DIY Espresso Desk Upcycle – Paper and Sew

I upcycled what I already needed to make a brand new DIY espresso desk.

Once I did the front room makeover for my mother, I acquired a spherical espresso desk for the room. However then for Christmas, my brother and I purchased her a nicer one, that higher match the house. So, I took the outdated espresso desk to make use of at my home for some time. I didn’t love the fashion of the legs, but it surely labored nicely for us within the interim and I preferred having a spherical desk to make use of. We beforehand had a thin rectangular espresso desk that didn’t actually work very nicely within the house.

The desk has largely held up, however the wooden prime was fairly destroyed from fixed use. There have been water stains, espresso mug rings, pen and crayon marks – all of the issues. It simply didn’t look excellent in individual anymore. So, I began searching for a brand new espresso desk and I discovered one which I beloved, however in fact, it was additionally over $4,000! Which positively didn’t work for our price range. Lovely espresso desk although. It’s this one.

So, I assumed, why not attempt to make one thing comparable utilizing the picket desk prime we have already got and see if I can remake the costly one I noticed for a number of hundred bucks (versus 4,000). Nicely, it ended up being WAY simpler than I assumed. After a visit to a specialty hardwood store, I discovered actually thick dowels that might work completely for the legs and that was actually all I wanted to get began. Except for the wooden veneer, which I additionally discovered at that hardwood retailer. SO! I used to be able to go.

However that’s not precisely the way it turned out…

With the sheet of veneer and the heavy obligation dowels, I had solely spent about $150 (the majority of that being the sheet of veneer). After I acquired began although, sanding all the pieces down, I noticed a lot of the points had been simply on the floor. And the wooden desk prime was in higher form than I assumed. Through which case, I’ll not want the veneer in any respect.

I made a decision to attempt staining the wooden first. And if I didn’t prefer it, I might simply sand it again down and transfer ahead with the veneer as deliberate. Spoiler alert: I by no means did the veneer bc the stained wooden seems to be fairly respectable and has held up MUCH higher to stains thus far.

Right here’s how I reconfigured our outdated espresso desk into one which feels model new…

Wooden DIY Espresso Desk

Supplies

• desk prime – Mine is from an outdated espresso desk, I already had (Toba classic brown espresso desk from Article – this one). However you could possibly additionally purchase a spherical tabletop from residence enchancment shops. I discovered spherical 36 inch desk tops right here: Lowes  /Ace {Hardware}. In addition they have bigger spherical wooden desk tops in retailer at DIY House Heart, if in case you have a type of close to you. And I additionally discovered an identical possibility on Wayfair.
• gel stain – You should utilize any sort of stain. It doesn’t must be gel. I picked gel stain bc I had it already and you may skip a step once you use gel, which you’ll see within the directions towards the top.
• 3 hardwood dowels (2.5 inch diameter) – I discovered these at a specialty hardwood retailer.
• screws
• outdated rags
• small wooden scraps 
• *pre-stain wooden conditioner – You’ll solely want a wooden conditioner in the event you’re utilizing a liquid stain, as an alternative of a gel stain. I’ll clarify extra about that later.

Instruments / Tools

Directions

1. Eradicating the outdated metallic base.

This was the best half. I simply turned the espresso desk over and used a drill to take away all of the screws to take the bottom off. I gave the outdated base to a neighbor to reuse for their very own desk.

2. Chopping and sanding the legs.

I lower every picket dowel right down to 12 inches, with my miter noticed, for my espresso desk as a result of I wished one thing that might sit low to the bottom, just like the inspiration espresso desk. However then, I lower one other inch off after utilizing it for a number of days. So the ultimate peak of every leg was round 11 inches. You’ll be able to alter the measurement to no matter peak you prefer to.

After slicing the legs right down to measurement, sand every leg so it’s prepped for staining. I might suggest sanding the legs earlier than you connect them to the espresso desk prime. It’s a lot simpler this fashion.

3. Chopping and attaching wooden to every leg.

The best possibility I got here up with for attaching the thick dowels to make use of as legs was to connect a small piece of scrap wooden (however bigger than the diameter of every desk leg) to the highest of every leg, so I might then connect every leg to the desk base.

To connect the piece of wooden to the wooden legs, I used a countersunk screw (via the center of the wooden piece and the center of the dowel) and made certain every screw sat beneath the floor of the wooden when completed.

4. Measuring placement and attaching legs.

Figuring out placement for the legs when the design is simply three legs, as an alternative of 4, is a bit more work. However nonetheless simple sufficient. I turned the desk prime over (below facet going through up) and located the middle of the desk. Then used a protractor to mark off 120 diploma spacing between every leg, just like this.

As soon as the location was all discovered, I connected the wooden piece for every leg to the desk base (one screw on either side of the wooden) in these positions. See photograph.

5. Sanding the desk base.

To take away all of these cussed stains, scratches, and many others on the espresso desk prime, I sanded your complete floor.

I used an orbital sander for a lot of the sanding, which is a type of instruments that’s simply nice to have round. Should you might solely get one sander, I might go together with a random orbital sander (as an alternative of a daily orbital) as a result of with a random orbital you don’t get any scratch marks that may generally happen with a daily one. It’s because random orbital sanders oscillates in a non predictable /random sample. Whereas a daily one will generally go away round marks.

6. Conditioning the wooden and one other mild sanding. (elective…type of)

Usually, gel stains are extra forgiving and decrease blotchiness as a result of they don’t penetrate into the wooden, they sit on prime of it. Which suggests, utilizing a conditioner will not be actually needed, with a gel stain. I used a gel stain, so I skipped this step. 

BUT in the event you’re utilizing a liquid wooden stain (which will be water primarily based or oil primarily based), you’ll doubtless need to situation the wooden first, to cut back unevenness / blotchiness within the completed piece. You should utilize any pre-stain wooden conditioner.

There are a few issues to know forward of time, when deciding on the kind of wooden conditioner / pre-stain to make use of.

1. Whether or not you choose a water primarily based or oil primarily based wooden conditioner, simply make the stain you choose is similar. Which means in the event you use a water primarily based wooden conditioner, use a water primarily based stain. And in the event you use an oil primarily based wooden conditioner, use an oil primarily based wooden stain. There are cases the place you may combine the 2 varieties, but it surely requires the conditioner to be COMPLETELY dry first (like 72 hours or extra). So, to me, it doesn’t make sense to combine the kinds.
2. Water primarily based wooden conditioners elevate the wooden grain, in order that they must be sanded after the conditioner is dry (earlier than closing staining). Oil primarily based wooden conditioners don’t require sanding afterward.

7. Staining the desk base and the legs of the espresso desk.

As I discussed earlier than, I used a gel stain for this undertaking. However the one cause I used a gel stain was as a result of I already had it within the storage (leftover from one other undertaking).

I believe if I had been to do it once more, I might have used my fave oil stain (Rubio Monocoat) as an alternative. I identical to the way in which it applies and adheres just a little greater than the gel stain.It penetrates the wooden and because of this, the colour seems nicer imo.

With a gel stain, you simply dip a rag into the gel (a really small quantity goes a good distance) after which wipe it onto the wooden floor. You should utilize one other rag to wipe off any extra. 

*IMPORTANT NOTE: It’s actually vital to correctly get rid of stain rags. Oil stain rags, particularly, can spontaneously combust. SO! It’s essential that they’re dried out first utterly, earlier than being thrown away. They can’t be reused. I discovered this video from This Previous Home actually useful for learn how to correctly get rid of oily rags.

8. Add a prime coat.

Lastly, as soon as the stain has dried (usually 6 to eight hours), you may apply a prime coat to the wooden floor. From there, it’s prepared to make use of.

What was the ultimate price of this DIY espresso desk?

As a result of I skipped the veneer, I saved much more cash than I deliberate on this undertaking. The ultimate prices ended up being below $75! Not unhealthy. 

Right here’s the fee breakdown:

• desk prime (already had) $0
• gel stain (already had this too, however nonetheless included in price) $22
• 3 hardwood dowels (2.5 inch diameter) $45
• outdated rags $0
• wooden scraps $0

TOTAL: $67

Would you modify something in regards to the completed desk?

There’s something that bothers me barely in regards to the legs. I believe it’s the way in which the gel stain seems to be on that individual wooden. However I’m unsure. Aside from that, I prefer it – MUCH higher than the outdated espresso desk base. 

I do that veneering your complete desk would make it look even nearer to the inspiration desk. And wrapping the legs in that very same veneer would squash what I’m bothered by presently with the legs. BUT I’m good for now. Nonetheless could veneer it sooner or later, who is aware of.

How nicely has the espresso desk held up thus far?

On the time of posting this, we’ve already lived with the espresso desk in its latest kind for greater than 6 months. And my 4 12 months eats snacks right here, spills drinks right here, performs tough right here – all of the issues toddlers do. It just about seems to be the identical as day one. Wipes clear when something spills and doesn’t go away marks behind when dry.

I’ll replace this put up once more as time goes on to see how nicely it holds up. However wow, what a distinction simply including some stain will do, when it comes to defending the wooden.