Studio Desk Makeover – Part 1

That meant that the desk wanted a makeover. With it’s black base and thick brown high, it appeared means too darkish and heavy for the room. So my plan is to reconfigure the bottom, paint it a light-weight colour (I nonetheless haven’t determined if it will likely be white or gold), after which paint the desktop white. I additionally wished so as to add an ornamental element to the edges, and add two drawers.

I began this makeover by eradicating the boards that created the “V” element on the entrance. These have been hooked up with nails and wooden glue, so I eliminated them very simply with a number of good, swift hits with a rubber mallet.

Then I eliminated the underside horizontal brace board. This was hooked up with 4 screws by way of pocket holes, so it as quite simple to take away utilizing my drill with a screwdriver bit.

I turned the bottom in order that it was mendacity with the entrance going through up, and I reattached that board in the direction of the highest. I’ll ultimately add some plywood inside in order that this part isn’t see-through, and that may present the quilt wanted to cover the brand new drawers.

After that was hooked up, I sat the bottom again upright, and that is what it appeared like…

Subsequent, I repeated that very same course of on the facet…

After which I wished to determine the best way to connect these ornamental leaf cutouts that I discovered at Pastime Foyer. I began by chopping some 1″ x 4″ lumber to type a tough body across the leaf design, and to determine precisely how I wished the leaf sample to take a seat contained in the body. I made a decision on this, with the leaf design touching the body on 4 factors — one on both sides of the body. At this level, my principal aim was to determine the tough dimensions of the within of the body.

As soon as I received the within dimensions found out, I ran these boards by way of my planer thrice every to airplane them right down to 1/2-inch thickness to match the leaf cutout.

Subsequent, I wanted to determine simply how vast these boards wanted to be for the body. The house they wanted to fill on the desk is 29 inches vast, so I measured the general width of the cutout with the body, subtracted 29 inches from that width, after which divided that quantity by two to get the quantity of width I wanted to chop off of every board in order that the completed product could be 29 inches vast. I used my desk noticed to chop the boards right down to the right width.

I began by assembling the highest and the facet items utilizing wooden glue and 1.5-inch 18-gauge nails shot by way of the sides of the facet items into the ends of the highest piece.

With these items assembled, I positioned the leaf cutout into the body, after which I may precisely decide the place the underside piece wanted to be. I hooked up the underside piece utilizing wooden glue and nails identical to the opposite items.

After which I nailed the leaf cutout into place by capturing the nails by way of the surface fringe of the body and into the 4 factors the place the cutout touched the body. So this nail went by way of the body and into the sting of the leaf.

And this one went by way of the body and into the sting of the stem.

You get the purpose. For this reason I wanted to ensure that the leaf cutout made contact with the body on all 4 sides.

On this facet, I had a misfire earlier than getting a nail to enter the leaf. However that’s nothing that my Dremel Multi-Max and a bit wooden filler and sanding received’t repair. I typically don’t pull out misfired nails (though it will depend on the precise state of affairs) as a result of it dangers tearing and splitting the wooden. I typically use my Dremel Multi-Max with a blade that may lower by way of nails, and I simply lower off the protruding portion of the nail. If the blade cuts into the wooden a bit, I repair it with wooden filler.

As soon as I received this a lot accomplished, it was too late to make use of my miter noticed to chop off the additional items on the body. (Matt had a HORRIBLE day yesterday, so most of my time was spent caring for him, and I didn’t get practically as a lot work accomplished as I had hoped.) However I did set the leaf design in place in order that we may get a preview of what it should appear to be.

However once more, you’ll simply must think about it with these additional bits lower off, and a brand new 2″ x 2″ piece hooked up beneath the body. After which, you’ll must think about the entire base painted one stable colour.