My husband and I made 3 of these folding lap desks for Christmas presents - one for our son and one for each of our nieces. My husband is a bit of a perfectionist, so it took slightly longer than I would have liked to sand, build, drill the pocket holes, and put them together (oh yeah, and sand sand sand again!). Oh and then there was the priming and painting. But then I took just as much time with the decorative paint and then the clear coat! If we had been working on it every evening, we could've completed the 3 desks in under a week but it actually stretched out for a month. I've never painted anything in my adult life (probably haven't picked up a brush since I was in elementary school), and even then I was only doing it because they forced us to! So if I can do this, anyone can! :-)
Estimated Cost
$15 per table
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Spray on primer and 2 coats of Benjamin Moore Advanced white Paint, brush on Acrylic craft paint with a foam brush, more acrylic craft paint with a foam brush on stencils, and a water based clear coat for 3 coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Comments
Pam the Goatherd
Thu, 02/09/2012 - 09:42
This is beautiful! Trying to
This is beautiful! Trying to convince my husband that we should do this so I can get that grey plastic dog crate out of our living room. Maybe this will show him how much better it would be to build one.
Loni (not verified)
Thu, 02/09/2012 - 20:54
Nice!
Great minds think alike! I want to build one for my dog, but as a bedside table. Beautiful job! That top with that grain is just stunning!
Guest (not verified)
Wed, 02/22/2012 - 13:48
Plans
Where can I find the plans for this?
In reply to Plans by Guest (not verified)
spiceylg
Wed, 02/22/2012 - 16:34
Right above
Click above where it says "From plans" - that is a link.
pinkfox125 (not verified)
Sat, 10/13/2012 - 12:08
crate :)
What did you use to seal the stain to make it look so shiny? or what brand of stain did you use? that looks incredible! I'm thinking of some wainscoting on the sides as well for my project...
jessestond
Thu, 07/03/2014 - 12:43
beautiful look
Your post inspired me to pursue this project with some left over walnut and it turned out great! I think my post is on page 10 if you're curious. Thanks.
Ziva n me_ goi…
Thu, 07/31/2014 - 03:41
Beautiful dog kennel!!
I'm going to try to make mine larger as my fur baby is Grt Dane/Lab mix & needs a bit more room. My idea is to put it at end of my king size bed like you would a cedar chest/hope chest. Wish me luck!