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Before + After Makeovers, DIY, Home Office, Project Gallery 32

Behind the Scenes: A Desk Makeover

By Sabrina @pinklilnotebook · On May 16, 2013

Before-and-afterGreetings from my new home office!

As you may recall, last week I shared my big Home Office Reveal.  Unable to find the perfect desk from a big box store that met all of my requirements, I turned to Kijiji to find a second hand desk that I could repurpose. As promised, here is a simplified tutorial on my desk makeover.

step1

Step 1: Clean and dismantle your furniture piece.

When buying a used piece of furniture that you plan to paint, clean every square inch with a cleaner or degreaser.  You want your surfaces to be free from dirt and oil. Also when working with a heavy piece such as this desk unit, dismantle it to as many pieces as you can. It will be easier for you to paint and transport into your new space.

step2

Step 2: Sand.

Using my good old hand sander, I prep the entire unit.  Don’t be tempted to skip this step, sanding not only gives the paint something to stick too but it will also help you get that perfect finish.  As a rule of thumb, sand until the sheen is gone. Make sure to remove all the dust before proceeding to the next step.

Step3painted-cabinet

Step 3: Paint.

Once your furniture is prepped and ready to go, start off with some primer.  In this case, I painted the desk white and to avoid buying multiple cans of paint, I stuck to a primer and paint in one. However, if you are using any colour besides white always use a good primer first.  Colour shows best on a blank white canvas!

I painted two coats using the colour, Simply White from Benjamin Moore.  I always give a light sanding in between coats.  It will help your furniture from chipping in the future.

paint

step4

Step 4: Add accent colour.

I chose to paint the decorative trim on my cabinets.  I did this free hand; however, if you’re not handy with the paint brush, I recommend using painters tape and taping as much as you can to avoid going out of the lines.

Helpful Hint –  When shopping for small amounts of paint (like accent colours) ask the paint store to see their selection of mismatch paint colours.  These are cans of paint that were either not mixed right or called-in and never picked up and they are usually very inexpensive to purchase.  Always worth the look!

step5

Step 5: Prepare desktop.

Next I got rid of the laminate desktop and replaced it with a pine wood top that I purchased from my local hardware store.  I wanted to add an extension so I bought two pieces at 6ft long.

Since pine wood is a little more finicky when it comes to staining, I treated the pine with wood conditioner first.  I used MinWax Wood Conditioner and applied two coats.  This penetrates into the wood acting as an outer layer to help the stain go on smoothly.

After it was fully dried, I applied the MinWax Wood Stain in this aqua blue colour.  I know…very risky!!

stainwoodfinish

Overall, the colour was a little stronger than I anticipated but it eventually grew on me.  Last but not least, to seal everything in and protect the wood, I opted for a varathane protector.

legs

Step 6: Create legs for desk extension.

Thanks to Big Joe, he created these wonderful wooden legs to hold up my new desk extension.

step7

With a little help, this unit was assembled all together and secured into place. All done! whew.

homeofficerevealPLN

blue desk topDIYhome officekijiji desk makeoverpink little notebookrepainted desk
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Sabrina

Sabrina is the design enthusiast behind the blog, Pink Little Notebook, where she explores her creativity through home décor, thrift store finds, DIY projects and her ever growing love to paint everything in sight! She is indeed a storyteller of style and has an extensive mixture of artistic skills and abilities which include everything from make-up art, graphic designing, painting, drawing, and even self-taught photography, just to name a few. Through her blog Sabrina combines everything she has learned over the years and hopes to inspire others along the way!

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32 Comments

  • biagio says: May 16, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    Sabrina you are a genius.

    Reply
  • Anton says: May 27, 2013 at 12:41 am

    It appears you actually understand a great deal related to
    this specific topic and this shows via this particular post, named
    “Behind the Scenes: A Desk Makeover”. Regards -Anton

    Reply
  • Julie says: June 6, 2013 at 2:51 am

    A beautiful creation! Just a fabulous place to work!!

    Reply
  • Betty819 says: July 25, 2013 at 8:17 pm

    Hey, forgive me for being a bit dense. I hadn’t seen the beginning of your blog when I saw your home office makeover via pinterest. Now I connect how the desk came to be. I am not familiar with the name of the company where you purchased your desk unit. Is it in USA? Was there a specific reason for removing the doors to the shelving unit? Very creative ideas and hug that Father-in-law for helping you create such a beautiful office space! Is he for hire?

    Reply
  • Stephanie says: January 16, 2014 at 10:28 pm

    Hi there I was wondering where you purchased the pine desk tops? Also do you have instructions on how to put together the extension legs?

    Reply
    • Sabrina says: January 17, 2014 at 2:04 pm

      Hi Stephanie, thanks for the comment! I purchased the pine from Home Depot, they have different sizes you can choose from. I do not have instructions on the extension as of yet but have plans to do so. Stay tune!

      Reply
  • Susan Teegarden says: February 3, 2014 at 12:32 pm

    I love this and doing this for my home office desk. I love the color too but you say you used aqua blue and I can not find this anywhere!! Please help!

    Reply
    • Sabrina says: February 3, 2014 at 12:48 pm

      Hi Susan, I stained the desk top with aqua blue. I used Minwax Wood stain which I found at my local home depot. They have a ton of different colours to choose from!

      Reply
  • Terri says: July 30, 2014 at 9:23 am

    I love love love this!!!!!!!! BEAUTIFUL! What is the accent color on the doors. I love it! I am going to do this 🙂
    Thank you for sharing, you truly have a wonderful talent!!

    Reply
  • Autumn says: September 19, 2014 at 12:17 pm

    This looks absolutely beautiful! I have a question though: How were the legs attached to the extension? Also, Did you do anything special to the top half besides take the doors off, sand, and paint? Thanks for the inspo! Keep it up!

    Reply
  • Allison says: February 21, 2015 at 10:57 am

    Sabrina

    You’re inspirational and I have never seen such a pretty office, looking forward recreating it in the UK!

    Reply
  • Jen says: March 3, 2015 at 10:46 pm

    Gorg!! Can’t wait to try this in my home office!!

    Reply
  • Jenna says: June 10, 2015 at 6:41 pm

    I love this desk and want to build something similar, can you share the dimensions of this desk? It looks to be a perfect size.

    Reply
    • Sabrina says: September 21, 2015 at 11:25 am

      Hi Jenna, the dimensions are as follows:
      Desk: 30″H x 57″L x 24″D
      Hutch: 59 1/2″H x 551/4″L x12 1/2″D
      L-Shape Extension: 30″H x 70″L X 24″D

      Reply
  • Candi says: July 7, 2015 at 6:25 pm

    Any chance you could tell me the lumber dimensions used for the legs… ie 2×4 or 1×4 etc… they look great!

    Reply
  • Lacey says: July 10, 2015 at 3:04 pm

    I’m sure I’m not the only one who saw this desk and wanted an exact replica in my office. Is there any chance you’re planning to elaborate upon this post so that’s feasible for us?

    Reply
  • Julie says: August 5, 2015 at 12:27 am

    Your office started the inspiration for my Glam Cave! This tutorial is awesome, as it is your desk the caught my eye.

    Do you have steps for what you did to the top half of the hutch? Looking for clarification on the back and shelves. Thanks so much!!!

    Reply
  • Arlene says: August 20, 2015 at 11:41 pm

    You are a master in creation! Love the desk you created and the color combos! Fantastic!

    Reply
  • Ulene says: October 25, 2015 at 9:30 am

    I love your office! It is gorgeous! Will you please let me know the formula for the aqua blue stain? Neither Lowe’s or Home Depot had that color in the stain.

    Thank you

    Reply
  • Katie says: December 29, 2015 at 1:57 pm

    Are the pine boards one solid sheet, or are they boards put together?

    Reply
    • Sabrina says: January 7, 2016 at 10:53 am

      Hi Katie, they are one solid sheet. I believe I found them at Lowes.

      Reply
  • Sylvia says: February 11, 2016 at 10:02 am

    Very nice makeover of your office. I am watching for ideas, as I will soon have a sewing room / office to outfit. Thank you for posting your creation!

    Reply
  • Laura Harvey says: March 26, 2016 at 6:13 pm

    Could not find aqua blue color stain. Where did you get this color?

    Reply
    • Sabrina says: March 29, 2016 at 12:07 pm

      Hi Laura, I purchased this Minwax stain back in 2013 from Lowes. If you are unable to find it in your local hardware store than I’m assuming it has been discontinued 🙁

      Reply
  • Laura Harvey says: March 26, 2016 at 8:22 pm

    I could not find aqua blue stain color in neither Home Depot or Lowes. Where did you buy it?

    Reply
  • Colorful Desk Makeover - Bob Vila says: March 29, 2016 at 10:46 am

    […] searching with no avail for the perfect desk for her updated home office, Sabrina of Pink Little Notebook decided to hunt for a secondhand piece that she could repurpose instead. Keep reading to see how […]

    Reply
  • Tammara says: July 29, 2016 at 1:27 pm

    Just discovered this desk makeover. Fantastic job! Thanks for the information and dimensions. I didn’t see how the extension was connected to the desk. Did I miss something or is not attached and pushed next to the desk.

    Reply
  • Melanie says: October 30, 2016 at 6:12 pm

    You’ve totally inspired my new home office! What is the paint color of the walls? I love the stripes with the white and aqua. Thank you!!

    Reply
  • Carrie says: January 23, 2017 at 11:05 pm

    I love what you’ve done, and as a designer, I am very impressed! Where did you get the area rug??????????? It’s just what I am in search of.

    Reply
  • margaret says: September 30, 2017 at 2:29 am

    I love the look of your office. what are the paint colors on the wall and where did you find that gorgeous rug?
    thanks
    margaret

    Reply
  • Michelle Van Parys says: March 21, 2021 at 7:31 pm

    Any chance your could share the measurements for the legs Big Joe made?

    Reply
    • Magi says: January 10, 2022 at 8:32 pm

      I was wondering the same thing! My husband and I are going to make those same legs for my desk.

      Reply

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