DIY Network

Gabe's Work Area Convert a desk and disgarded chairs into a creative workspace. From "From Junky to Funky" episode DFJF-110

A thrift store desk and thrown-out chairs are transformed into a new inviting work area, complete with lighting for the homeowner in his newly designed room.

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	An old desk gets a new coat of varnish and a layer of decoupage...
	...while a set of thrown-out chairs hang from the wall over a newly installed light fixture.
	Figure A

Materials:

Thrift store desk
Found chairs
Blueprints
Spray glue
Shellac
Polyurethane
3/4" MDF
Table saw
Power drill
Drill bits
Hanging hooks
Lighting fixtures

Desk Section:

1. Clean the desk inside and out.

2. Decoupage the outside of the desk.

   Note: There are various techniques for decoupage, which basically means wallpapering. The most important thing to remember is to keep track of what your finishes are based with (oil or water). If you are starting with bare wood then you can use either type of base. If your base piece has a finish, you must use products with the same base. In this project, we used oil based products and either started with bare wood or sanded it down.

3. Sand the desk.

4. Use spray adhesive to glue the blueprints to the outside of the desk. Work in small sections.

5. Lightly apply amber shellac to give it an aged look (figure A).

6. Apply a coat of polyurethane.

	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

Chair Sconce Shelves

1. Recover the seats.

   Start by cutting a pattern for the tops, and then attach the fabric with staples (figure B). Cut the pattern for the bottoms, and then attach the fabric with staples. Be careful to staple close to the edges so the framing of your chair will cover the staples (figure C).

2. Install the lighting fixtures (figure D).

   Customize the brackets as needed to attach to the bottom of the chair. To avoid having a fire hazard, make sure you properly use wire nuts and electrical tape to safely make a solid connection. Customize with a two prong plug to allow the fixture to be plugged into an outlet. Cut two pieces of 3/4" MDF to use as mounting boards to hang the chairs. To do this, drill holes one inch from each corner. These will accept screws for mounting on the wall.

3. Decoupage rectangles of MDF using the same technique as above.

4. Install hanging hooks onto the MDF to hang the chairs.

5. Mount the MDF boards to the wall above the desk using drywall anchors.

Project Expense:

Chairs: Free
MDF: $20
Lighting fixture: $76
Materials: $24

Total: $120