Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Boy's Room Update: Easy Desktop Tutorial

I have been compensated and provided materials to share this fun project! 
While I've been compensated, opinions are 100% mine!

I shared a few weeks ago how our teenage son is turning 16 and so it was time to give him a little update in his room. I proposed this to him and he seemed very happy with "Mom's ideas" -- he really doesn't care too much about what his room looks like but is ready to let his red wall go....however, I'm doing one thing at a time.



Boy's Room Desktop made from laminate flooring:: OrganizingMadeFun.com




Teen Boy Industrial Look :: OrganizingMadeFun.com
If you recall, I showed you this mood board filled with my industrial ideas for the look for his room. I headed to Floor and Decor store in Fullerton to purchase the supplies I wanted for the desktop for his room. I couldn't believe this place -- they had everything: wall tiles, countertops, flooring of all kinds, and so much more. It was a HUGE! 

They asked me to pick out a product from their store for a project. Well, I decided that this was the perfect time to do something really creative. Since we were getting ready to redo our 16 year old son's room, this was on the list of things I need to do. I decided to use laminate flooring to make a desktop for the new desk we made him.


Floor and Decor Store :: OrganizingMadeFun.com


First of all, I purchased two Ikea Alex series drawer systems in gray. These are SO great. He went through all his drawers in his old desk - which we gave away to a church friend - and cleaned it out really well. He organized his things in this new drawers and really seems to like them - more drawer space and pretty organized for a 16 year old boy! 


Laminate flooring for desktop :: OrganizingMadeFun.com

I got ONE box of laminate flooring. The desktop is 6 feet long and we estimated this would plenty. At only $1.59 each square foot, it's perfect for a small budget! My son wanted to have a long desk - to do homework, but also to work on Lego projects! So, this was much cheaper than a countertop - and looks great! I used Fairview Oak Laminate - the whole box was just $34.15 {SKU #944101348}.


3/4 inch plywood cut down for desktop :: OrganizingMadeFun.com


We bought 3/4 inch plywood {which is 8 feet long} and trimmed it down to fit the desk - 6 feet long by 2 feet wide. 


Lay out flooring and click into place :: OrganizingMadeFun.com


After that we laid out all the flooring pieces - being sure to stagger them. It took about 6 pieces of flooring to do this. The pieces are 8mm wide, see above. 


Gluing flooring to plywood :: OrganizingMadeFun.com


Once we dry fit everything together, and got it "clicked in", we simply slid all the pieces off and began gluing it. 


Not too much glue needed :: OrganizingMadeFun.com


We used a wood flooring urethane adhesive for all the gluing of our project, using a caulk gun - so really minimal amount of glue!


Clamp down flooring to plywood :: OrganizingMadeFun.com


We slid the flooring right back on and clamped it down to dry. While it was drying we started working on the edging. We used quarter round flooring that was in coordinating color for the edges. 


Quarter Round floor molding for desktop edging:: OrganizingMadeFun.com


We miter cut, glued, and nailed the edging down -- confession: we had extra plywood and flooring pieces so we practiced on those to make sure it would be stable and the depth of the nails would work. While it's not perfect, it's perfectly functional and was an easy way to finish off the desktop.


Desktop made from laminate flooring :: OrganizingMadeFun.com


I'll tell you, this was truly a simple project AND it was a lot less expensive than purchasing a countertop - like my desktop countertop in my office. 


Teen boy desk made from laminate flooring :: OrganizingMadeFun.com


I chose laminate with no bevels on the edges so that the flooring would butt up against itself to make a smooth surface. I also chose laminate because it would be more water proof and the fact that it's flooring means it's VERY durable! It can handle all kinds of kid abuse!


Teen boy desk made from laminate flooring :: OrganizingMadeFun.com


Shortly after I took these photos, my son had this whole desktop covered in his Legos, working on creations. He said he loved how big it was and that he could have so much room to do that now! So, goal was accomplished! Next on our list is to get some shelving built for above this desk! What do you think? Could you make something like this?


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4 comments:

  1. Fantastic idea! Would love a desk like that for myself! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. do you realize the possibilities you have just unleashed?? =D

    ReplyDelete
  3. I may have missed it, but is the top attached to the drawers?

    ReplyDelete

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