Hi! I’m Carmel from Our Fifth House, and I’m so thrilled to be participating in this event! If my project wins, the proceeds will go to support Indian Summer Camp, which offers a variety of camp and recreational activities year round for children with cancer and their families.
My little girl is a budding artist, so I decided to build her an art desk.
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being easy and 10 being very difficult, this project was a 2. Seriously, if I can build something – anyone can! It’s pretty simple. These are the supplies you’ll need. I purchased everything at The Home Depot.
The 28 inch parsons legs are $9.24 each and the heavy duty top plates are $2.38 each. You could probably diy table legs for less, but these are so much easier and faster! Once the plates are attached to the table top, all you do is screw the legs into place. To add a little extra support to the base I added 1″x4″s around the bottom. (These came from my scrap pile of wood.) For the table top I purchased a 2′ x 4′ 3/4 inch MDF panel for $17.97. In total the supplies to build this desk cost $64.45! Not too bad for a custom desk that took less than an hour to put together! (You can’t even build Ikea furniture that fast!)
Here’s the basic process from start to finish.
Use a sharpie to mark the holes where you’ll be attaching the plates. Then pre-drill your holes, but be careful not to drill all the way through. Then use an electric screwdriver to attach the plates to each corner of the desk top. (you can use a regular phillips but it’ll take longer) Once your legs are attached paint them before you add the 1″x4″ trim boards to the base. (that just makes the painting process easier) Then measure and cut your trim boards and screw them to the bottom of the legs. I cut my own wood with a basic hand saw, but you can always have them cut at the hardware store (which would save you a little time – just be sure to measure correctly). Then give the whole thing a light sanding and let the real fun begin – customizing with paint!
I sprayed the table legs with my favorite pink – Rustoleum’s Berry Pink. I painted the desk top with white paint (the same white paint that’s on all of our house trim). Then I used a floral stencil and gold rub n’ buff to add a girly design. After waiting for the paint to dry over night, I gave the whole desk a couple coats of polycrylic. Just for fun I added brass corner brackets (also from Home Depot) and called this art desk done!
My girl is over the moon thrilled with her new desk!
Thanks so much for including me in such an inspiring event!!
Hi! I’m Maria, the Marketing Coordinator for Homes.com. I am part of a dream team that is dedicated to running this awesome blog along with Homes.com’s social channels. If I am not busy writing blogs and socially sharing for Homes.com, you can find me painting, drinking tea with my friends, and doing DIY projects!
