DIY-Desk Cover

Welcome back DIYers! First, I want to apologize that I've waited until the last minute to post this one this week. I had a jurytrial and so my week was very full. Anyway, this week do I have a treat for you. This is actually NOT something I saw on another website orin a book, but something I thought of all on my own. Basically, what brought this idea together was I just started my new job, and for the first time in my career I was given my very own office that I could paint whatever color I wanted. Well, I chose this very beautiful gray (rugged suede is the exact title) and because my diploma and bar license were framed in black I decided to have black accents to bring it all together. The only problem is that the desk the office provides is brown :( So I started thinking about what I could do to the desk that wasn't permanent (because we aren't allowed to paint the furniture and the desk stays with that office if I ever switch offices). Then I thought, why not make a desk cover!! So I went to the fabric store (JoAnn's fabric to be exact) and started my creative process there. First, I'll show you a picture of the completed project so that you have an idea of what was going on in my head.....

Now, you guys are probably thinking, that's cute, but it will get dirty and how do you wash it! Well hold onto your shorts because I have an EASY solution that I will discuss later. Ok, now that you have an idea of what the project is, lets talk about what you'll need to complete this project:

1. fabric of your choice (make sure you measure the top of your desk and also leave at least an inch extra of fabric on every side for it to be pinned up) Cost: between $5-$20 depending on how expensive the fabric is you chose. Mine ended up costing about $10

2. Iron

3. fabric laminate (you can find this in the fabric store section that deals with no-sew options). Regular price for this I paid $9.99 and depending on the size of your desk you might need two rolls (I did), but remember most fabric/craft stores have coupons and run things on sale so watch for those sales and coupons!!

4. Hammer

5. Thumb tacks. Cost: I found a box of 300 for $1 at the Dollar Store.

Ok now that we have our materials lets get started! The first thing you do is iron the fabric and get all those creases out. Then place the fabric on your desk. Now because I was doing this from the ideas in my head I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted the end result to be so I got a lot more fabric than I ended up needing, so I had to trim the fabric. If you have to do this too,make sure you leave a minimum of 1/2 inch of fabric on all sides to tack up afterwards.

Now that you have your fabric cut and the size you need it's time to put the laminate on. Remember earlier when I said that you were likely worried that it would get dirty and how would you clean it? Problem solved! After you put the laminate on you can wipe it down with a wet cloth to clean and it also doubles as a mouse pad!! And it is surprisingly easy to put on. HINT: I placed the fabric where I wanted on the desk first, because there is no need to put laminate on the ends that you are going to tack up. First you press it onto the fabric where you want it, then you press an iron on it for approximately 8 seconds. CAUTION: make sure you do not put the iron directly on the laminate, but instead place the paper the laminate came off of and top and press the iron on that. Also, make sure you iron is NOT set to steam! After you get it placed on and have used the iron on the top, turn it over and press the iron on the backside of the fabric for approximately four seconds.

After you have all the laminate on you are ready to tack up the sides. I will tell you that I think the easiest way to do this is to use a staple gun, however, my boss said no to that idea out of fear it would ruin the desk. Another thought was to use double sided tape, but my fear with that was that it wouldn't last very long. So, I had the idea of just sucking thumb tacks. I simply went around the entire desk and put a tack every inch or so. Now, my desk required me to use a hammer to get those tacks in good and tight. What I had to do was press in the tack first with my thumb, and then once it was set it, I used a hammer and just pressed it in the rest of the way. CAUTION: do not hammer the tacks like you would hammer a nail, tacks are too delicate. just place the head of the hammer on the tacks and use pressure and it should go right in.

Guess what! Now, you're done!

My final thoughts: The cost of this project was around $30. It only took less than an hour to complete and I have really gotten a lot of complements on it. One notable one, was a co-worker said she is calling HGTV and turning me in for a reality show, haha. This is definitely a doable DIY project, and the best part is you are using fabric, but not a sewing machine so those of you like me with minimal sewing ability, you are good to go!!!!!

Overall DIY Grade: A-

Good Luck and please feel free to post your finished project! Happy Do It Yourselfing!