Since our dining table is always just hidden under a pile of my projects, I decided we need another table, or a project desk. We bought these VIKA ARTUR legs/trestles from IKEA, but I wanted to make the table top myself. The trestles are adjustable, which is really great since I often stand cutting fabric etc. And the desk can work as a cocktail table for entertaining, we just need some more stools :)
If you considering setting up the desk under a pergola or other outdoor area, make sure to power wash the area before that. I would recommend going with a professional company such as Triple Clean Power Washing, just to have the peace of mind that everything will be done properly and on time.
How to:
The trestles were untreaded, so I stained them with Minwax Wood Finish, Special Walnut.
(Sanded on the left, not sanded on the right)
We got whitewood boards at Lowes, they will cut them in the length you need. Make sure you by long enough boards so that your feet will have room under the desk (the trestles are quite wide). You also need boards you'll attach the top boards to.
My boards are 60 inches long. That leaves about 20 inches between the lowest parts of the trestles, when the trestle is attached at about 10 inches from the ends of the boards.
Sand the edges of the boards (I used grain 60).
Lay them out to see how you want them, and drill away!
I started with drilling holes&screws at the ends, which will help keep everything in place while you put on the rest.
When I was done attaching the boards, I flipped it over and went over with a sander to make sure there were no splinters, and to even out the edges of the boards a bit. First grain 60, then 200.
Wipe off sanding dust with damp cloth. Then stain, and then wipe off any excess stain with a clean cloth.
Go over everything with your protective finish, I used Paste Finishing Wax by Minwax because it isn't shiny like some finishes. I think Rust-Oleum's Ultimate Polyurethane in Satin would work, too.
(You see the color of the trestle pieces underside is a bit wonky, that's because I wanted to see how it would look if I swept over the whole thing with some white paint/water blend to get a "washed out" look, but I did not like how the color turned out. If you do, I had about 1 part white crafts paint and 5 parts water, you can try it out for example on some extra piece of wood which you have stained)
Attach the trestles upper piece to the board.
I painted the trestle adjustment pieces, first with black and then a silver coat over it, since I wanted them to mimic the other metallic parts of the trestles, and not the wood. Am also thinking about replacing them with some hardware pieces, but we'll see, this works for now.
The boards had some stamps on them, make sure to have them on the underside if you don't want them visible, but I really like all the little "imperfections" :)
This is AMAZING! I really like the look of the table.Thanks for the how-to on the top. I think I need a desk/craft table like this.
ReplyDeleteThanks! We've had it for about a week now, it's been great :)
DeleteWhat size is the table that you got them to cut at Lowes?
ReplyDeleteHi! The pieces are 5 feet long and about 7 inches wide (even though the price tag said 8 inches wide), so the table top is 5 feet long and 29 inches wide. The pieces underneath are 22 inches long, they were the pieces that were left over once they cut away the 5 feet long pieces. Hope this helps :)
Deleteare those trestles still available at Ikea, do u know?
ReplyDeleteHi! You can search for "VIKA ARTUR" on IKEA's page, and then click "Buy at your local store" to see if they have them in your preferred store :)
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI love this an want to try to make it. How did you secure the whiteboard to the trestle without going through the wood completely?
I attached the trestle-bit to the board going across the long boards with a drill&screw, so I did go through the trestle completely and almost the whole across-piece. You can buy screws that are shorter that the thickness of the boards you want to go through, so they won't show on the other side :)
Delete(So a part of the trestle comes loose, which I attached to the board that keeps all the long boards together. I just measured how long the screws have to be so that they won't come throuhg the layers)
Delete