Made a brand new DIY espresso desk by up biking what I already had.
Once I did the living room makeover for my mother, I bought 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So, I took the outdated espresso desk to make use of at my home for some time.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 type of the legs, nevertheless it labored nicely for us within the interim and I appreciated 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 high 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 superb in particular person anymore.
So, I began searching for a brand new espresso desk and I discovered one which I liked, however in fact, it was additionally over $4,000! Which undoubtedly didn’t work for our finances.
Stunning trendy espresso desk although – it’s this one.
So, I assumed, why not attempt to make one thing comparable utilizing the picket desk high we have already got and see if I can remake the costly one I noticed for a couple of hundred bucks (versus 4,000).
Properly, it ended up being WAY simpler than I assumed. After a visit to a specialty hardwood store, I discovered actually thick dowels that may work completely for the espresso desk 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 responsibility dowels, I had solely spent about $150 (the majority of that being the sheet of veneer).
After I bought began although, sanding every little thing down, I noticed many of the points had been simply on the floor. And the strong wooden desk high was in higher form than I assumed.
Wherein 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 fairly first rate and has held up MUCH higher to stains to this point.
Right here’s how I made my very own DIY espresso desk, however reconfiguring our outdated one…
Wooden DIY Espresso Desk
I might say the required talent degree for making your personal furnishings piece like this one is intermediate. And doubtless would even work for some novices, since there are actually solely a handful of cuts to make. That stated, listed below are the fundamental instruments and provides you’ll have to make your personal espresso desk…
Supplies
- desk high – 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 house enchancment shops. I discovered spherical 36 inch desk tops right here: Lowes /Ace Hardware. Additionally they have bigger spherical wood table tops in retailer at DIY Dwelling Heart, when you’ve got a type of close to you. And I additionally discovered an analogous choice on Wayfair.
- gel stain – You should use any kind of stain. It doesn’t should be gel. I picked gel stain bc I had it already and you may skip a step whenever 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.
- wooden screws
- outdated rags
- small wooden scraps
- *pre-stain wooden conditioner – You’ll solely want a wooden conditioner in case you’re utilizing a liquid stain, as an alternative of a gel stain. I’ll clarify extra about that later.
- wooden glue (non-obligatory)
Instruments / Tools
There aren’t many energy instruments concerned on this DIY venture. You’ll simply want…
- drill
- energy sander
- miter noticed or round noticed (may use a hand noticed as an alternative, however would take some time)
Directions
1. Eradicating the outdated metallic base.
Step one was merely 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 don’t have a minimize record, for the reason that solely factor I needed to minimize had been the espresso desk legs. However right here’s what I did…
I marked off 12 inches with a tape measure on every dowel earlier than I minimize it down with my miter noticed. I picked this peak as a result of I needed one thing that may sit low to the bottom, just like the inspiration espresso desk.
However then, I minimize one other inch off after utilizing it for a couple of days, to make it even decrease.
So the ultimate peak of every leg was round 11 inches. You may alter the measurement to no matter peak you prefer to.
After reducing the legs all the way down to dimension, sand every leg so it’s prepped for staining. I might suggest sanding the legs earlier than you connect them to the espresso desk high. It’s a lot simpler this fashion.
3. Chopping and attaching wooden to every leg.
The simplest choice 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 may then connect every leg to the desk base.
To connect the piece of wooden to the wooden legs, I used countersunk wooden screws (via the center of the wooden piece and the center of the dowel) and made positive 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 little bit bit extra work. However nonetheless straightforward sufficient.
I turned the desk high over (underneath aspect dealing with up) and located the middle of the desk.
Then used a protractor to mark off 120 diploma spacing between every leg, similar to this.
As soon as the location was all found out, I connected the wooden piece for every leg to the desk base (one screw on both sides of the wooden) in these positions. See picture.
This could be an excellent time so as to add wooden glue as nicely, earlier than screwing, if you would like that further safety. I skipped it for mine as a result of it didn’t appear obligatory.
5. Sanding the desk base.
To take away all of these cussed stains, scratches, and many others on the coffee table high, I sanded the whole floor.
I used an orbital sander for many of the sanding, which is a type of instruments that’s simply nice to have round.
In the event you may 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 typically happen with a daily one.
It is because random orbital sanders oscillates in a non predictable /random sample. Whereas a daily one will typically go away round marks.
6. Conditioning the wooden and one other gentle sanding. (non-obligatory…type of)
Typically, gel stains are extra forgiving and decrease blotchiness as a result of they don’t penetrate into the wooden, they sit on high of it.
Which suggests, utilizing a conditioner will not be actually obligatory, with a gel stain. I used a gel stain, so I skipped this step.
BUT in case you’re utilizing a liquid wooden stain (which could be water primarily based or oil primarily based), it’s a good suggestion to situation the wooden first, to scale back unevenness / blotchiness within the completed piece.
You should use 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.
- Whether or not you choose a water primarily based or oil primarily based wooden conditioner, simply make the stain you choose is identical. Which means in case you use a water primarily based wooden conditioner, use a water primarily based stain. And in case you use an oil primarily based wooden conditioner, use an oil primarily based wooden stain. There are cases the place you’ll be able to combine the 2 sorts, nevertheless it 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.
- Water primarily based wooden conditioners increase the wooden grain, so that they should be sanded after the conditioner is dry (earlier than ultimate 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 venture. However the one purpose I used a gel stain was as a result of I already had it within the storage (leftover from one other venture).
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 best way it applies and adheres a little bit greater than the gel stain. It penetrates the wooden and because of this, the colour seems nicer imo. Gonna apply it to my wood entry table I’ve within the bed room.
With a gel stain, you simply dip a rag into the gel (a really small quantity goes a great distance) after which wipe it onto the wooden floor.
You should use one other rag to wipe off any extra.
*IMPORTANT NOTE: It’s actually necessary to correctly eliminate stain rags. Oil stain rags, particularly, can spontaneously combust. SO! It’s crucial that they’re dried out first fully, earlier than being thrown away. They can’t be reused. I discovered this video from This Previous Home actually useful for easy methods to correctly eliminate oily rags.
8. Add a high coat.
Lastly, as soon as the stain has dried (sometimes 6 to eight hours), you’ll be able to apply a high coat to the wooden floor. Skinny coats work the very best. From there, it’s prepared to make use of. Fairly straightforward espresso desk thought, proper?
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 venture. The ultimate prices ended up being underneath $75! Not dangerous.
Right here’s the worth tag breakdown:
- desk high (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
Can this be used as an out of doors espresso desk?
You COULD make this an out of doors espresso desk with a couple of tweaks. Primarily, you would want to make use of a sort of wooden that may deal with the cruel components of being out in yr spherical climate. And you’ll additionally have to seal the wooden with an exterior sealer.
Examples of wooden that may be appropriate for constructing out of doors furnishings:
- Teak
- Mahogany
- Cypress
- Redwood
- Cedar
Would you alter something in regards to the completed desk?
Total, I’m fairly pleased with how every little thing turned out. Is that this essentially the most good espresso desk? Possibly, possibly not. But it surely undoubtedly suits into the gorgeous cute and useful espresso desk class.
Admittedly, there’s something that bothers me barely in regards to the legs. I believe it’s the best way the gel stain seems on that specific wooden. However I’m undecided.
Aside from that, I prefer it – MUCH higher than the outdated espresso desk base.
I do assume veneering the whole 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 at the moment with the legs.
BUT I’m at a good place with it for now. Nonetheless could veneer it sooner or later, who is aware of.
I don’t have a spherical tabletop to make use of. Can I nonetheless make this?
Positively! I’m all about utilizing what you might have. So when you’ve got an outdated tabletop that may be a totally different form, you could possibly minimize it all the way down to a circle form with a jigsaw and/or router.
An alternative choice can be to choose up a spherical tabletop that’s already been minimize, from he ironmongery store. They sometimes have smaller sizes at Lowes and Dwelling Depot. However I lately noticed a lot bigger wooden circles (as much as 50 inches) at DIY Dwelling Heart. That they had a bunch of sizes, truly. It’s possible you’ll have to sandwich two wooden items collectively, with wooden glue, to get a thicker look (and probably add edge banding too). However after that, you’ll deal with the remainder of the venture the identical manner I did, with making the espresso desk legs.
Lastly, one other nice choice can be to take a look at an area thrift retailer, property sale, or flea marketplace for a bit of furnishings (particularly a wooden tabletop) that you simply’d have the ability to use.
How nicely has the espresso desk held up to this point?
On the time of posting this, we’ve already lived with this easy espresso desk, in its latest type, for greater than 6 months.
And my 4 yr eats snacks right here, spills drinks right here, performs tough right here – all of the issues toddlers do. It just about seems 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 an enormous distinction simply including some stain will do, when it comes to defending the wooden.
What if I wish to make a wooden espresso desk in a unique form?
I might say an oblong or sq. espresso desk can be simply as straightforward as this spherical one. And doubtless a little bit simpler to seek out the tabletop items you would want. So sure, this DIY venture would work simply as nicely with a unique form tabletop.
Except for that although, in case you’re searching for a totally totally different type of espresso desk, I might try this DIY pallet coffee table venture. It’s constituted of wooden pallets, because the identify suggests. Additionally, has some good storage, which is all the time welcome imo, in terms of furnishings.
Any suggestions for styling these DIY espresso desk concepts?
After all! I shared how to style a coffee table in a earlier put up, that goes via 3 alternative ways / seems for espresso desk styling with numerous objects.
P.S. I made a DIY coffee table sculpture that may make for an excellent styling piece as nicely, if you wish to examine that out.
DIY Espresso Desk (spherical espresso desk thought)
Once I did the lounge makeover for my mother, I bought 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 did not love the type of the legs, nevertheless it labored nicely for us within the interim and I appreciated having a spherical desk to make use of. We beforehand had a thin rectangular espresso desk that did not actually work very nicely within the house.
The desk has largely held up, however the wooden high was fairly destroyed from fixed use. There have been water stains, espresso mug rings, pen and crayon marks – all of the issues. It simply did not look superb in particular person anymore. So, I began searching for a brand new espresso desk and I discovered one which I liked, however in fact, it was additionally over $4,000! Which undoubtedly didn’t work for our finances. Stunning espresso desk although. It is this one.
So, I assumed, why not attempt to make one thing comparable utilizing the picket desk high we have already got and see if I can remake the costly one I noticed for a couple of hundred bucks (versus 4,000). Properly, it ended up being WAY simpler than I assumed. After a visit to a specialty hardwood store, I discovered actually thick dowels that may 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 is not precisely the way it turned out…
Servings: 1 espresso desk
Price: $67
- desk high 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 house enchancment shops. I discovered spherical 36 inch desk tops right here: Lowes /Ace {Hardware}. Additionally they have bigger spherical wooden desk tops in retailer at DIY Dwelling Heart, when you’ve got a type of close to you. And I additionally discovered an analogous choice on Wayfair.
- gel stain You should use any kind of stain. It would not should be gel. I picked gel stain bc I had it already and you may skip a step whenever you use gel, which you may 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 case you’re utilizing a liquid stain as an alternative of a gel stain. I am going to clarify extra about that later.
Eradicating the outdated metallic base.
Chopping and sanding the legs.
-
I minimize every picket dowel all the way down to 12 inches, with my miter noticed, for my espresso desk as a result of I needed one thing that may sit low to the bottom, just like the inspiration espresso desk. However then, I minimize one other inch off after utilizing it for a couple of days. So the ultimate peak of every leg was round 11 inches. You may alter the measurement to no matter peak you prefer to.
-
After reducing the legs all the way down to dimension, sand every leg so it is prepped for staining. I might suggest sanding the legs earlier than you connect them to the espresso desk high. It is a lot simpler this fashion.
Chopping and attaching wooden to every leg.
-
The simplest choice 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 may 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 positive every screw sat beneath the floor of the wooden when completed.
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 straightforward sufficient. I turned the desk high over (underneath aspect dealing with up) and located the middle of the desk. Then used a protractor to mark off 120 diploma spacing between every leg, much like this.
-
As soon as the location was all found out, I connected the wooden piece for every leg to the desk base (one screw on both sides of the wooden) in these positions. See picture.
Sanding the desk base.
-
To take away all of these cussed stains, scratches, and many others on the espresso desk high, I sanded the whole floor.
-
I used an orbital sander for many of the sanding, which is a type of instruments that is simply nice to have round. In the event you may 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 do not get any scratch marks that may typically happen with a daily one. It is because random orbital sanders oscillates in a non predictable /random sample. Whereas a daily one will typically go away round marks.
Conditioning the wooden and one other gentle sanding. (non-obligatory…type of)
-
Typically, gel stains are extra forgiving and decrease blotchiness as a result of they do not penetrate into the wooden, they sit on high of it. Which suggests, utilizing a conditioner will not be actually obligatory, with a gel stain. I used a gel stain, so I skipped this step.
-
BUT in case you’re utilizing a liquid wooden stain (which could be water primarily based or oil primarily based), you’ll doubtless wish to situation the wooden first, to scale back unevenness / blotchiness within the completed piece. You should use 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.
-
Whether or not you choose a water primarily based or oil primarily based wooden conditioner, simply make the stain you choose is identical. Which means in case you use a water primarily based wooden conditioner, use a water primarily based stain. And in case you use an oil primarily based wooden conditioner, use an oil primarily based wooden stain. There are cases the place you’ll be able to combine the 2 sorts, nevertheless it requires the conditioner to be COMPLETELY dry first (like 72 hours or extra). So, to me, it would not make sense to combine the kinds.
-
Water primarily based wooden conditioners increase the wooden grain, so that they should be sanded after the conditioner is dry (earlier than ultimate staining). Oil primarily based wooden conditioners don’t require sanding afterward.
Staining the desk base and the legs of the espresso desk.
-
As I discussed earlier than, I used a gel stain for this venture. However the one purpose I used a gel stain was as a result of I already had it within the storage (leftover from one other venture).
-
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 best way it applies and adheres a little bit 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 great distance) after which wipe it onto the wooden floor. You should use one other rag to wipe off any extra.
-
*IMPORTANT NOTE: It is actually necessary to correctly eliminate stain rags. Oil stain rags, particularly, can spontaneously combust. SO! It is crucial that they’re dried out first fully, earlier than being thrown away. They can’t be reused. I discovered this video from This Previous Home actually useful for easy methods to correctly eliminate oily rags.
Add a high coat.
-
Lastly, as soon as the stain has dried (sometimes 6 to eight hours), you’ll be able to apply a high coat to the wooden floor. From there, it is prepared to make use of.
As a result of I skipped the veneer, I saved much more cash than I deliberate on this venture. The ultimate prices ended up being underneath $75! Not dangerous.
This is the associated fee breakdown:
- desk high (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