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Furniture

Chalk Painted Drop Leaf Table Makeover

August 7, 2018 by Bre 14 Comments

This painted drop leaf table makeover is a true trash to treasure gem! You won’t believe the before and after.

Several weeks ago my kids and I were driving when I spotted a table in the alley behind our church.  Like the dedicated furniture hoarder that I am, I immediately threw the car into reverse and backed into the alley to check it out. 

It was an old drop leaf table that hadn’t sold at the church’s annual rummage sale, and it had been put out (along with a lot of other random stuff), just waiting for me to come along and scoop it up!  

This chalk painted drop leaf table makeover is one not to miss! See how this alley find was transformed with chalk paint and given a whole new life.

Divine furniture intervention?  I think so.

I struggled to get it into the hatch and sort of got it to fit.  Being unable to close the hatch door, I enlisted the help of my children, and pleaded with them to hold onto the table so it wouldn’t fall out as I drove us the four blocks home. 

They told me I am crazy, and I told them I’m giving them memories to laugh about someday when they’re grown.

Having already dealt with my children’s judgment, I next had to face the laughter of my husband and his friend, who had no faith in my ability to tighten the table’s legs and make it pretty again.  I got to work and showed them.

Supplies Used for This Painted Drop Leaf Table Makeover

This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

  • Spray shellac
  • ArtMinds Chalk Paint in Smoked Pearl
  • Fat Paint paint in Parchment (a similar is ArtMinds Chalk Paint in Porcelain)
  • Electric sander and sandpaper (120 grit)
  • Paint brushes
  • Clear wax
  • Wax brush
  • Bone inlay stencil
  • Stencil brush

Drop Leaf Table Makeover How-To

With a little prep work and lots of paint, this drop leaf table got a new lease on life.

Table Makeover Prep Work

Because this drop leaf table had been out in the rain, I sanded it down and sprayed it with two coats of Zinsser Shellac. 

Shellac is a very smelly but very amazing tool.  It seals the wood so that any stains, tannins, or damage on the wood does not bleed through to the paint.

Painting the Table Top

Then I painted the table top with two coats of ArtMinds chalk paint in Smoked Pearl.  I’ve used this paint a couple of times now (like on my Mirror Makeover) and I like it and its low price!

This chalk painted drop leaf table makeover is one not to miss! See how this alley find was transformed with chalk paint and given a whole new life.

Painting the Table Legs

Once the top was finished, I painted the table base and legs with FAT Paint in Parchment. 

I had this color left over from the Console Table Makeover I did last year and was happy to put it to good use because it’s great paint with great coverage!  

This chalk painted drop leaf table makeover is one not to miss! See how this alley find was transformed with chalk paint and given a whole new life.

Adding a Bone Inlay Stencil Detail to the Table Top

I decided to add a stencil detail to the table top because, for better or worse, I have a hard time leaving things “plain.” 

I used a bone inlay stencil (the one I used is no longer sold, but this bone inlay stencil is similar), and carefully dabbed on the same color paint used on the table legs (Parchment by FAT Paint Co.).  

This chalk painted drop leaf table makeover is one not to miss! See how this alley find was transformed with chalk paint and given a whole new life.

Finishing the Drop Leaf Table

Once the paint was totally dry, I used a fine grit sandpaper to lightly distress the legs and edges of the table top. 

Then I used the same fine grit sandpaper on my sander to lightly distress the table top and to remove some of the paint left by the stencil.  I was going for a somewhat aged look, but not overly beat up. 

Then I sealed it with a coat of clear wax and buffed to a subtle sheen.

The Finished Drop Leaf Table Makeover

How do you think my painted drop leaf table turned out?

This chalk painted drop leaf table makeover is one not to miss! See how this alley find was transformed with chalk paint and given a whole new life.

Not too bad for an alley find, right?  

This chalk painted drop leaf table makeover is one not to miss! See how this alley find was transformed with chalk paint and given a whole new life.

This chalk painted drop leaf table makeover is one not to miss! See how this alley find was transformed with chalk paint and given a whole new life.

This chalk painted drop leaf table makeover is one not to miss! See how this alley find was transformed with chalk paint and given a whole new life.

I think the stencil was a good touch; not too much detail and just enough to make this table have a little more personality.  

This chalk painted drop leaf table makeover is one not to miss! See how this alley find was transformed with chalk paint and given a whole new life.

Plus, how fun is it that you can adjust the levers underneath the table and make it larger when you need it?  

This chalk painted drop leaf table makeover is one not to miss! See how this alley find was transformed with chalk paint and given a whole new life.

I think this little alley cat is giving my other alley table makeover a run for it’s money! 

If you agree, I’d love for you to pin this post to Pinterest to share the inspiration (thank you)!  

This chalk painted drop leaf table makeover is one not to miss! See how this alley find was transformed with chalk paint and given a whole new life.

What’s the best thing you have found in an alley or on the side of the road?  Let me know in the comments!

Filed Under: Furniture

A Rifle Paper Co. Inspired Furniture Makeover

June 12, 2018 by Bre 6 Comments

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Two things I love love love are Rifle Paper Co. and furniture makeovers.  If you’re not familiar with Rifle Paper Co, check out their website.  Their floral and whimsical patterns are right up my alley.  I’ve used their patterned papers on several projects, including this Console Table Makeover, my grandma’s Side Table Makeover, and most recently, on books flanking my Spring Mantel.  I’m definitely a fan girl.

When I scored this little bench or side table at Goodwill for $4, incorporating Rifle Paper’s beautiful patterns was not part of the makeover plan.  This Rifle Paper Co. inspired furniture makeover is so cute! Freehand painted flowers adorn the top of this chalk painted stool to give it a charming new look.

I was just going to sand it down and paint it.  This Rifle Paper Co. inspired furniture makeover is so cute! Freehand painted flowers adorn the top of this chalk painted stool to give it a charming new look.

But once I began working on it, the plan changed . . . as it almost always does.

I re-stained the top portion of the bench/table and painted the legs with a beautiful mossy green chalk paint.  This Rifle Paper Co. inspired furniture makeover is so cute! Freehand painted flowers adorn the top of this chalk painted stool to give it a charming new look.

It looked a lot better but was a little too plain for my liking, so I decided to decoupage some leftover Rifle Paper Co. paper on the top.  I cut the piece to fit the entire top portion of the bench/table (or so I thought), and found it was totally wrong.  The curvature of the top of the bench/table really messed me up.  I ruined a perfectly good sheet of decorative paper.

Not one to give up easily, I cut out a small part of the paper and then drew the pattern from that portion onto the top of the bench/table.  This Rifle Paper Co. inspired furniture makeover is so cute! Freehand painted flowers adorn the top of this chalk painted stool to give it a charming new look.

I filled it all in with a mix of chalky finish paints and acrylic paints that I had in my craft stash, and then sealed the entire piece with wax.  This Rifle Paper Co. inspired furniture makeover is so cute! Freehand painted flowers adorn the top of this chalk painted stool to give it a charming new look.

And just like that, the little bench/table got some personality!  This Rifle Paper Co. inspired furniture makeover is so cute! Freehand painted flowers adorn the top of this chalk painted stool to give it a charming new look.

This Rifle Paper Co. inspired furniture makeover is so cute! Freehand painted flowers adorn the top of this chalk painted stool to give it a charming new look.

I love her sweet curved legs and arched top – she’s just the cutest little piece of furniture!  This Rifle Paper Co. inspired furniture makeover is so cute! Freehand painted flowers adorn the top of this chalk painted stool to give it a charming new look.

This Rifle Paper Co. inspired furniture makeover is so cute! Freehand painted flowers adorn the top of this chalk painted stool to give it a charming new look.

I think she’d make an adorable plant stand sitting on someone’s covered porch or next to a fireplace.  Where do you think this piece of furniture would fit best?

-Bre

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THIS FURNITURE MAKEOVER  

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Filed Under: Furniture

A Dated Powder Room Gets a Bold Makeover!

May 22, 2018 by Bre 12 Comments

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I absolutely love doing room makeovers.  And you know what I’ve discovered?  It’s even better when I’m spending someone else’s money to do them!  HA!  I had the opportunity to do just that over Mother’s Day weekend when I gave my mom’s dated powder room a bold makeover with an olive green bathroom vanity paint job and lots of new accessories.

Here’s what the powder room looked like before it got a new look (sorry the before pics are so small – she snapped them with her cell phone (also in need of an upgrade ;-)):  

As you can see, the powder room consisted of a dated oak vanity and hardware, nondescript art and accessories, and a blah mirror.  (No offense, mom!) 

A 1990s powder room got a pretty makeover with a painted olive green bathroom vanity!

Thank you to DecoArt for providing the Americana Decor Satin Enamels paint used in this post.  The project and opinions are all my own!  Also, this post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

We changed all of that in under 18 hours (seriously!), and the new look couldn’t be better.

Are you ready?  

A painted olive green bathroom vanity adds a bold touch to a small powder room. See how this 1990s powder room was transformed in a day!

Can you believe it’s the same powder room?!?

This completely budget-friendly makeover started with my mom’s handyman changing out her faucet and light fixture. 

Once he finished his work, I got painted the vanity with my FAVORITE bathroom vanity paint – Americana Decor Satin Enamels.  I used this paint in my master bathroom makeover (see it here) last year, so I knew it would be perfect for my mom’s powder room makeover, too. 

She selected the Woodland Green shade (which is now, unfortunately, discontinued).  It’s so vibrant – it’s a wonderful olive green bathroom vanity color.   

A dated powder room gets a colorful and modern makeover with a green painted vanity and fresh accessories! Brass and oil rubbed bronze fixtures blend together to create a modern look.

In just two coats, the vanity was completely painted and had a whole new look!  We added some new hardware (knob and drawer pulls) to match the brass finish on the new mirror, while we changed all of the other hardware (faucet, towel bar, toilet paper roll, and light fixture) to oil rubbed bronze so as not to overdo the brass finishes in the room! 

The new rug picks up the olive green shades from the vanity and brings in some teal, too.  We had planned on using a different rug with adorable tassels, but the tassels were in the way of the door, so we had to return it.  This rug was the next best thing!

A dated powder room gets a colorful and modern makeover with a green painted vanity and fresh accessories! Brass and oil rubbed bronze fixtures blend together to create a modern look.

We got this mirror from Target’s Opalhouse line, but unfortunately it’s now out of stock.  

A dated powder room gets a colorful and modern makeover with a green painted vanity and fresh accessories! Brass and oil rubbed bronze fixtures blend together to create a modern look.

That wall art you see reflected in the mirror is also from Target.  It is SO pretty and even has added texture to make it look like an authentic piece of art instead of a mass-produced piece from a big box store.  Yay!  

A dated powder room gets a colorful and modern makeover with a green painted vanity and fresh accessories! Brass and oil rubbed bronze fixtures blend together to create a modern look.

More wall art and a pretty new hand towel bring even more teal into the space, perfectly complementing the olive green bathroom vanity.

A dated powder room gets a colorful and modern makeover with a green painted vanity and fresh accessories! Brass and oil rubbed bronze fixtures blend together to create a modern look.

A dated powder room gets a colorful and modern makeover with a green painted vanity and fresh accessories! Brass and oil rubbed bronze fixtures blend together to create a modern look.

The whole powder room came together so nicely and so quickly!  I just love it when that happens!

A dated powder room gets a colorful and modern makeover with a green painted vanity and fresh accessories! Brass and oil rubbed bronze fixtures blend together to create a modern look.

It’s amazing to me that in less than a day, we were able to make a dated space so modern and fresh – and it didn’t even cost a fortune!  

A dated powder room gets a colorful and modern makeover with a green painted vanity and fresh accessories! Brass and oil rubbed bronze fixtures blend together to create a modern look.

This was definitely the most fun Mother’s Day I can remember!

If you enjoyed this makeover, I’d appreciate it if you’d pin this post to Pinterest or share it with your friends!  Show them how easy it is to update a space with paint and accessories!
A dated powder room gets a colorful and modern makeover with a green painted vanity and fresh accessories! Brass and oil rubbed bronze fixtures blend together to create a modern look.

-Bre

Filed Under: Furniture, home decor

How to Paint a Mirror Frame Without Removing the Mirror

April 4, 2018 by Bre 13 Comments

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Last week was spring break for my kids and we had a lot of fun with little adventures and taking it easy at home!  Being on more of a relaxed schedule gave me some extra time to get little projects done around the house, like repainting the mirror that hangs in my foyer.  Here’s what it looked like, pre-paint job.Give an old mirror new life with a paint job! Learn how to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror with this surprising trick!

I purchased that mirror right before my daughter (first child) was born – thinking that once she arrived I would never again have time to go to a store in my life.  So I rushed into the purchase and bought the first thing I found to fill the wall.  Needless to say, the faux silver finish wasn’t really doing it for me anymore (ever, really!), and with our foyer freshly repainted and new brass ceiling light on the way, I needed to give the mirror some pep!

The problem was that I couldn’t get the mirror out of the mirror frame!  I tried really hard but it just would not budge.  Whoever made it did a great job with the glue.  Having spent a lot of time trying to get the mirror out, I was invested at this point and ready to paint!  So I figured out a SUPER EASY way to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror, and I didn’t even damage the mirror in the process!

You won’t believe this trick.  I rubbed Aquaphor all along the edges where the mirror met the mirror frame.

Give an old mirror new life with a paint job! Learn how to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror with this surprising trick!

The reason I used Aquaphor is because it’s what I had on hand.  You could absolutely use Vaseline or petroleum jelly, which is cheaper than Aquaphor!  (Funny note about Aquaphor: I became addicted to it in college when I went on Accutane for my major acne problem.  It saved my lips and my skin from burning to a crisp!  Now I always have it at home, and I use it for everything!)  Give an old mirror new life with a paint job! Learn how to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror with this surprising trick!

See that nice line of Aquaphor all around the mirror?  It saved me during this mirror painting project!

Now that you know the trick of how to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror, let me show you how I repainted my mirror and another fun way I used Aquaphor in this project!  I started by painting the mirror with a red chalk paint.  Notice that I got some paint on the mirror, but on the parts where the Aquaphor covered the glass.Give an old mirror new life with a paint job! Learn how to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror with this surprising trick!

After that paint dried, I used Aquaphor to help create a distressed finish on the mirror frame.  Watch this video to see just how easy it is to distress painted furniture with Aquaphor or Vaseline!

 

Although the section I distressed in the video isn’t very dramatic, you can definitely use Aquaphor or Vaseline to make the distressed areas more prominent, like on other parts of this mirror.

Give an old mirror new life with a paint job! Learn how to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror with this surprising trick!

After all the paint dried, I used a flat head screwdriver to gently remove any paint that made its way onto the mirror.  It came up instantly because of the Aquaphor!  I just wiped it up with a paper towel and then used glass cleaner to remove any residue.Give an old mirror new life with a paint job! Learn how to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror with this surprising trick!

It was so easy to remove the metallic finish on this mirror and give it a new look.  But hey, guess what?  I’m not sure I like the new look so I may repaint again!    Give an old mirror new life with a paint job! Learn how to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror with this surprising trick!

Give an old mirror new life with a paint job! Learn how to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror with this surprising trick!

Even though I’m undecided on the actual paint job, I can’t believe how easy it is to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror!  So, I’m not all that worried about repainting it if I still don’t love it after a month or so.Give an old mirror new life with a paint job! Learn how to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror with this surprising trick!

What do you think?  Do you like the two-tone distressed finish, or do you think it would look better as a solid color?  Give an old mirror new life with a paint job! Learn how to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror with this surprising trick!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Give an old mirror new life with a paint job! Learn how to paint a mirror frame without removing the mirror with this surprising trick!

-Bre

Filed Under: DIY, Furniture

5 Furniture Makeover Mistakes to Avoid {Lessons From a Failed Furniture Flip}

January 3, 2018 by Bre 34 Comments

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One hot summer night I sat in front of the TV, watching reruns of an intellectually stimulating show (most likely Real Housewives of Dallas or some other random city), while mindlessly scrolling through Facebook.  Suddenly, a post showed up in my newsfeed of someone selling a gorgeous and antique roll top desk in my local resale group . . . for $40.

I had to have it!

Without hesitation, I commented “SOLD” and committed to purchase this stunning* desk that gave me butterflies!  (*Stunning in pictures only.  Keep reading.)

Furniture makeovers don't always go as planned! Here are five things to consider before tackling a furniture makeover.

I didn’t need a desk and I certainly didn’t know how I was going to get it to my house, but I was thrilled to have “won” it!

Reality set in the next day when I had to send my poor husband to retrieve it (by that I mean make two trips to the seller’s house, dismantle the desk, and bring it home to me), and I realized it was way too large to use in my own home.  At that point I decided I would give it a makeover and re-sell it.  I assured my husband I would be able to sell it for way more than I paid, and that his efforts in bringing it home for me would be worth it.

But, as I’m sure you can guess from the title of this post, things did not go according to plan. 

Instead, this furniture makeover was a TOTAL DISASTER; destined for failure from the beginning.  But, my friends, I learned some valuable lessons from it, which I am happy to pass along to you in hopes that you learn from my mistakes (or at least find satisfaction in knowing you’re much smarter than me because you wouldn’t have been so dumb)!  Don't make these mistakes when refinishing furniture! These five furniture makeover mistakes to avoid will save you time and money! #furniturepainting

5 Furniture Makeover Mistakes to Avoid

No. 1: Don’t buy furniture without inspecting it in person first.

This probably seems super obvious.  It really should be, but sometimes emotions can get the best of us.  I got caught up in the immediacy of this desk being available on Facebook.  Because I didn’t want to lose my chance to get it, I commented SOLD before I even saw the piece in person!

If I would have looked at it before buying, I would have seen that it was not an antique (it had a big stamp on the back that said “Made in Mexico 1992”), that it was not solid wood (there were several cheap-looking plastic wood veneer parts), and that one of the bottom drawers was broken and not functional.

The desk looked beautiful in the photo posted on Facebook, but when my husband got it home for me, I immediately knew that it wasn’t as nice as I’d thought!  Looks can be deceiving.

No. 2:  Make sure you have space for the furniture you’re refinishing.

Normally I refinish furniture in my laundry room inside my house.  (You can see my successful furniture makeovers in my Furniture Makeover Gallery!)  This desk was too large for that, so I had to keep it in my garage (which meant that I couldn’t park my car in there for months . . . well into the winter.)

The hassle of parking outside aside, keeping this piece in my garage was a terrible idea because the garage was not a safe place for it.  After I’d begun repainting it, my husband put a giant scratch in it accidentally, and, unbeknownst to me, water from the garage door was dripping on it, ruining a part I’d refinished.  

Before you make over a piece of furniture, read this post! Here are five mistakes to avoid when doing furniture makeovers.

It also turned cold really early in the season, which made it very difficult to work on the desk.  Paint and wax do not cure properly in cold temperatures, and working outside in the cold is no fun!

Never again will I commit to a piece that I cannot refinish inside or in a location that’s safe from the elements and the hazards of daily life!

No. 3:  Paint colors from different containers are not always the same.

After the painted portions of my desk sustained the scratch and water damage, I tried to fix them with a fresh coat of paint or two.  The problem was that my original jar of paint had frozen, thanks to our early cold spell and me leaving it in the garage.  I purchased another container of the same paint and touched up the affected areas, only to find that the paint in the second jar was a slightly different shade than the paint in the first jar!  

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In order to get a cohesive look, I was going to have to remove the hutch portion of the desk to re-refinish the desk top, but I was not strong enough to disassemble it and remove it!  Plus, the freezing weather had set in, and I wasn’t able to repaint and re-seal the entire thing.  At this point, I decided to throw in the towel.  My antique impostor desk was becoming too much of a hassle and I wanted my garage parking space back.

No. 4:  Furniture can be harder to get rid of than you might think!

Because I was fed up with this desk, I hopped online and scheduled a Salvation Army pickup for the earliest date possible, which was about three weeks out.  A few days before pickup day, the truck coordinator called me to get the desk’s measurements.  When I told him what they were, he said the desk was probably too large for pickup, but he’d put the order in anyway and leave it up to the driver to take it or leave it.

On the day the Salvation Army truck pulled into my driveway, I was a nervous wreck.  I showed the driver the desk and he laughed, saying that there’s no way they’d take the desk because “nobody wants old looking stuff like that.”  (A. I didn’t think that would be the problem!; and B. I guess he doesn’t read blogs like mine.  I love “old stuff!”)

I begged him to take it, so he took some pictures of it and sent them to his supervisor.  His supervisor initially said “no,” but friends, I was praying SO HARD that he would change his mind, and then, miraculously, he did!  So, the guys loaded this beast of a desk onto their truck, and then drove off with lots of snacks and all of the cash money that I could give to thank them for taking this desk out of my life.  (People really love snacks!)

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For days after that, every time I heard a truck come down the street, I was worried it was the Salvation Army bringing the desk back!  Post-traumatic stress, I think.

So, let that be a lesson that it’s not always as easy to get rid of furniture as you might think!

No. 5:  Even if you fail, don’t let it defeat you.  Enjoy the creative process and learn from it!

I totally blew this furniture makeover.  No question.  I had to apologize to my husband about ten gazillion times and I still probably owe him a six-pack or something (the Salvation Army guys said I need to go buy him the “good stuff” (yes, they heard this whole story)), and I spent a whole lotta time and money on a project that went nowhere.

BUT . . .

I learned SO MUCH from this failed furniture makeover!

On top of all of the lessons I’ve already shared in this post, I tried a cerusing finish (basically, using white wax on natural oak woodgrain), on the parts I didn’t paint, which was really fun and something I’d never done before.  I found out that I really like using white wax as a subtle way of taking down the orange in an oak finish.  It’s definitely something I’ll try again.

Use white wax to remove the orange from oak. This is a ceruse finish.

Although this most recent furniture makeover of mine was a failure, it won’t be my last.  I enjoy refinishing furniture and this mishap taught me some valuable lessons that I’ll use going forward.

I hope that my mistakes will inspire you to keep forging ahead with your creative endeavors (furniture makeovers or anything else!), despite bumps in the road that will occur from time to time.  We can’t all be perfect all of the time (just most of the time – HA!).  Now please excuse me while I go park my car in the garage.

-Bre

 

Filed Under: Furniture

DIY Modern Desk – A Beginner Woodworking Project

September 13, 2017 by Bre 18 Comments

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Build an easy and affordable DIY Modern Desk for your home office space!

As part of the (now defunct) Monthly DIY Challenge, I partnered with Kreg Tool Company to use their Kreg Jig® R3 pocket hole system in a DIY project. Thank you to Kreg for sponsoring this post!

I used the Kreg Jig R3 to create a gorgeous DIY Modern Desk for my sister, and I am THRILLED to tell you that ANYONE can build this desk (I swear.  I NEVER thought I could build something like this.)!  

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

The DIY Modern Desk Plans

OK, so before I show you how I built this desk, let me tell you that I downloaded the plans for this desk from Ana White’s website, where she provides tons of FREE woodworking plans! 

I chose her Modern 2×2 Desk Base plan and her and her Desktop with Storage Compartments plan. 

If you want to build this desk, go to those links and download those plans.  Then come back here and check out my process photos as they might help you a bit.

Anyway, once I was armed with those instructions and supply lists, I headed to the store to buy my lumber and some other supplies.  And I have a confession . . . I was actually really nervous to go buy the materials for this project!  I was scared that I wouldn’t even be able to load the lumber into my cart or get it home. 

Once I purchased everything and got it into the car, I actually cried a tiny bit from relief.  Can you believe it?  That will tell you how much of a building novice I am!

The Desk Building Process – DIY Modern Desk Base

With the scary supply shopping part finished, I felt a little bit better about the whole prospect of building a desk for my sister.  Something about being in the comfort of my own home/garage made things seem a little better.

I started by building the base of the desk.  I grabbed my circular saw and cut the pieces for the base.  

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

Next it was time to start putting the base together, and here’s where I started to get nervous again. 

I had to use my new Kreg Jig R3 pocket hole system to do this, and frankly, I didn’t know what I was doing!  

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

Once I watched this helpful video and practiced on a few scrap boards, I got the hang of it and instantly understood why people love their Kreg Jig systems so much!

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

Kreg Jig pocket hole systems let you create pocket hole joints (which are very strong joints), quickly and easily, by drilling an angled hole through one board, which allows you to then drill your screw through that hole and into the other board. 

In addition to pocket holes providing strong joints, they’re also really nice because you don’t have visible screws on your projects; they’re hidden!

See those holes in the wood pictured below?  Those are the pocket holes that I drilled using my Kreg Jig R3 drill bit.

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

Once I had all of my pocket holes drilled, I fastened the base pieces together with the 2.5″ pocket hole screws that were recommended in my desk base plans. 

See how I drilled the pocket hole screw right through the pocket hole into the other piece of wood?

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

I put them all together, fastening them with my 2.5″ pocket hole screws and ended up with two base pieces that looked like this.  

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

Following the desk base plans, I clamped these two pieces to my temporary work table, and screwed the top bar to both of the squares in order to attach them.

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

Next, I screwed the footrest bar 6″ from the bottom.  

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

And with that, the base of my DIY modern desk was finished!  Because this part went so smoothly, I decided to keep going and build the desktop in the same day.  I was on a roll and had to keep my momentum going!

The Process – Modern Desk Build Desktop

The first thing I did for the desktop was cut 1×3 boards with my circular saw, per the desktop plans, in order to create storage compartments within the desktop. 

Then I drilled pocket holes with my Kreg Jig R3 system, and attached the pieces together with 1.25″ pocket hole screws.  

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

Next, I laid those storage compartment pieces on top of the base piece of my desktop.  I traced around them with a pencil and then drilled pilot holes in that piece of wood so that it would be easier to attach the compartment pieces to the desktop base.  

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

Once I did that, the desktop looked like this.  

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

I then took the other piece of plywood and cut it into three sections, per the desktop plans. 

I deviated slightly from the plans here, however, because they called for use of a circular saw to cut the top piece into three sections.  If you’ve ever used a circular saw, however, you know that it’s not super easy to get a perfect cut – and I wanted this desktop to be perfect.

My friend, who happens to be a skilled designer and craftsman, was over that afternoon hanging with my husband, and offered to bring his track saw over to help me get really straight cuts for the desktop. 

We used that and then I knew I had to have one for myself!  I didn’t even know that Kreg had JUST come out with the Kreg Rip-Cut and the Kreg Circular Saw Track, which are exactly what I could have used to get straight lines on this desktop. 

(UPDATE: I subsequently bought both of those tools and use them regularly! They especially were useful for my DIY Modern Fireplace Refacing project!)

Anyway, after the desktop pieces were cut, I fastened the outer pieces to the top of the desk with hinges.  

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

And then, not pictured here, I fastened the middle part of the desk with my super fun new brad nailer, which made attaching the desktop a breeze!  That completed the building of the desktop!

The Process – Modern DIY Desk Painting and Staining

The next day, I painted the base of the desk with matte black chalk paint.  This made the legs look like they are metal – giving them that modern look! 

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

Then I stained the top of the desk with my new favorite stain color.  (I first used this stain on the over-the-toilet storage I made for my Master Bathroom Makeover and fell in love!)

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

I gave it two coats of poly on top to protect it, and after it dried, I added decorative hardware to the front and screwed the desktop onto the base to fasten it all together!  

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

The Finished Product – DIY Modern Desk

Once I finished building this desk, I had a sense of accomplishment unlike anything I’ve felt before.  It may sound crazy, but building this desk made me prouder than graduating from law school! 

I think it’s because I didn’t really know if I could actually pull this off or not.  And when I did, it gave me so much confidence and determination to take on another building project.

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

If you’ve ever thought that you want to try building something, I really encourage you to do it.  It is so gratifying to see the results of your work come together in a finished piece like this! 

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

I have to be honest, it made me so proud to see the way my kids reacted to my DIY desk, too.  Every time someone came over to our house, my daughter would bring them to the garage to see what I built. 

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.
Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

That is an immense sense of pride and accomplishment to know that my kids are watching and excited about what I’m doing, too. 

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

And, it felt really good to bring my sister her desk and see how perfectly it fits in her apartment.

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

I’m so thankful for the opportunity to have been pushed out of my comfort zone and learned how to use the Kreg Jig R3. 

Learn how to build a beautiful DIY Modern Desk! It's so easy and is a perfect beginner Kreg Jig project. No prior woodworking experience needed! This is an easy build for beginners.

Not only did my sister gain a beautiful piece of furniture that is well-constructed with strong joints, but I gained a sense of accomplishment that has me dreaming up my next DIY project!

Learn how to build your own DIY Modern Desk with storage compartments! This is a a great woodworking project for beginners, and a great beginner Kreg Jig project, too!

Filed Under: DIY, Furniture, Homepage Featured Posts

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