Desk to Night Stands With Dock Cleat Handles Tutorial
I scored this desk for $5 from a yard sale and posed the question to my devoted fans - desk or night stands? The people (all 5 that answered!) spoke and night stands won! This tutorial will lead you through the process of creating the stands and adding dock cleat handles for an extra special nautical touch.
I love how the handles really bring this whole piece together and add a little something different to night stands.
I started by using my jigsaw and cutting the middle portion out from the desk - more detailed pics are available on my blog including some handy tips for this step.
Using a handheld sander, I worked out any imperfections and made the sides as smooth and flush as possible.
I wanted to create a bottom shelf and used a piece of 1/4" plywood scrap that I had in the shop. After tacking it down with the nail gun, I primed the whole piece and then painted it using Valspar spray paint.
The dock cleats were sprayed with a metallic spray paint and then attached to the drawers through pre-drilled holes and hex head bolts. There is a trick to this step but you need to check out the full tutorial for that tidbit.
I love the 2-tone color scheme and the metallic handles!
It's hard to believe that this was a DESK and now, night stands. Please check out my blog for the FULL tutorial and please feel free to ask questions!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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3 of 24 comments
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Nice!...love the drawer pulls!
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Thank you so much for this idea. I have a desk just like yours. I'm working on the same project.
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