A few days ago i got a call from a friend of mine who said that there was a really nice desk that someone had put on the grassy area of her neighborhood and put a paper on it that said "free." She immediately thought of me because she knows I love refinishing furniture and selling it, and me- always up for a new project- jumped on it.
I made my exhausted husband jump in the truck with me and 5 kids (we were watching my niece and nephew) and we drove over and we were trash diggers. Or more oppertunists.
We found this on the grassy patches of Blackhorse:
I made my exhausted husband jump in the truck with me and 5 kids (we were watching my niece and nephew) and we drove over and we were trash diggers. Or more oppertunists.
We found this on the grassy patches of Blackhorse:
(To clarify this is a little bit after we picked it up off the grass. I already cut the top off, cut it down 5 inches and reattatched the top in this picture.)
We saw it and and Kevin was a little reluctant to take it. He thought it was a "throw away desk" and thats why it was free. I saw a great find. He though there was no way that I could resell it, and I said maybe we could use it for a desk in our room, because he had been asking me to look around for a cheap one to put up there so he could work in our room when things got too loud downstairs. THEN he wanted it.
I had to do some quick rearranging of my room and the livingroom, moved the "yellow barn cabinet" upstairs and move the ottoman that I built downstairs- ten year olds can be very helpful with this kind of thing, complainy, but helpful. Then Kevin helped me move the desk up stairs. The spot that I wanted to put it in has a pretty low vaulted ceiling and the desk was 5 inches too tall to fit against the wall. Kevin suggested that we cut the top shelf on an angle so it fit like a built in. I did not like the idea- and really, there are not too many ideas that he pitches about home decor that I do like. I wanted to cut off the top, cut 5 inches from the shelves and reattatch the top. Something told me that if I didn't act quick then Kevin would do me the service of ruining the desk with his idea. So I got started on it pretty quick the next day.
Jig saw, measuring tape and sharpie marker in hand I altered the free desk to fit it where I wanted it. Worked out perfect, fits exactly where I wanted it to.
But it was still ugly.
So I sat in my bed a stared at it for a good long time and tried to vision it in various different colors of paint that I already had in my stockpile. I was determined to keep this project as free as I could, so I was only going to use things that I had on hand.
Peafowl blue was screaming at me, so I gave in and stared painting. An hour later 2 coats was on and drying and I again sat in my bed and stared at it trying to vision what else it needed to make it beautiful.
Glazing. And cute little knobs on the single drawer- the ones that I snagged at Hobby Lobby a few months ago when they had them for 50% off. So I did. And I loved it. And I left it alone for the night. Even got thusbands approal that it was no longer a throw away desk.
The next morning I stared at it while everyone was sleeping and absoutely hated the old, boring office chair that was pushed under it.
We saw it and and Kevin was a little reluctant to take it. He thought it was a "throw away desk" and thats why it was free. I saw a great find. He though there was no way that I could resell it, and I said maybe we could use it for a desk in our room, because he had been asking me to look around for a cheap one to put up there so he could work in our room when things got too loud downstairs. THEN he wanted it.
I had to do some quick rearranging of my room and the livingroom, moved the "yellow barn cabinet" upstairs and move the ottoman that I built downstairs- ten year olds can be very helpful with this kind of thing, complainy, but helpful. Then Kevin helped me move the desk up stairs. The spot that I wanted to put it in has a pretty low vaulted ceiling and the desk was 5 inches too tall to fit against the wall. Kevin suggested that we cut the top shelf on an angle so it fit like a built in. I did not like the idea- and really, there are not too many ideas that he pitches about home decor that I do like. I wanted to cut off the top, cut 5 inches from the shelves and reattatch the top. Something told me that if I didn't act quick then Kevin would do me the service of ruining the desk with his idea. So I got started on it pretty quick the next day.
Jig saw, measuring tape and sharpie marker in hand I altered the free desk to fit it where I wanted it. Worked out perfect, fits exactly where I wanted it to.
But it was still ugly.
So I sat in my bed a stared at it for a good long time and tried to vision it in various different colors of paint that I already had in my stockpile. I was determined to keep this project as free as I could, so I was only going to use things that I had on hand.
Peafowl blue was screaming at me, so I gave in and stared painting. An hour later 2 coats was on and drying and I again sat in my bed and stared at it trying to vision what else it needed to make it beautiful.
Glazing. And cute little knobs on the single drawer- the ones that I snagged at Hobby Lobby a few months ago when they had them for 50% off. So I did. And I loved it. And I left it alone for the night. Even got thusbands approal that it was no longer a throw away desk.
The next morning I stared at it while everyone was sleeping and absoutely hated the old, boring office chair that was pushed under it.
See, ugly. I was determined to recover it. So I searched online to see if anyone had tried such a crazy thing and found that a lot of people hate those ugly office chairs as much as I do. I read step by steps and then I recovered mine. It was pretty easy. Unscrew the seat and the back, pop off the plastic backing on the back of the chair, lay the fabric right side down on the floor, place the back on it, cut the fabric about 4 inches bigger, stretch and staple it to the back working in opposite directions, press the plastic back on, and re attatch it to the chair base. same scenario for the seat of the chair. Easy, peasy.
And look how nice it looks!!
And look how nice it looks!!
I liked it. And then as I sat on my bed and stared at it again, I wanted to tie the fabric from the chair into the desk a little better, and I needed some better storage too. So I turned my left over fabric and the .97 cent storage boxes that I bought for the desk into much cuter storage boxes with little spray adhesive and hot glue. Then I put them up on the shelve and declared my project done, and done. I also declared the desk that my husband asked for into my new sewing desk. :) He had no faith in the desk, so why should it be his?
I let him use it when he needs to. For a fee.
Here it is, the throw-away-I'm-keeping-it-forever-desk:
I let him use it when he needs to. For a fee.
Here it is, the throw-away-I'm-keeping-it-forever-desk:
Desk cost: free
Paint cost: Left over from a refinshed chair, so free
Knobs: already had them for a previous cost of $2 each
Fabric to recover shair and boxes: $10.00
Storage boxes:$4.00
TOTAL: $18.00
Pretty cheap for the way it turned out!
But really, thanks to whoever decided that they no longer wanted this desk. I love it.
And, no you cannot have it back.
Paint cost: Left over from a refinshed chair, so free
Knobs: already had them for a previous cost of $2 each
Fabric to recover shair and boxes: $10.00
Storage boxes:$4.00
TOTAL: $18.00
Pretty cheap for the way it turned out!
But really, thanks to whoever decided that they no longer wanted this desk. I love it.
And, no you cannot have it back.
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