Up-cycling a Filing Cabinet to a Desk
6 Materials
$50
2 Days
Medium
I found a filing cabinet on the side of the road for free! I tried to figure out what I should do with it, and with a little help from Hometalk we decided on up-cycling it into a desk!
We bought 2 stair balusters to support the opposite side of the desk. We cut them to be the same size as the filing cabinet.
We decided where we wanted the plywood to go on top as the desk top. We measured where the screws needed to go to attach the stair baluster. Ours was approximately 3 inches in from the corners. My husband pre-drilled the holes in the board. He made an "X: on the balusters and then pre-drilled a center hole. He lined up the baluster under the wood and used a drill to place the screw through the board and baluster to secure the legs into place.
We used some wood putty to cover the screws in the top.
I used my sander to sand down the putty to make it level, and I sanded all the sides and edges. After the sanding was done, I wiped the board down with a damp cloth to clean it before paint.
I removed the hardware from the front of the filing cabinet and painted it with Dixie Belle Metallic Silver.
I painted the filing cabinet with Dixie Belle Slick Stick - this allows paint to adhere to metal.
I painted the board with Dixie Belle Driftwood paint and let everything dry overnight.
I painted the filing cabinet with Dixie Belle Blue paint.
I wanted a drift wood look so I first put on Dixie Belle Whitewash glaze and let that dry, and next added Dixie Belle Van Dyke Brown glaze. To achieve this look you start by dry brushing on the white glaze and wiping with a paper towel as you go. After that dries you do the same with the brown glaze.
I put the hardware back on the filing cabinet.
Here is the completed desk! You can make it right or left handed.
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4 comments
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Great desk! I think I might need to do this.
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well done!
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Thank you :)
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