DIY Cane Desk Flip
What do they say? If you can’t find it, make it? Is that just me who says that?
Either way, it is certainly something that I say to myself, in my head, quite a lot. And I certainly said it to myself when I couldn’t find quite the right desk after months of searching Craigslist and Facebook marketplace. I’ve been making a concerted effort with this apartment to buy secondhand. One, because I live for the thrill of the hunt. Second, because I know that this isn’t a forever space so redecorating it with secondhand items feels less wasteful.
I have to say, that this DIY turned out just as I imagined, which so rarely happens! I’m so pleased with it. Below, I’ll go through the steps I used to flip this desk and I’d love to hear if you’re inspired to try something similar!
Desk Before:
Desk After:
First, I want to state that this is a bit of an “un-tutorial.” I’m not sure if you’ve watched Sohla’s new series of YouTube cooking tutorials that she’s doing for Food52, but she’s calling them “un-recipes.” They are, essentially, very simple recipes and the focus of the video is more about how you can take basic steps and iterate any way that you want. I love the idea of the “un-recipe” and so I bring you the “un-tutorial!” (A particularly good tutorial style for someone who seriously struggles with measuring).
Step 1: You’ll want to source a desk. I choose mine based on the simple shape and style and because it wasn’t a “precious” piece of furniture, so I wouldn’t feel guilty painting it. Keep in mind the size of the desk that you need to work comfortably and how many drawers you want. It may take you a while to find the right piece for the right price, so just keep looking!
Step 2: Remove drawers. Sand and wipe down the exterior of the desk and the drawers, if relevant. I sanded and painted the entire desk and then just the tops and sides of the drawers. I didn’t paint the drawer fronts because this part was exposed through the cane.
Step 3: Paint your desk and drawers (except the fronts)! I did two coats of semi-gloss wall paint on mine. I just bought a sample size of paint from Ace and it was more than enough!
Step 4 (Optional step): Once the paint is dry, flip the desk over and drill holes into the center of the legs. Screw-in your casters.
Step 5: It’s time for the cane webbing! Cut pieces of cane to fit the fronts of your drawers. Soak the pieces of cane in water for 30-40 minutes, until pliable. This will cause the cane to enlarge a bit. After soaking, place your cane on the fronts of your drawers, pull taught, and staple it into place on the perimeter. Let dry. The cane should shrink a bit and pull tight.
Step 6: Cut your trim pieces for the front of the drawers. You’ll want two pieces to run the width and two vertical pieces for each drawer. Cut the end of each piece at a 45-degree angle to create a frame. Sand and paint.
Step 7: Once dry, lay the frame on the top of the drawer fronts and test for fit. Sand any pieces to make the frame fit seamlessly together. Glue the frame to the drawer fronts with strong wood glue and hold it in place with a heavy book. Leave to dry.
Step 8 (Optional step): Spackle the gap between the drawer front and the trim frame caused by the cane webbing. Allow the spackle to dry, sand, and paint.
Step 9: Attach your drawer pulls. I had to take my drawer apart to be able to do this, and you might find yourself in the same situation depending on where you want to add the pulls.
Step 10: Place drawers back into the desk and admire your (seriously amateur) finish carpentry skills!
Here are the links to the items I bought for this DIY:
Want to see a video of the process and a full tour of the space?
I hope this gives you some desk inspiration! Do you think this is something that you would try?
as ever,
Keya