Transform an ugly desk to a pretty nightstand dresser

I finally got this transformation done! I tried to give away this desk for a month! Yep, I tried at my garage sale last spring, Craiglist for the last month, and even my son for his new apartment. The desk is older, heavy, and it was the ugliest brown color.

I know you are probably wondering “why did you ever buy it?” My answer is simple “it was $5 at a garage sale years ago and I needed a sewing and craft table”. After awhile the desk stopped being functional and it was so heavy to move. No one liked it and so I tried to sell it on Craiglist for $5, then $1, and then free but no one even inquired. So last weekend I asked hubby to help me take the desk outside so I could make it over. He grumbled and asked me “what could you possibly to do make this nice?” I said “I am going to cut it up.” I wish I had a picture of his eye rolls as he walked back in the house mumbling something under his breath.

Well, this makeover cost me less than $5 to do. I did not want to buy anything special so I used what I had- left over textured wallpaper from a kitchen makeover I did for someone, scraps of small screen molding, and metallic silver Rustoleum spray paint from other projects. I spent less than $4 on a jar of sample Behr Marquee paint in ‘secret society’. My inspiration for the color came from the shirt I was wearing which I discovered while working on the desk made the gray come out in the laminate top. Yes I wore the shirt to Home Depot running my arm against all the grays in each color palette until I discovered ‘secret society’. (I drew the attention of onlookers probably wondering what I was doing) Since Behr Marquee is a paint and primer and it is Home Depot’s most durable interior paint, I decided to test and use it for this project. (I am not getting paid to advertise)

I will show you step by step in the pictures what I did. I left the laminate top alone because there was no paint or primer that would stick so I decided to just go with it. Whatever process they used for this laminate, it is durable and since the piece may be going to Indiana to my son’s new apartment, it will suit a single guy perfect.

I love to transform pieces of furniture and rooms. I love to use what I have to truly keep it low cost. The furniture piece is not perfect and I now think how I could have spent about $10 more and used wood filler to cover the imperfections and spent the time to sand to a perfect finish. But you know what? I really did not want to take the time because the piece will be used as a nightstand and the ‘imperfections’ are not obvious.

I hope I have inspired you to transform an ugly piece of furniture into something pretty and useful. This desk was not an antique that was to be refinished but a piece to be painted. I love wood but sometimes you just have to paint it.

Tip: always use masking or painter’s tap to keep laminate from chipping

I measure to make sure I would cut past the leg and give a bit of lip (trying to match the other side)

I always make a guide so I cut a straight line

The tape keeps the saw from chipping the laminate

After sawing the top, I removed the guide and now had to saw the rest apart

Laid the desk down to finish cutting through. Always wear safety goggles and be safe

I removed the screw and cut the wood so it would be easier to remove

I turned the desk upside down to saw the underside off. This was tricky because I could not get that close to desk plus there were nails I could not get out