:
Ceramic tiles or dishes
Hammer
Protective eyewear
Rubber gloves
100-grit sandpaper
Primer
Gesso (primer)
Colored pencil
Ceramic tile adhesive
Fine sanded grout mix

What to Do:
1. Choose the tiles you want to use for your tables and decide whether you want them broken or whole. You can buy pre-broken mosaic tiles at craft stores, or make your own from larger tiles or dishes. Simply place the dishes or tiles upside down in a pillowcase or old towel and lightly smash them with a hammer. Be sure to wear protective eyewear and gloves.

2. Lightly sand and prime the surface.

3. Place the tiles on the surface by applying a small amount of adhesive to the back of each piece of tile. If you're making a specific design, you may want to sketch it on your table beforehand with a colored pencil. Be sure to leave a small amount (1/8 to 1/4 inch) of space between each tile piece for grout.

4. Allow adhesive to dry.

5. Wipe tiles with a damp sponge to remove excess adhesive, and then dry with a paper towel.

6. Mix grout and apply to surface with your hands while wearing rubber gloves. Using your fingertips, make sure all cracks are filled. Allow to dry for 30 to 45 minutes.

7. Wipe excess grout from face of tiles with a damp sponge and shine with a dry paper towel.

Memories under Glass
Do you have a stack of memories that you don't know what to do with? Photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings, ticket stubs? Make a collage on an old table and cover it with glass.

What You'll Need:
Table
Pictures, postcards,
 maps, newspaper
 clippings,
 announcements
Paint in choice of color
Mod Podge®
Sponge paintbrush
Glass top

What to Do:
1. Choose a variety of pictures, postcards, magazine cutouts, and other memorabilia to cover your table. We found that it works best to make color copies of the photos.

2. Paint your surface and allow it to dry.

3. Glue your memories onto the tabletop with Mod Podge, overlapping into a collage.

4. Cover with several thin coats of Mod Podge using a sponge paintbrush and let dry.

5. Cover with a glass top.

Playing Games
Revive an old table with a simple and decorative game board tabletop. The next time you're in the mood for a game of checkers or chess, just pull out the pieces and you're ready to go.

What You'll Need:
Table
Paint
Paint pens or markers
 for detailing
Ruler
Sandpaper
Stain (optional)
Pencil
Polyurethane

What to Do:
1. Lightly sand and prime the top of the table if you want to stain or paint the tabletop a solid color before painting your game board.

2. Choose which game board you want to paint on the table. Checkers, chess, and backgammon boards make visually appealing and functional tables.

3. Carefully paint the game board design onto the tabletop. We found it helpful to lightly draw our design first with a pencil and dot each area of the board with the correct color paint. Checkerboards can get confusing; it's easy to paint a square the wrong color if you haven't made a small dot beforehand! Use a ruler for precision and paint pens or markers for clean edges and decorative final touches.

4. After the table is dry, seal with a clear polyurethane. You can also add drawstring bags on either side of the table for game pieces. Attach to the table with upholstery tacks.